Thinking about adding new plants to your garden? Before you do, watch this video to find out the 7 plants that gardeners regret plantingβ€”and why you might regret them too! Some plants might seem like a good idea, but they can cause unwanted problems, like spreading uncontrollably, taking over spaces, or being too high-maintenance for your garden. We’ll share the hidden downsides of these popular plants and provide better alternatives to keep your garden healthy and beautiful!

7 Plants Gardeners Regret Planting (and Why You Might Too…)

7 plants that gardeners wish they hadn’t planted, and why they can be problematic in your garden.
How these plants can become invasive, difficult to control, or require more care than expected.
Better plant alternatives that are beautiful and low-maintenance, perfect for your garden.
Tips for making smarter plant choices to avoid common garden mistakes.
How to create a garden that thrives without the headache of problematic plants.

Ready to avoid planting the wrong plants? Watch now to find out which plants to skip and what to plant instead for a low-maintenance, thriving garden!
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Some plants seem like a good idea until they’re not. You bring them home for their fast growth, bold color, or charming flowers, but a few seasons later, you’re stuck with a problem that won’t go away. Whether it’s spreading underground, climbing up your house, or taking over your flower beds, these are the plants gardeners say they wish they never planted. In this video, we’ll walk through seven of the most common regret plants so you can learn from their mistakes and make smarter choices for your garden. Starting off the list is the chameleon plant, a ground cover that lures gardeners in with color, but leaves them with years of regret. With its striking red, green, and yellow foliage, the chameleon plant is often sold as a bold solution for shady spots. It promises vibrant color where other plants fail. And for a moment, it delivers. But underneath that charm lies one of the most persistent and invasive root systems you can plant in a garden. It spreads aggressively through underground ryomes, sending runners far beyond its original location. You might spot it popping up in lawns, cracking through patios, or overtaking nearby beds before you even realize what’s happening. And once it’s there, pulling it out is nearly impossible because even the tiniest root fragment will regrow. Many gardeners who’ve planted it say they had no idea what they were getting into. What starts as a bright splash of color quickly becomes an endless cycle of digging, cutting, and frustration. It’s the kind of plant that teaches you how important it is to know what you’re planting before it’s too late. If you’re craving colorful foliage in the shade, try Tyrella or Hikira instead. They’re beautiful, adaptable, and far easier to manage, giving you color without the chaos. Next up is English ivy. A classic climbing plant that charms at first, then takes control of everything in its path. English ivy is often praised for its elegant, timeless appearance, clinging gracefully to fences, walls, and garden structures. It grows quickly, stays green year round, and gives your space that lush established look. But behind the beauty, this vine hides a far more aggressive nature than most gardeners expect. Once rooted in, it anchors itself to brick, wood, bark, and anything else it can grip. Over time, it damages walls, suffocates trees, and traps moisture where you don’t want it. And when it spreads, it doesn’t stop. Even if you cut it back, it rebounds fast. And removing the clinging roots often leaves ugly scars behind. Regret often comes a few seasons in when it’s no longer a charming vine, but a full-blown invader. Many gardeners find themselves spending more time trying to manage ivy than enjoying their space. Some even resort to full removals only to see it return from hidden runners later. If you’re dreaming of a climbing plant with less baggage, consider native honeysuckle or a gentle clatus. They bring beauty and vertical interest without the long-term fight. Coming in at number three is trumpet vine. A hummingbird magnet that brings drama to the garden and not always in a good way. With its vivid trumpet-shaped blooms and fast growing habit, trumpet vine seems like the perfect solution for covering fences, arbors, or bare walls. Its tropical look adds instant impact and pollinators absolutely love it. But what many don’t realize is how quickly this vine can spiral out of control. Trumpet vine spreads both above and below ground, sending woody runners and deep suckers across wide areas. It climbs aggressively, wraps around structures, and pushes through cracks and walkways and foundations. And once established, it’s tough to remove. Cutting it back often encourages more growth, and digging it out rarely gets everything. Gardeners often go from excited to overwhelmed within a couple seasons. What started as a few cheerful flowers quickly becomes a constant battle to contain its reach. Some even report it damaging sighting, overtaking nearby plants, or reappearing far from the original planting spot. If you want bold blooms with fewer headaches, look into sterile varieties like campsus Indian summer or plant native crossvine instead. They offer similar beauty with far better behavior. Fourth on the list is purple loose strife. A tall stunning bloomer that quietly becomes a threat to everything around it. Purple loose strife grabs attention with its long spires of vibrant purple flowers blooming beautifully through summer. It thrives in wet soils and is often seen growing near ponds, streams, or rain gardens. But while it may seem like a dream plant for tricky spots, it’s earned a reputation as one of the worst invaders in many regions. This plant spreads through both seeds and creeping ryomes, forming dense colonies that smother native vegetation. It can overtake entire wetlands, crowding out food sources and habitat for birds, fish, and insects. Once it’s in, removing it is extremely difficult. Pulling and cutting often isn’t enough to stop the spread. Many gardeners planted it years ago, not realizing the long-term impact. Today, it’s banned in several areas due to its aggressive nature. Regret sets in once it escapes the garden and begins to disrupt the local ecosystem. If you’re looking for a vertical accent in moist soil, try leatus or balm. They offer the same pollinator power and seasonal color without the environmental damage. Halfway through the list is Chinese wisteria. A vine that seduces with blooms, then strangles everything it touches. Chinese wisteria is breathtaking in spring with its cascading clusters of violet flowers hanging like chandeliers from pergolas and trelluses. It looks like something out of a story book and quickly becomes the focal point of any garden. But the moment it takes hold, it begins to reveal its less romantic side. Its thick woody stems twist tightly around anything they touch, trees, fences, even other plants. Its roots also send out runners that sprout new growth far from the original planting. Left unchecked, it becomes heavy, overpowering, and hard to contain. In some cases, it’s even pulled down entire arbors. What starts as a magical garden moment turns into a long-term pruning battle. Gardeners who planted it with excitement often find themselves cutting it back for years only to lose the fight as it takes over more and more space. For the same cascading charm without the destruction, plant American wisteria instead. It’s native, less aggressive, and much easier to manage. Number six is mint. A kitchen favorite that becomes a backyard bully when planted in the ground. Everyone loves mint for its aroma, its culinary uses, and how easy it is to grow. It’s refreshing in tea, delicious in desserts, and seems like a no-brainer for a herb garden. But what many gardeners don’t realize is how quickly mint turns invasive when not kept in check. Mint spreads through underground runners that snake across garden beds and pathways. What starts as a small patch soon pushes into nearby plants, pops up in unexpected places, and becomes difficult to remove. Even if you dig it up, leftover roots quickly respout. Many people plant it directly into the soil only to find themselves constantly pulling, cutting, or even replacing entire beds. It becomes more of a weed than a crop. And that delicious aroma starts to carry regret. The fix is simple. Grow mint in containers. Whether above ground or sunk into a raised bed with barriers, you’ll get all the flavor without the takeover. Taking the seventh spot is yellow flag iris, a golden beauty that’s quietly invading wetlands across the country. Yellow flag iris is admired for its bold yellow blooms and swordlike foliage that stand tall around ponds, bogs, and drainage areas. It stabilizes banks and thrives in soggy soil where few others do. But under that grace is a plant that spreads far beyond where it’s welcome. It reproduces by both ryomes and floating seeds, forming dense colonies that choke out native aquatic plants. In wetland ecosystems, this iris crowds out biod diversity and alters water flow. Its root system is thick and stubborn, making it tough to remove once established. Regret often arrives too late after it’s already escaped into nearby natural areas or taken over entire edges of a pond. In some regions, it’s considered a noxious weed and is restricted or banned for sale. To stay safe and still enjoy similar beauty, choose blue flag iris. It offers the same upright structure and striking flowers, but with a lighter ecological footprint. It’s easy to get drawn in by fast growth, colorful foliage, and dramatic flowers. But sometimes the plants we love at first end up being the ones we fight with later. Regret doesn’t always come right away. It shows up in year two or five when you realize you’ve spent more time managing than enjoying. So before planting anything new, take a minute to research how it behaves, not just how it looks. Your future self will thank you for it. Have you ever planted something you totally regret? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear your story. And if this video helped, give it a thumbs up and share it with your fellow gardeners. [Music]

