Aggressive plants in the garden. Aggressive plants. Sosnovsky's hogweed - dangerous and merciless

Aggressive plants are familiar to most gardeners. You plant a small sprout - and by the end of the season the invader drives out the rest of the "tenants" from the flower garden. Some horticultural crops behave like real weeds!

Weak or just small plants next to rapidly growing species simply cannot survive, and the rest have a hard time: the aggressor can shade them, take away food and water, limit living space. From point of view landscape design overly proliferating cultures are also a big problem: they quickly destroy any composition. How can one find a council on them?

Growth strategies - control strategies

Each species has developed its own survival strategies in the process of evolution. Some form a huge number of seeds with high germination, others are capable of renewing from tiny segments of rhizomes, others are distinguished by extremely rapid growth of shoots ... Accordingly, each aggressor plant needs its own approach - its own strategy of dealing with its predatory intentions.

Airborne assault

Some plants actively reproduce by self-seeding. These are perhaps the easiest to deal with: the main thing is not to allow the seeds to form. To do this, you need time: no seeds - no reproduction.

In words, everything is quite simple. But in fact, in vast flower beds, it can be very difficult to keep track of every flower. If the seeds are still scattered, in the spring you will see seedlings where you did not expect. They need to be removed as early as possible, not allowing them to root properly (of course, unless you plan to transplant unexpected seedlings somewhere in a permanent place)

Guerrilla war

We sometimes discover active growth of rhizomes too late - when the aggressor has already occupied a vast territory. Some bulbous and tuberous crops (for example, Jerusalem artichoke known to many) can be attributed to the same category. The problem is that such plants are actively driving out competitors, taking away the resources they need for life.

The good news is that it is quite possible to contain such invaders. But, as usual, there is also bad news: this must be done BEFORE the potential aggressor settles in your garden. If you do not take care of preventive measures, then in the future you will face a long, difficult, and sometimes useless struggle: completely picking out every single piece of rhizome from the ground can be an almost unrealistic task. Especially if all this happens in a perennial flower garden that you have not yet planned to completely remodel.

So what's the secret? It's very simple: growth restraints, which are established when planting a plant that actively reproduces by rhizomes.

There are options here. For example, when planting raspberries, many people dig sheets of slate or other strong and durable material into the ground around the perimeter of the planting area. The main thing is to bury such a "barrier" deep enough so that the roots do not "crawl" under it. For plants with a shallow root system, even an ordinary wide (15-20 cm) border tape can become a limiter.

A planting container (a large plastic pot or a homemade container - for example, from plastic bottle). This is how not only flower beds are planted, but also aquatic plants, among which there are also many aggressors.

Examples of cultivated plants leading the seizure of territories by “partisan methods” are goldenrod, peppermint. From the wild - well-known and ubiquitous.

Aggressive inclinations

There are crops that actively form long aerial shoots, often rooting. This is a very large group that includes many ground cover plants. This also includes vines that grow rapidly due to lateral shoots - for example, the popular girlish grapes.

Such aggressors, having fallen into favorable conditions, are capable of closing a large area in a season, strangling all competitors. They should not be planted next to short, miniature plants; best neighbors for such crops - large perennials or shrubs.

Perhaps the most difficult to cope with representatives of this category. Their growth cannot be prevented or stopped - all that remains is to deal with the consequences: cut off excess shoots, shorten overgrown shoots, remove rooted ones ...

When it comes to ground cover plants, high curbs help in part - for a while they hold the invader, not allowing him to crawl onto the path or lawn. But if you do nothing, and these obstacles will not become a hindrance.

Examples of cultivated plants growing due to shoots - strawberries, periwinkle, filamentous Veronica, many species Place the aggressor in a place where he can grow without disturbing anyone

If you don't want to completely abandon a plant, but you also do not have the opportunity or desire to constantly monitor its activity, just find a corner in the garden where the invader can spread without disrupting anyone's plans. For example, rapidly growing ground cover plants (periwinkle, ivy budra, filamentous veronica and others) can be placed under ornamental shrubs or trees. True, only if the lawn is not adjacent to them, otherwise again - "and an eternal battle, we only dream of peace" ...

Another important nuance: the behavior of plants often depends on the conditions. Someone in the garden, for example, has hops - a terrible weed, but I just can't grow it. But here lupins spread by self-seeding - just have time to weed out, and somewhere they are nursed like a garden exotic. Keep this in mind when choosing crops for your flower beds.

Are there aggressor plants in your garden? How do you deal with them? What methods do you prefer?

