17 Popular Plants That Can Stunt Your Garden’s Growth

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Just as it is in gardening, not all growing blossoms or foliage gives the feeling of delight to your lawn, though it may seem perfectly reasonable and trendy to put one of these admired plants in the garden, the effects can stun even the most experienced gardener: these flowers pose a threat of transferring growth-inhibiting characteristics to the surrounding plants.

You can then make the best decisions regarding these plants. With the right plants, you can not only have a beautiful garden but one that is healthy and produces vigorously year-round.

Mint

Image credit: Commonists/Wikimedia Commons

Mint is a delicious herb with culinary and ornamental uses that makes it the darling of many gardeners. Yet, it grows very fast and has a strong ability to choke out other plants, which will lead to the fact that it will overrun the neighboring greens. Mint does tend to spread quickly so it should be put in raised beds or pots to prevent it from overrunning other plants.

Morning Glory

Popular for its showy trumpet-shaped flowers and simplicity in care, Morning Glory is a climber common in most households. Nevertheless, it grows very fast and may become a weed problem that limits the growth of other plants by denying them sunlight and nutrients. If you want to include Morning Glory in your yard, you should plant it in a particular location from other plants or use a vine to cover the area.

English Ivy

a close up of a plant — Photo Credit: Pexels

English Ivy is a common climber found scrambling over walls and fences because it can grow in less than desirable conditions. Yet, it has a rather developed root system and can suffocate other plants due to lack of access to sunlight and water, and an inability to compete for those resources. While it is an attractive plant, if not controlled English Ivy can quickly overpower smaller plants and hinder their growth.

Yarrow

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Dainty flowers and fragrant leaves make yarrow popular in gardening in many regions of the world. After some time, this plant can be invasive, entice other favorable insects and pests while hindering the development of neighboring plants as it struggles for nutrients. It is advisable to grow it in different areas or prune the plant frequently so as to avoid overcrowding.

Black Walnut Trees

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According to the Garden Professors, Black walnut trees possess allelopathic characteristics that contributes toward the suppression of growth in other plants in their vicinity. This tree produces a chemical called juglone which tends to limit the growth of many other plants, and makes it difficult to grow a variety of greens in the vicinity of the black walnut tree.

Ferns

Ferns are one of those plants that are often used to create a dense look of greenery where your garden is shaded. One disadvantage is how fast they outcompete other plants in that they have very large root systems which suck most of the nutrients from the soil leaving the rest of the plants with very little nutrients to survive on. To prevent this, the use fertilizer or compost to replace the nutrients of the soil , as well as spacing the ferns and other plants.

Sunflowers

While sunflowers can be beautiful flowers bringing the heat to the garden, their height will overshadow other plants. Though these flowers often attract pollinators and beneficial insects their presence can be somewhat adverse as they overshadow other plants or compete with them for nutrients and water. Although the sunflowers may grow with considerable ease, you should ensure that you plant them in specific places that do not allow them to grow nearby other smaller plants or you should use shades to ensure that they can only grow in certain areas within your compound.

Heather

Heather is a beautiful, low-growing plant widely used in many gardens because of its texture and beautiful colors. However, its extremely fast growth habit makes it an invader that can easily crowd out other plants by shading them out. Heather is affected by the shoots growing tall and thus it should be pruned severally and the it should be planted at a considerable distance from other plants.

Lilacs

Lilac is one of the most loved plants for its beautiful flowers and lovely smell in many gardens. According to Plantintroduction, allelopathic chemical secreted by their roots prohibits the growth of neighboring plants. To avoid this problem, it is advisable to grow lilacs separately from other greens or to find out which kinds of species react to allelopathic properties of lilacs.

Bamboo

Bamboo is an excellent plant that enjoys widespread use in many gardens because of its height and attractive look. However, these are laterals which reach many parts of the ground, taking nutrients in large amount in the soil, and hence is detrimental to any other plant. This is because bamboo is very invasive and may cause a lot of problems if not controlled and therefore you could grow it in a pot or surround it with some barriers.

Silvermound Artemisia

Photo Credit: James St. John/Wikimedia Commons

Artemisia silvermound is a common groundcover renowned for its gingery-blue appearance and ease of care. Despite this it produces vigorous underground runners and once established it can literally overrun a given piece of ground ousting other vegetation. This plant is said to need frequent trimming and repotting so that it will not become overgrown and dominate the nearby greens.

Ornamental Grasses

Although ornamental grasses give a timeless feel to your garden, they have very controlling root systems as well and spreads exceptionally fast thus conversing space for other plants. It would be advisable to plant them in separate beds from other species so that you can easily trim them.

Trumpet Vine

Trumpet vine is appreciated for the beautiful blossoms it produces; however, it is very invasive plant that grows rather fast and will surely take over any area. It is recommended to be grown using some form of support, such as trellis, and should be pruned to minimize it’s scrambling habit.

Japanese Knotweed

It is well known that this plant has rather aggressive properties and spreads very fast, occupying areas for other plants. It is preferable not to plant it at all but if that is impossible, a number of steps must be taken including growing it in green houses or using measures such as planting it in deep root control systems.

Lemon Balm

Though an excellent choice for adding lemon scent, lemon balm is capable of spreading rapidly and claiming territory from other plants. This creeper should be planted in pots or small patches where it can be easily controlled from rampant growth.

English Lavender

English lavender is one of the most favorite herbs used for its smell and lovely flowers. Still, it’s growth is detrimental to small plants by limiting their access to water and beneficial nutrients. This problem can be conquered by constant trimming and making sure that the proper space is maintained between lavenders and the rest of the plants.

Nicotiana

Nicotiana is a very pretty flower for the garden, but it has a tendency to spread and overtake more tender plants. Some of them are large, and it is recommended that they be trimmed to control their growth.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.