10 Invasive (?) Ground Cover Plants You Need to Watch Out

Most of ground covers are vigorous. They tend to be successful at filling an area. While this is exactly what you’d want, some say they are “invasive.” If you cannot “contain” or “control” them in your garden, give some thought before you plant them. Here are 10 ground cover plants that could go beyond aggressive:

1. Yellow Archangel
2. Snow on the Mountain
3. Periwinkle
4. Pachysandra
5. Creeping Jenny
6. English Ivy
7. Lily of the Valley
8. Sweet Woodruff
9. Fern
10. Euonymus Winter Creeper

21 Invasive Runner / Stolon / Rhizome Ground Cover Plants

11 Perennial Ground Cover Plants Performing Great Under Trees

7 Sun-Loving Ground Cover Plants for Attractive Landscaping

12 Shade Loving Ground Cover Plants Thriving in the Shade

[deborahblackvideoediting]

Creeping Jenny is my all-time favourite plant. The first time I saw it, it took my breath away! I read that it was invasive, so I've always grown it in pots. It looks so gorgeous trailing down the sides of a container. The plant I've had the hardest time getting rid of is Lemon Balm. I planted it 12 years ago when we first moved into our house. I was clueless about it. Lemon Balm smells heavenly, and makes an herbal tea that is excellent for helping to relax. If wish I had known to only grow it in containers. I can't get rid of it. It's worse than weeds. My 6 foot nephews who is strong and works in construction could not dig it up, the roots were so ridiculously thick. He actually broke one of my shovels trying to dig it out!
Anyhow, great video. Thank you! :)

[vicmurai]

Against my wishes, my wife planted a two inch pot of lamium, (yellow flowers), 30 years ago when we first moved into our new home. After retiring, I noticed that this plant had literally overtaken our backyard; in addition, it was encroaching into our neighbour's yard. Four years ago, I decided to completely remove this noxious, very invasive plant. I commenced by using a spade and digging it up. Its root system was so dense and massive, it was like trying to put the spade into concrete. During the summer months, I tried to dig one square metre each day. Finally, after 4 summers, I accomplished this mammoth task yesterday. I repeat, DO NOT PLANT LAMIUM nor BISHOP'S WEED in your garden. Bishop's Weed is even much worse than Lamium since it spreads via stolons. Ostrich ferns are another fern cultivar that are terribly invasive with hard, dense, roots and invasive; the fiddleheads from this fern variety are edible, however. These invasive perennials should be banned from local garden shops.

[ContactsNfilters]

Me, who can kill anything without even trying: taking notes for my shopping list 😂

[vickivonbergen]

Violet ground cover has not only ruined the lawn, but also my life. Three summer seasons trying to dig up tuberous roots and two herbicides applied repetitiously have made it thrive.

[Patricia-]

San Luis Obispo County in California has restricted Ice Plant from being planted. It is considered a weed from South Africa. It thrives in well draining soil and especially by the coastline. The County is pulling out the ice plant to allow for native plants to grow back and reestablish their habitat.

[catherinehenderson]

I have planted snow in summer in my garden which is terraced with stone walls. Love the colour of silver foliage love the beautiful white flowers but don’t love how it runs under the soil and invades my flower beds by creeping upwards then it requires a fork and digging it out or you leave behind roots which regrow. It also spreads by seed and pops up in gravel around base of trees etc. lovely plant but I do regret planting it. Twice a year I have to cut it back and remove unwanted spread. I fill at least six wheelbarrows with it

[nicoeeek.]

Nasturtium, luckily easy enough to pull out but it self seeds so easily and rapidly, each morning I am pulling a couple of hundred new sprouts that will otherwise consume my back garden, love it when in flower but I am thinking of totally banning it in my yard now.

[janelifestolen]

they look a lot better than some grasses i have seen and do not require all the chemicals and lawn mowing.

[SLK-epfc]

Any thoughts on creeper charlie please.

[pikachupower]

Is it illegal to plank any of these invasive ground covers? I really like the yellow wedelias and recently grew a vine from a cutting and I plan on growing it outside but I am not sure if it’s allow or not. I live in Hawaii

[CG-usvw]

Houttuynia Cordata Chameleon. Pernicious invasive plant spread by seed and spreads through rhizomes which are very fragile and break apart easily. Any small part of the rhizome or stem left behind in the soil will resprout.

[carolyncatlett]

How do I get rid of summer cypress ground cover i didn’t plant?

[HYTELES]

Raspberries took over my backyard with runners everywhere and going into my neighbors' yard.

[susanmetz]

I’d like to add honeysuckle to this list.

[rogerhaun]

My experience is that pachysandra sleeps/creeps/then (only sort of) leaps. It did a good job of covering the ground (but also seemed to be home to voles and ticks :( ).
English Ivy is too aggressive (here in PA).
Calling Lily of the Valley, Periwinkle or Sweet Woodruff invasive or aggressive seems laughable. My periwinkle/vinca minor never choked out much of anything even in places it was happiest.
Some varieties of ferns cause their owners to tear them all out. Those varieties are aggressive. Many are native so I wouldn't call them invasive per se.
Euonymus Winter Creeper: my new house has that; I'm a bit leery of it. I've seen it spread and climb trees and have been told it's labeled as invasive. Once all my English ivy is ripped out, I'll look at the winter creeper.

[anner.]

I disagree with you putting Creeping Jenny on the list of invasive plants. Crab Grass is invasive, Creeping Jenny is not. Ajuga is a good non-invasive ground cover as well. You need to deal with it like anything else with boundaries.

[CampingforCool]

Creeping Charlie is the worst around here. Lamium is really bad too. They need to ban invasive ground covers for sale.

[ababin]

That type of fern comes up in random places in my yard, but oddly enough it’s always a place that a fern would look lovely and hide something unattractive in the yard, like the brick pile on the side of my shed. Thankfully it’s just single pretty sprays and not a complete takeover like in the picture. My grandma planted the original ones years ago. Mine is Kunth’s maiden fern, native for me in southeast US.

[AlcoOneNote]

Interesting with good information. Ferns are no problem for me since the four or five types I have do not spread. Winter creeper that arrived "naturally" is the worst due to its aggressive, tough nature, but I've been able to get ahead of it in limited areas as I look to see it gone. Creeping Charlie acts like a total yard ground cover, but can be pulled up easily, but just takes commitment of time, as does Ivy.

[redarrowsmk]

Creeping myrtle is really beautiful. They are tough to remove but restraining their boundaries is maintenance I find quite easy. As always I seek out native ground cover before anything else. Not too hard to do in Maine. :)