In the early 20th century, people often brought from abroad the seeds of "incredibly beautiful" plants, planting them in their gardens. Unfortunately, they had no idea what they were doing. Often, the newcomers had all the cards in hand in order to begin a successful conquest of a new world. The absence of natural enemies has often played the most important role. Below is a list of six of the most successful plant conquerors of new territories.

Don't let invasive species trick you. They look innocent, but they don't behave. They also don't stop growing, spreading and reproducing. The perpetrators are certified aggressive non-native vines, trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and herbs. Some look exotic, promising to add pizazz to your landscape. Others serve purposes such as ground cover, erosion control, or screening. However, along with the positives, negatives can arise - problems that everyone landscape designer and the homeowner must understand and understand.

Mikania is a small tree native to the rainforest, best known as the "purple plague of Hawaii". In the 1960s, this plant was introduced to Hawaii and Tahiti as an ornamental species. It was a small tree with large, dark green leaves decorated with purple veins. The tree bloomed with beautiful white and pink flowers, which then ripened into deep purple and black berries. But once in Tahiti, this tree grew up to 15 meters in height, becoming a real aggressor for other plants.

Very often in our gardens, not only weeds, but also cultivated plants rage. Some of them are called aggressors because, without proper control, they can quickly take over large areas of the garden. I will tell you about some of them that I have to deal with most actively.

My worst enemy in terms of aggression is a very beautiful, gentle cypress euphorbia plant.

It is a short perennial from 15 to 40 cm in height with beautiful shoots and fragrant flowersblooming in May-June and again in autumn. It reproduces vegetatively, its roots are very long, rapidly growing, brittle and it is almost impossible to dig them out. For reproduction, a tiny cut of the rhizome remaining in the soil is enough. If not monitored, the spurge can extend far from its original landing site.
=
My beloved luxury aquilegia perennial, which has many hybrid forms with simple and double flowers of the most varied colors, very unpretentious, does not require special care.

Flowering lasts a long time, but after the petals fall off, the flower stalks must be cut off, even despite the new buds. It is necessary to prevent shedding of seeds that are spread throughout the site and completely unpredictable where we will find seedlings. At the same time, the decorativeness of the flowers is completely lost, which we need to preserve, and the signs of the original variety are completely lost.

All of us beloved modest and gentle garden forget-me-not is also a very aggressive plant

Having brought a tiny bush of garden forget-me-nots with sky-blue inflorescences and planting it in the garden, do not rush to be touched and rejoiced. In the spring of next year, the first descendants of this bush will appear nearby, and after 2 years the forget-me-not will confidently settle into the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe garden. It will grow everywhere - in the shade, in the sun, under trees, on paths. So be careful !!!

Very quickly mastered on the site decorative forms those plants that are considered classic weeds. Our vigilance is dulled by their good native origin, and after a while these plants develop the bad manners of their wild relatives.
For example, the creeping tenacious, which lives almost everywhere except Antarctica and America. Its decorative forms were bred and we began to plant the tenacious plant as a ground cover plant.

The plant is very unpretentious, 20 cm high with beautiful flowers white, pink and lilac blue... But it very quickly forms numerous creeping shoots, which take root, forming daughter rosettes. It is necessary to watch them and swim out during the swim, otherwise they will cover our lawns with a dense carpet and will grow on them for a long time, since the above-ground cover of these plants does not age and does not vytuvat.

Recently I talked about variegated dreaming, a perennial with beautiful variegated leaves.

It should not be allowed to bloom, because from its scattered seeds grows, unfortunately, an ordinary malignant green weed, a weed that spreads over the site at the speed of a jet plane.

So, you should not give the opportunity to multiply those crops that have a predisposition to weed. Timely, thorough weeding helps. True, it takes a lot of my time, and I do not use herbicides.

Therefore, those who are just starting to plant their dream garden, think about whether it is even worth planting the plants that I told you about in your garden.

Among horticultural crops, there are both humble and neat soloists and plants that can tirelessly expand and create whole thickets. Herbaceous perennials, prone to rapid growth and the formation of continuous plantings, are included in the list of the best landscape crops and conquer with textures, the beauty of dense clumps and massiveness. But such plants can be very insidious, they need caution and care... If you give them complete freedom, instead of a universal partner or placeholder, you get an aggressor. Enough among perennials and plants that can be ranked among poisonous, toxic, skin irritating crops. And all garden aggressors, beautiful and dangerous at the same time, need a special approach.

Garden Aggressors Invaders

The most beautiful and spectacular garden plants from among the herbaceous perennials-partners and landscape stars are not always harmless and friendly. Among herbaceous perennials, there are crops that can cover strikingly large areas in a short time. Aggressors easily suppress other plants, especially fragile crops that do not form large sods and develop in compact bushes.

