A few years ago, I surveyed our local Master Gardeners about their problem plants. I asked if anyone had actually lost sleep because of a troublesome plant in their garden. I recently updated the list, and the responses are interesting. Obviously, one gardener’s treasure can be another’s nightmare. The most common complaint is about invasive plants. A moment of enchantment with a four-inch potted plant with pretty pink flowers can lead to a lifelong struggle of digging, weeding, even spraying (as a last resort) to remove a monster that is trying to take over the planet. Along with the usual suspects, such as mint and bamboo, which are described with adjectives often used in war zones or with words not allowed in the newspaper, here are a few other responses from my fellow Master Gardeners, in their own words. From Karen Bunch: “Oenothera rosea ‘Pink Petticoats.’ Sounds beautiful, doesn't it? Well, let me tell you, when the label description says something like ‘succeeds in tough, rough places’ or ‘quick growing,’ that’s your clue to run. What that language really means is that you will never be rid of it and your whole 23 acres will be covered with it. “My husband and I innocently thought we would fill in an area with it, thinking it might take a year. It took only a month for the plant to cover that whole area and more. It was beautiful, the pink flowers waving in the breeze. The next season, every bare piece of dirt was covered. It took us five years to get rid of it. In year three, my son and I dug up the whole area and then sprayed it all summer whenever something popped up. Year four, it was coming up in the bed around my fig tree which is half an acre away. I don't even like pink flowers now." From Penny Pawl: "The birds planted an evergreen iris in my yard. The seed pods have hugh red berries and are quite pretty. However, when this plant gets going, it takes over everywhere. I have had to dig it out, pull it out, and Roundup it out. I've actually seen this monster in garden catalogs!" From Sharon Lampton: "Centranthus ruber (Jupiter's beard). Very good looking, long bloom time, needs little water or attention, but terribly invasive. It's about two to three feet tall, has very airy white or pink inflorescence, and is trying to take over my yard. Each one of those tiny flowers on the head is a seed, and even with my diligently snapping off the flowers to keep them from sowing, it's very hard to get a handle on. And it moves from areas where it would be all right (like my parking strip) into areas where it isn't (like my backyard vegetable garden)." From Val Whitmyre: "In the front entry, I planted a pink jasmine vine 15 years ago. It is a wonderful home to several bird's nests. The reason it makes such a good home is because it grows up and out and all over itself, forming a huge tangled ball of foliage if left on its own. Hint: look up the difference between aggressive and invasive. Most vines are one or the other." From Pat Hitchcock: "I'm not sure if my lamb's ears qualify. I have a love/hate feeling about them. They are such survivors even when I don't water them, but when they invade the adjacent herb beds, I resent having to dig them out. They spread by seed and by runners. Of course I ought to remove the blossoms, but they are so weird and interesting that I can't quite do it." From Ruth Ancona: “Well, I didn't plant it, but privet is the bane of my existence. That plant should be outlawed. Every seed germinates. It cost me $600 to get rid of the latest go-round of the beasts, and now they're peeking over the fence in my neighbor's neglected yard. A midnight visit with super-strength Roundup is in order.” From Nancy Wilson: “My nomination is Artemesia vulgaris 'Oriental Limelight,' which I purchased a couple of years ago. It got out of hand quickly, sending up new plants from the roots everywhere. I began hacking away. I still find errant plants, which I dig out fast. But it is beautiful and would probably do well in a wine barrel where its roots could be contained.” My own nomination is a ground cover called Potentilla neumanniana, or creeping cinquefoil. It looks like a strawberry with yellow flowers and little red strawberry-like fruit. It would be fine if you wanted a ground cover for several hundred acres of forest. I have dreams about pulling it out. It comes up everywhere, and I am not the only one living with this nightmare. So the lesson is to do a little research and purchase “the right plant for the right place.” For more information, check http://www.plantright.org/. Or you can always ask a Master Gardener!