A gardener asked for advice on planting pennyroyal — a species of flowering plant in the mint family — in their flowerbed and was met with conflicting opinions from fellow gardeners on Reddit.
In the r/gardening subreddit, they posted several photos of the beautiful lavender-colored flowers, which they said were planted in a garden they'd installed.
"I would love to incorporate this texture into my own garden, so I took some cuttings to root, but I'm wondering if I'm going to make life hard for myself by doing so. If you have any experience with it, do you find it to be a bit of a bully?" the original poster wrote.
One drawback of mint — especially culinary mint — is that it can be invasive and spread aggressively in your garden if you plant it in an open bed. Pennyroyal is also considered moderately invasive, according to the California Invasive Plant Council, but that's not the only reason to be cautious when planting it.
"While it is in the mint family, and smells amazing it is poisonous to humans and shouldn't be consumed. That being said it is great for helping ward off some pests, and pollinators love the flowers. Happy gardening!" one commenter warned.
"Mint WILL be a big, fat bully. Keep the beauty, and contain it by putting your rooted plant in a pot w/ dirt, dig a hole big enough for the pot, and place the whole pot in the ground," another suggested.
However, since pennyroyal can quickly take over your yard, other commenters advised buying a dedicated root barrier to control the plant since it can still grow over and around pots in some instances.
Still, even though the original poster might be able to keep the pennyroyal in check and unwanted insects at bay, planting a slightly invasive plant in their yard could be a disaster, especially if they have many native plants. Invasive plants outcompete natives for resources and are a big headache to remove, especially if they have deep root systems.
Native plants such as clover and buffalo grass, along with xeriscaped lawns, are always the better options since they require less water and upkeep than traditional lawns. They also create a healthier ecosystem for pollinators, which helps humans since we depend on them for many foods we enjoy. If you don't replace your whole lawn, you can still reap the benefits by swapping out small sections with low-maintenance native plants.
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Mint is invasive, but one commenter had the opposite issue with the plant. "Weird, I have to replant mint every year in New Orleans. Must be too much rain and shade in my garden. I've tried so many species. They all die before the summer ends," they said.
"Mint is extremely invasive, it will conquer your yard, and it is very hard to eradicate. You'll hate it and if anyone lives in that house after you, they'll hate it too. If you like it, you can have a big container full of it, but I strongly advise against putting it on the ground," another shared.
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