27 Comments

  1. Black raspberry. It has thorns and pops up everywhere in the yard. What began as let's grow some berries has become a nightmare.

  2. Mint in containers is just as bad. My neighbor's container mint spread to my garden and it took a month to completely eradicate it.

  3. Sweet woodruff. It is everywhere choking out bugle weed, lady's mantle and even tall perennials. I live at 7000 feet and arid environment and it still took over.

  4. Previous owners planted a combo of English ivy and mint in a flower bed and now it's everywhere. We're having a wet summer, so I'm trying to dig it all out. I know I won't get it all, but I hope to at least slow their hostile takeover. Ah, they also planted a blackberry in another space and that is also a wild child.

  5. My grandfather gave my dad a staghorn sumac, I loved it growing up, I got some from my dad and planted it. The roots stretch across gardens now… It’s quite annoying!

  6. My house came loaded with English ivy , Chinese wisteria, Pine trees, Oak trees, Sweet gum, invasive Holly, spiney raspberries and what not! They keep me on toes year round. The pine trees though being " Evergreen" shed pine needles, cones, conebuds, hay, twigs, pollen,all the time!!

  7. We planted screening bamboo to block out a new housing estate- said to not spread. Needless to say that $thousands dollars later we still digging out the now-dead roots πŸ₯²πŸ˜«πŸ˜©

  8. Is there anything you can spray that will kill English ivy? It is coming up in places I can no longer crawl to get to.

  9. Bougainvillea! I can't grow anything near it, soil seems toxic. Needs to be cut back several times a year! About to remove it!

  10. Ive planted mint in the ground, i only wish it would take over. I live in northern Nevada…nothing is invasive except the weeds. Goats heads and tumble weeds are the worst

  11. I can’t believe you didn’t mention bamboo. My neighbor finally had to have his dug out with a backhoe .

  12. thanks for the advice, I’ve had problem with several of the invasives you featured, learning the hard way πŸŒ±πŸŒΏπŸƒ

  13. Aside from the invasiveness factor, some of the vines and ground covers listed are also a haven for undesirable wildlife (e.g. rats). My neighbor had a large, very overgrown honeysuckle vine next to my back wall . One night, just before dark, i counted half a dozen rats emerging and heading straight for my fruit trees for their feast. Ivy grown as a ground cover has also long been known to attract rodents.

  14. Previous owner loved English Ivy. I have spent the last five years trying to kill it. Making progress but damme stuff keeps coming back

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