A gardener’s relaxing trip to a local greenhouse quickly turned disappointing when she spotted a notorious invasive plant for sale alongside its other offerings.
Phyllis Schph Gochi shared her frustration in a Facebook post after discovering creeping jenny plants at East Side Greenhouse, urging others to avoid purchasing the aggressive spreader. “Please do not buy,” she wrote, explaining her “intimate knowledge of fighting creeping jenny in several natural areas.”
My mental health trip to East Side Greenhouse was destroyed when I saw this HIGHLY invasive plant for sale….it was…
Posted by Phyllis Schph Gochi on Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Gochi noted that she doesn’t blame the greenhouse for stocking what customers demand but emphasized the public needs education about the plant’s destructive potential.
Creeping jenny spreads aggressively through trailing stems that root wherever they touch soil, forming dense mats that can smother native vegetation. The invasive species can take up to two growing seasons to eradicate once it’s established, requiring persistent removal and potential herbicide applications.
Also known as moneywort and originally from Europe, creeping jenny was introduced as an ornamental but has since spread throughout the continental United States and into Canada. It thrives in wet meadows, stream banks, and disturbed floodplains, where it forms dense colonies that crowd out native species, damaging ecosystems and food chains.
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Gochi’s post drew strong reactions from commenters.
“People actually are buying creeping Jenny? That’s funny, my mom always opposed it and several other runner plants. She would freak at the sight of this. LOL,” said one person.
“Oh my gosh, you are so right about creeping jenny. We had a professional landscaper plant a bed along my neighbors fence. I have found [that] she planted several invasive species and creeping Jennie was one of them along with ginger and some kind of grass, I make sure to cut all the seed head[s] off the grass when they come in July,” warned another.
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“All we can do is spread the word,” the OP replied, helping to increase awareness of invasive species threats to local ecosystems.
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