As a rule, these are large herbaceous perennials with creeping rhizomes and shoots, capable of spreading over an amazing distance and far from being limited to the place that they have been allocated. Such aggressors are conventionally called “territory invaders”. They are able to appear where they do not want to see them.

In large areas and areas where you can afford to create large natural groups and plantings, aggressors can be a real find and a means to create spectacular landscape compositions. In modest gardens, flower beds, flower beds, and flower beds, they can quickly turn from decoration, modest backdrop, or space filler to the biggest problem. In the design of flower gardens, in the design of small gardens, many prefer to avoid invaders in every possible way, believing that even their overdecoration is not worth the effort. Such plants in decorative compositions have to be restrained, strictly controlled.

5 most beautiful invaders:

Verbeynik point

Verbeynik point ( lysimachia punctata) - perennial is not just spectacular. Few plants are able to compete with it in large sizes, splendor and beauty of curtains. Straight, weakly branching shoots form dense bushes from 50 to 80 cm high, flaunt with large ovoid leaves in whorls and star-like bell-shaped bright yellow flowers, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences up to 50 cm long.This is one of the most irreplaceable garden plants for landscape compositions , creating large natural plantings and filling the soil with lush thickets. And definitely one of the most spectacular plants with a bright yellow color. But the advantages of loosestrife also lie in its main disadvantages. This culture is growing so uncontrollably that it can become one of the most intrusive garden aggressors. The thing is that the loosestrife actively releases creeping shoots collected in whorls and constantly expands its territory, forming dense thickets. At the same time, it looks, of course, amazing, but it drives out all neighbors and subtly captures those territories that are not intended for him. The loosestrife must be monitored constantly.

Maclea heart-shaped

Maclea heart-shaped ( macleaya cordata) Is another beauty not for everyone. Large, carved, with a filigree edge of the plates and a grayish-green color that looks like emerald in the garden, the leaves, decorated with almost white veins, can become a unique background for any decorative composition. This beauty grows up to 2 m in height, forms powerful bushes, surprises with textures, creates unique spots and is virtually unrivaled among large-leaved herbaceous plants. But at the same time macklea is so aggressive that it is capable of ruthlessly displacing nearby crops and literally suppresses even the most persistent herbaceous perennials.

Common ostrich

One of the most spectacular ferns is the ostrich ( matteuccia struthiopteris) has powerful creeping rhizomes and bunched fronds up to 170 cm long. The fern greens are extremely attractive and seem delicate and elegant. Thin, rushing upward, blossoming out of the "snails", elongated, relatively narrow and long fronds of the ostrich seem almost straight. This fern has a unique talent for creating luxurious architectural accents. But its aggressive nature can outshine even the most annoying herbaceous competitors. Under favorable circumstances, the ostrich does not just creep, but weed.

Deer-horned sumac

Deer-horned sumac, or vinegar tree (rhus typhina). Equal to Sumy large plants hard to find in the garden. The special beauty of feathery leaves, pyramids of inflorescences and seedlings is just a prelude to a bright autumn show, a picturesque fire in fiery colors that covers these large shrubs or woody ones. The crown width of sumach always exceeds its height. Even if you choose relatively compact varieties and contain the growth of this woody, it will still constantly increase in volume. Sumach, which is prone to constantly expanding, literally spreading out in breadth, apart from its large size, has one more curious advantage. This shrub is characterized by a unique ability to transform any wound on the roots into a new growth point. Any attempt to cut off its rhizome, chop off excess parts and simply separate the shoots and root shoots will only lead to the fact that this woody giant will release an even larger number of new and very strong shoots from each wound.

Bamboo

For those fortunate enough to live in regions with mild winters, it is difficult to find a more aggressive and beautiful garden dweller than bamboo. At the same time, the ability to aggressively seize any free space is characteristic of both the largest varieties and dwarf bamboos. But there are species suitable for regions with harsh winters, growing up to 2 m when sheltered and fully showing their aggressiveness - saz ( saza) and fargesia ( fargesia). Charming, fast-growing shoots that emit noise and rattling, can add several tens of centimeters per day. But the main growth of bamboo is always horizontal: it grows literally before our eyes.

Poisonous garden aggressors

Another category of aggressors is poisonous crops. Their leaves, shoots, flowers and berries, and sometimes the roots, contain toxins and volatile essential oils that can irritate the skin and cause burns or burns. And the most dangerous are such plants in sunny days... Contact with such aggressors can cause serious injury and health problems. They should never be placed near paths, paths, recreation areas or terraces, in places with active movement in the garden.

