Gardener issues warning after recognizing invasive plant sprouting near home: 'I wouldn't want it in my garden'

In a Reddit post to the subreddit r/landscaping, one user shared an image of a plant growing in their yard, looking for help identifying it. 

"What is this plant?" the caption read. "I found it near my fence and moved it. Is it a ground cover or invasive?" 

The image shows a small patch of what looks like Bishop's Weed, also called Ground Elder, planted in the dirt.

"I have that," one commenter shared. "It's ground cover and it can be invasive but it's fairly easy to control. It's called ground elder." 

Another gardener issued their own warning about the plant: "Ground Elder in the UK is a devil to get rid of, I wouldn't want it in my garden."

"It's very invasive it will grow anywhere, be sure where you want it, it's very hard to kill it," another commenter shared. "I'm a gardener, had some in my yard when I moved in, took me a few years to get rid of it."

According to Better Homes and Gardens, the plant grows very fast due to "quick regeneration and copious seed production," making it hard to eradicate.

"I think I will remove it as I'd like to make the garden more native," OP wrote.

Native gardening is when you plant only native plants in your space, plants that are indigenous to your area and are adapted to the climate. These types of plants help the ecosystem to thrive, with birds, animals, and insects using them as sources of food. 

Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely 👍 Depends on the animal 🤔 No way 👎 Just let people do it for free 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

They typically require less water and don't need harmful pesticides that other types of plants and lawns need. Native plants can also reduce air pollution by removing carbon from the air and reducing the need for mowing lawns.

Invasive plants, like the one in OP's post, can grow quickly, pushing out native plants, eliminating food sources for animals, and decreasing water quality. 

Other gardeners and homeowners have shared their frustration at invasive species threatening their plants. Some gardeners have shared their success when eliminating invasive species from their gardens through regenerative agriculture and other removal techniques.

If you are looking to add native plants and rewild your yard or garden, check out our guide.

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