Evil Plants for The Garden

[DoomsDave]

Howdyall:

So, we all love plants, of whatever kind, but there are some that are good, honest weeds, and others that masquerade as garden plants, then, like the monster in "Alien" kill and eat everyone except Sigourney Weaver and the cat.

These are plants that should, simply, never be planted in any sane person's garden.

UNLESS and only unless, nothing else will grow, so that's all that will grow . . .

Plants like:

Boston Fern

Spider Plant

English Ivy

Horsetail (I want my mommy!)

Vinca minor or major

Asparagus sprengeri

Purple Morning Glory (Ipomiea, or however you spell it . .. )

and a number more.

These are often sold! As pretty plants!

Don't fall for the trick . . .

And, for your part of the Earth, tell us yours . . . . .

[Paul The Palm Doctor!]

Dave: Also innocent looking pothos or "devil's ivy" in South Florida is a noxious weedy climber which tenticles inself upon EVERYTHING, and the leaves that were 2 inches, become impressive leaves of maybe 25 inches with a stem that widens and widens!!

Devil's Ivy, indeed!

Paul

[_Keith]

Here it would either be the Purple Morning Glory or the Air Potato. Either, once introduced, is nearly impossible to eradicate.

[Cristóbal]

ricinus communis

i think this is castor in english. if you leave the seeds on the ground they grow very fast with only little water.

i hate this plant !

Edited January 8, 2010 by Cristóbal

[DoomsDave]

ricinus communis

i think this is castor in english. if you leave the seeds on the ground they grow very fast with only little water.

i hate this plant !

That's a weed here, too. Also, the seeds are among the deadliest seeds to injest (eat) so keep them away from children . . . . .

[palmmermaid]

I use boston fern - a Florida native - as ground cover. It takes anything.

Noxious plants for me:

brazilian pepper

air potato

old world climbing fern

australian pines

wodelia

sweet pea vine

I don't have old world climbing fern yet. The air potato came in after a hurricane and I am fighting it along with the others listed.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

The Possum Vine is a bear. I have lots of the others popping up now and then, but this Possum Vine (Cissus verticillata) is the worst. Even if you pull it up by the roots the top still grows. It will even send aerial roots down to reconnect with the ground.

Carrot Wood (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) is also a problem tree that birds spread everywhere.

[Eric in Orlando]

Skunkvine, Paederia foetida, is the worst around here. It became a real problem around here about 10 years ago and almost impossible to eradicate. It is spreading thoughout Florida and is becoming a pest in other southern states, seems to be a zone 8 hardy vine and can totally smother vegetation within a year uncontrolled. It will grow in sun or deep shade and dry sand or wet black muck. Birds spread the seeds and it will come up everywhere and quickly. If you don't have it you will within a few years. Its worse than air potato and cats claw vine.

[Eric in Orlando]

Here it is at nearby Mead Gardens. It completely smothers trees there.

[DoomsDave]

I hear kudzu is a nasty weed, too.

But, it's edible . . .!

[Eric in Orlando]

Kudzu isn't a pest in peninsular FL. I have seen a couple local yards growing it on a chain link fence but it never spreads past that. Don't know if the (usually) warmer climate keeps it under control, the nutrient deficient sand that is referred to as soil around here or maybe an insect.

[SunnyFl]

Kudzu isn't a pest in peninsular FL. I have seen a couple local yards growing it on a chain link fence but it never spreads past that. Don't know if the (usually) warmer climate keeps it under control, the nutrient deficient sand that is referred to as soil around here or maybe an insect.

Nah, kudzu isn't invasive here. Our climate clobbers it....

Ahhh, but we have air potato - the vile vine! The "kudzu" of FL, the bane of gardens, an evil weed if ever there was one. It has blanketed my 'hood clambering along the power lines where we can't get at it, then dropping its nasty tendrils into the oaks and raining hellfire and air potatoes all over the yard. and they sprout. thousands of them....

We had a neighbor awhile back who like to grow it (on purpose!) up the power poles b/c he used the "potatoes" as a food, which isn't a very good idea, but I couldn't communicate this to him as I don't speak Cambodian. silly me.

[Eric in Orlando]

If you get skunk vine you will long for the days you just had potato vine! We have had areas where the skunk vine choked out potato vine. At least AP vine goes dormant in winter so you can get a start on it and collect as many tubers as you can then be vigilant in spring when the new shoots start to emerge. Skunk Vine can be very stealthy and doesn't go dormant. Often it sprouts inside thick shrubbery and gets established before it grows out and is noticed. Also once it is established in an area you constantly have seedlings coming up. It is very resistant to herbicides. It will grow along the ground or up any vertical object. Along the ground it roots every few inches so if you pull it it breaks easily and these root pieces quickly grow as new vines. Its awful, awful, stuff. It also has a very pungent odor (hence the name) if it is broken or distrubed. Also on hot humid evenings, areas with lots of this vine will have an offensive odor. It can grow into a lawn and tolerate being mowed with out dying. And mowing a thick patch of this really scents the landscape.

[palmmermaid]

Eric,

I forgot about the skunk vine. I have it and am always pulling it out. Keeping all the invaders out is a non-stop task!

[Walter John]

Onion Grass (Romulea rosea).

Some of this came with a palm I acquired.

[Lauriek]

I use boston fern - a Florida native - as ground cover. It takes anything.

Noxious plants for me:

brazilian pepper

air potato

old world climbing fern

australian pines

wodelia

sweet pea vine

I don't have old world climbing fern yet. The air potato came in after a hurricane and I am fighting it along with the others listed.

I am intruiged. What do you mean by 'australian pines'. Any pictures?

[SunnyFl]

I am intruiged. What do you mean by 'australian pines'. Any pictures?

I don't have a pic of it, but its real name is Casuarina. Beautiful name for a real nuisance. They were brought to FL to serve as a quick windbreak on the coast - but since it goes over in storms, it wasn't a great choice. And it spreads...

Notice that when we try to do "quick fixes" on the environment, we make worse problems down the road. Like kudzu - imported for quickie erosion control.

[Lauriek]

SunnyFL, thanks for that.

Casuarinas aren't pines so that's why I didn't know them.

What is intriguing in Florida is that there are hybrids now, from [iC. glauca, cunninghamiana, equisetifolia] but I don't believe they hybridise naturally here in Australia.

Which means we don't have the hybrids and you do which also means they will be difficult to control. They've adapted/mutated to the Florida environment. I understand what you mean by invasive species also.

There are actually two genera - Casuarina and Allocasuarina.

We just call them she-oaks, or just casuarinas.

[Jeff in St Pete]

Thunbergia grandiflora is an evil plant here. It climbs and smothers everything in its path. Too bad the flowers are so pretty, otherwise I would yank all of it out.

[Walter John]

Onion Grass (Romulea rosea).

Some of this came with a palm I acquired.

Damn, there's onion grass popping up in two of the palms I've taken out for transplanting...