5 most dangerous poisonous beauties:

Daphne

Charming wolfberry ( daphne), we have known under the popular name "wolf bast" - one of the most beautiful shrubs that bloom in early spring. Rose red, seemingly catchy, almost bloody, the flowers on its shoots create a truly magnificent sight and stand out even against the background of rhododendrons. A compact shrub up to 1.5 m high, the foliage of which resembles laurels, forms a wide cupped crown and is very picturesque. The flowers are fragrant, with a long tube, densely sit on the shoots. A very beautiful and very dangerous wolfberry can become one of the most spectacular accents in landscape design. But this plant requires an extremely balanced approach. This beautiful shrub is poisonous and requires extremely careful handling. He is ranked among the most dangerous garden crops. The use of wolfberry is prohibited in the design of gardens, which come to rest with children and pets.

Mantegazzi hogweed

Mantegazzi hogweed ( heracleum mantegazzianum) conquers territory in a completely different way. This plant does not creep across the garden, but it scatters its seeds over very large areas and thus quickly conquers all new areas of the soil. But this plant is not called a "natural disaster" for its tendency to spread out of control. The thing is that the plant, or rather the glandular edge of its shoots and leaves, emits toxic substances that are highly irritating to the skin, the consequences of contact with which are not so easy to overcome. As a result of the effect of these toxins on the epidermis, the skin becomes hypersensitive to sunlight, blisters and burns appear on it, even from diffused light. Although outwardly, the hogweed is irresistible. This large herbaceous perennial produces shoots up to 3-5 m high, towering above the cushion of the lower dissected, huge leaves with sharp lobes and white umbrella inflorescences up to 100 cm wide, hovering over the green with a hat. The flowering of hogweed in June-July is unforgettable despite the specific smell. And the plant retains its beauty until frost.

Fighter

Unlike more "straightforward" pests, the fighter, or aconite ( aconitum) does not leave a trace on the skin. But its poison is so strong that it penetrates the skin and can cause considerable harm to the body without external damage. You also need to work with this plant very carefully, trying to avoid the slightest careless contact. Straight growing or curly perennials with palmate-separate leaves, irregular drooping bells of flowers in branched clusters of inflorescences up to 50 cm long decorate gardens from July to early October. And the luxurious colors of the blue palette only add to their charm.

Rue

Burns and blisters on sunny days also leave plants that seem very modest. Fragrant rue ( ruta graveolens) Is a wonderful herbaceous perennial that can be used for spectacular borders, decorating decorative beds and herb gardens, creating a special texture effect on flower beds, leaves second degree burns with its gray-green leaves. The beauty of the greenery of the evergreen subshrub, pinnately dissected, creating an airy openwork cushion, is stunningly spectacular. And it is worth all the effort to comply with the rules of safe handling. The reason for such aggressiveness of the fragrant rue is in essential oilswhich are emitted in astonishing amounts in sunlight, leading to severe burns.

Castor oil plant

The largest of the annual plants soloist - castor oil plant ( ricinus communis) with its huge leaves, under favorable conditions and on fertile soil, literally in a few months, turning into a luxurious "palm" - the plant is also poisonous. But it is not contact at all that is dangerous, but the seeds. Even one seed can lead to fatal poisoning. This plant should not be used in a garden with children or pets playing in it.

How to tame garden aggressors

Despite all their aggressiveness, large and dangerous garden dwellers are still considered indispensable tools for landscape design. In fact, they have much more talents than disadvantages. You just need to approach the treatment of garden aggressors a little differently. You should not give up such plants for fear of uncontrolled seizure of territory or too strong toxicity, unless you have small children. Just use the plants in your garden correctly. All highly proliferating cultures are actually quite easy to curb.

When planting such plants, it is enough to install special screens or protective partitions in the soil around the perimeter of the planting pits or the territory in which they can grow.

The easiest option is to use old, unusable or damaged buckets and other large plastic containers... It is enough to cut off the bottom of the bucket to get rid of the risk of stagnation of water in the substrate and acidification of the soil, the spread of rot. And to plant herbaceous perennials not just in a planting hole, but in plastic buckets installed in it. Curtains of even the most aggressive herbaceous perennials will not be able to go beyond the volume of the bucket, its walls will prevent it from growing in breadth. At the same time, you can save yourself from creeping shoots and unexpected root suckers that appear at a considerable distance.

But you can use other techniques as well. For containment, it is enough to dig a limiter in the form of a strip of any synthetic material with a height of about 50-70 cm around the perimeter of the territory allowed for filling. As a barrier or screen, you can use materials left over from construction or intended for disposal - acrylic, plastic, any synthetic material is perfect. You can even use slate, linoleum or similar materials. For full containment of even such aggressors as sumac, ferns or bamboo, a screen thickness of about 2 mm will be sufficient.

