Don't be fooled by their colorful petals and lush leaves. These plants are doing more harm than good.
Aggressive ivies, invasive
weeds, and water-hogging blooms — these plants may look lovely, but when
it comes to your yard, the aesthetic appeal might not be worth the
damage.
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This shrub is the definition of invasive:
The blossoms turn into fruit with seed pods that spread abundantly in
the wind. They're also super low-maintenance and can survive in harsh
conditions (like poor soil or minimal water) so they tend to sprout up
fast and take over.
Sure, it looks romantic
when it scales old, abandoned walls, but what you might not see is the
wear and tear it's doing to those already run-down structures. Ivy can cause damage to just about any kind of siding, including wood, stucco, and cement — oh, and your paint doesn't stand a chance.
These gorgeous flowers tend to overcrowd other plants,
which might be fine when they're in full bloom, but the purple, blue
blossoms are fleeting — when they're done blooming, they turn black and
leave bare patches in your landscape.
Pachysandra
While this carpet ivy is a lush, green alternative to grass, it also attracts insects called Euonymus Scales. These pests suck the life out of the ivy, usually killing it and leaving dead spaces in your ground coverage.
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Beware: this orange flowered alternative to traditional, all-green ivy is super aggressive, can cause damage to wood siding, and sprouts up long distances away from where you originally planted it.
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Also known as Morning
Glory, this plant kind of looks like a flower, kind of like a weed. And
boy is it persistent. The hardy root system makes it nearly impossible to fully remove and sometimes requires several methods before finding success (throwing boiling water on it is just one route).
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