Forcing things to grow where they don't belong is akin to creating a monster — or being a monster.
That was the sentiment of one gardener who planted wisteria despite all warnings not to do so. The gardener thought they were planting it somewhere it couldn't get out of control but underestimated its capacity.
"It got out of control quickly, reaching beyond what I thought was possible," the gardener wrote. "So I responded, cutting it back, trying to limit its growth. I couldn't contain it."
In the spirit of creative storytelling, the gardener tapped into the energy of Dr. Frankenstein and believed the wisteria was a monster that needed to be destroyed. But in the end, they realized the plant was just a living thing trying to exist, and perhaps they were the actual monster for their hubris and arrogance.
This clever Reddit story is an excellent reminder about how invasive plant species can cause significant problems for gardeners.
Wisteria is especially notorious for becoming invasive and displacing native plants because of its quick growth and longevity.
Non-native plants often take over entire ecosystems and disrupt the habitats of pollinators that support wildlife species and our food supply. They also cost gardeners substantial time, money, and effort as they take extreme measures to control those plants and fix their past planting mistakes.
Meanwhile, native-plant lawns help you save time on lawn maintenance while lowering your watering costs. Many low-maintenance lawn replacement options are available to embrace native plants, such as clover and tapestry lawns filled with colorful, low-growing flowers.
Even just replacing a part of your lawn with native plants can benefit your budget, schedule, and the local environment.
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Fellow r/Gardening followers enjoyed the original poster's wisteria story and shared about their own regretful planting mistakes.
"I try to work together with my wisteria, but she's a tenacious one for sure," one Redditor wrote in the comments.
A Redditor shared: "My wisteria often tries to strangle me in very very slow motion."
"I did this with Morning glory," commented another Redditor. "Here we are 15 years later and it's still a problem."
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