To contain such plants without installing a barrier, you will have to regularly remove, cut off the excess, interfering shoots to the soil level.

To fight with poisonous plants much more difficult. First of all, you must always remember to protect the skin and take all necessary safety measures when working with plants. For most crops, special measures should be taken only on sunny days. But it is better to be more careful and always protect your hands with gloves and wear long sleeves. If contact with poisonous plants cannot be avoided, rinse the skin thoroughly immediately.

If you experience burns or severe irritation, do not self-medicate. If you have come into contact with dangerous garden plants, have forgotten about safety rules and violated all norms when transplanting or pruning, seek medical help immediately. In the first-aid kit, you should definitely keep first aid and anti-allergy drugs, which, due to the vasoconstrictor effect, will help to reduce the affected area. However, professional help should be sought for any skin irritation.

Some plants are pretty tricky. Some of them annoy us with an unrestrained onslaught, others irritate the skin, and others are generally very poisonous.

Plants are not always harmless. So, some of them are capable of completely changing the look of a carefully maintained flower bed in a short time. Thanks to creeping underground shoots, they suddenly emerge where we did not expect them at all and would not like to see them. In small gardens such plant aggressors should be avoided or kept tight.

These are, in particular: Maclay heart (Macleaya cordata); the grayish green leaves of makleia are a lovely decoration of the garden. But McLeay ruthlessly drives out timid neighbors.

Or vinegar tree (Rhus typhina). Sumy is unusually beautiful in autumn dress. Unfortunately, he can be extremely annoying, taking up space that was not intended for him. Be careful with sumac: any wound on the roots stimulates the formation of a new shoot.

Fern ostrich (Matteucia struthiopteris). The tender green of the ferns is deceiving. Many of them, like the ostrich, have a clearly aggressive character. Interfering shoots should be cut out regularly, and some of the plants can be simply cut out with a shovel. It is not worth giving up completely overgrown plants. Many of them are quite manageable. For example, if you plant such a plant in a bucket without a bottom, its underground creeping shoots will not have a chance to go to the sides.

Growing tree species such as sumach or plants that have already occupied a fairly large area, for example, dwarf bamboo or some types of ferns, can be kept within the required boundaries by digging into the ground a root stop - a strip of synthetic material 2 mm thick and 70 cm high.

A real disaster in the garden can be hogweedspread by seeds. Its glandular hairs secrete substances that irritate the skin and make it extremely sensitive to sunlight.

This leads to burns and painful blisters. Much the same will happen to you if you touch the grayish-green leaves on sunny days. fragrant rue... Second-degree burns can be a sad consequence. The same applies to the ash tree. So immediately wash the skin that has come into contact with these plants in sunlight.

In addition to "irritating" plants, there are those that can cause severe poisoning.

Wolf's bast, or wolfberry (Daphne mezereum), sparkles in early spring with a magnificent decoration of pink-red flowers. Remember that all parts of this beautiful shrub are highly poisonous.

There are poisonous plants in almost every garden, and often they do not even suspect about it. You should seriously familiarize children with what grows in the garden as early as possible. Where children play, do not plant plants with highly poisonous seeds, such as bean (golden rain), yew, lily of the valley and castor oil plant - after all, it is the fruits and seeds that are most attractive to children.

Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) is sometimes called the miracle tree. But the poison of just one of his seeds can be a lethal dose! Some poisons act with just one touch to the plant.

The strong poison of aconite penetrates the skin without even causing external damage. So this plant next to children is an undoubted taboo. And for gardeners working with aconite, we recommend wearing gloves.

In case of poisoning, it is important to know: never experiment with home remedies. Sometimes even those of them that have fully proven themselves can, on the contrary, increase the consequences of poisoning. Be sure to see a doctor. This also applies in cases of skin irritation caused by substances in plants. And especially be careful and careful when children are playing in the garden.

Image copyright belongs to flickr.com: gartenknorze, salent, T? ¶Lgyesi Kata, jon.hayes, ceropegia, Cheryl Moorehead, J? Rg Paul Kaspari, ngawangchodron, James' s GW Blog, gbnnss, philhenry, aorg1961 (chronologicznie - chronologisch ), mutolisp, makotoman., Vietnam Plants & America plants, Luigi FDV, Gael Piguillem, jardin.lautaret, Rafal N., ECW, Tezum, Kedza, tina negus, Helene U. Taylor, gorgona_8, Luigi FDV, naturgucker.de, Elisangelas, Sylvain Dussans, bataclan38, sousnosnez