I HAVE KILLED MANY PLANTS in my gardening career, most of them unintentional and many of them regrettable. So why can’t I kill Houttuynia cordata, the so-called chameleon plant, despite years and years of trying?
I bought the plant more than a decade ago, for the showiness of its (then) variegated red, green and yellow foliage and its touted use as a groundcover in moist shade (including plunged right in a pot in water, apparently). Certain that I had acquired a treasure, I was terribly upset when it didn’t return from underground after its first winter with me. Dead, I reported in my newspaper garden column at the time. Gone.
It was another year before the chameleon turned on me again, and resurfaced. Its resurrection was cause for celebration. Not dead, not gone!
I guess you know the rest of the story if you’ve ever grown an invasive: It behaved for a moment or two, charming me thoroughly as if my latest gem, then proceeded to get thuggish (and lose its variegation, reverting to the stronger-willed green version).
Oh, no, I said, not on your life, as it overran pulmonarias and Hylomecon, goldenseal and trilliums at a gallop. Oh, no you don’t. Out came the fork and shovel, and after the seeming bulk was uprooted and sent to the trash, out came the sheets of heavy black plastic, weighted down with stones all summer long, as I tried to bake the remainder to death (called solarizing).
By springtime: not gone, and a year later (by then two years beneath black plastic), still not gone. Four years of this treatment has done nothing but encourage it to travel farther and farther sideways underground.
Even if I wanted to use the herbicide glyphosate to stop it, I could not in this situation: The Houttuynia is growing under a big magnolia with fleshy surface roots, which would have taken up the chemical, too.
I am forking out everything beneath there now, bagging and trashing it for fear of spreading snippets of the chameleon’s roots, and will soon turn the area under this infested magnolia to lawn. Mowing for a decade or so will probably kill whatever re-sprouts, right? Or not.
And so I ask you again: Why won’t this plant die? (Oh, and any botched murder attempts to confess?)
We have all been there with one plant or another! Mine is gooseneck loosestrife. It does have a pretty flower though. You might try ‘painting’ the houttuynia stems or putting on cotton gloves drenched in glyphoste over plastic gloves and wiping it on the stems. This will prevent any uptake by the roots of the magnolia. I know, yucky, but sometimes, as a last resort, an option you might wish to consider.
Hi Margaret
Mowing has always worked for me — and in less than ten years, so deliverance should soon be at hand. But where there are few tree roots to kill, I’ve also done pretty well using clear plastic to solarize. (It’s especially useful for preparing new beds.)
Seems counterintuitive, but I think the clear stuff enables the sun to heat the soil more than the black. The key is to be sure it’s really, really tight at the edges, no air permitted; even the smallest gaps seem sufficient to ruin the effect.
so then you have piles of soil or straw all around the borders, making it even more hideous, but as you point out in that excellent cutting back post, sometimes ugliness must be tolerated for the greater good.
Still trying (and failing) to kill Canada thistle, wild parsnip, Japanese knotweed, multiflora rose, garlic mustard, bindweed . . . and continue to pull out seedlings of hollyhock mallow years after I pulled out the original plants.
Consider yourself fortunate if you’ve only got one plant that will not die.
Margaret, I am so glad I found your site. I love it and often find myself logging on at work wishing I was in my garden.
I feel your pain regarding Houttuynia. I purchased it several years ago thinking I found a great shade ground cover. Now it is on my hit list. In fact, its removal is part of my vacation plans.
Gardening in long johns is fantastic sometimes a nightgown works for me if I am in a rush to get outside.
I guess there is an upside to gardening entirely in containers. When a plant annoys me, I just upend the pot into the trash bin and start over.
Welcome, Kathy. Think of the money you are saving on airfare by vacationing in your Houttuynia patch! PJs over here, too, especially in spring when I just can’t resist the call of the outdoors in the morning long enough to dress. Good days, those. :)
@Kathy from CCG: Now I didn’t actually say I only had one…there are other battlegrounds, but this one has really fought back madly.
@Fern: Love the idea of “just saying no” by upending the pots! Maybe I’ll put the front-end loader back on the tractor and just upend the beds.
When I at last found the solution to invasive crack weeds from someone with acres of paved walk ways, I could have kissed her feet. She had found out from a mad gardener in the US how to eradicate unwanted plants “organically”. She ordered, thru a cleaning supplies store, what she called pure vinegar (Acetic Acid 80%)- regular vinegar has only 5% Acetic acid). She then diluted the acid by 20%, put it in a spray bottle and gave a splash to the leaves of the plant. It burns the plant up but dissipates quickly and hurts nothing else- but do not do this on a windy day for obvious reasons or take a big sniff yourself as it is strong. I applied it to my cobbled parterre and eradicated the weeds with a great resulting twist. The following spring all the areas that had been sprayed sported little rivlets of dense moss- great in the cracks. Then I remembered that moss like acidic situations. I then applied the mixture to an unwanted clump of ground elder- it worked there too and I have been fighting that invasive guy for 30 years. Easy to find this stuff up here in Canada as its used as a basic cleaner. Do not know about the states.
Hey Terri – another great green way to get rid of “crack weeds” is boiling water. Boil your kettle and pour the water right on the evil things. Obviously not a great solution when you’re trying to eliminate invasives from a mixed border, but for occasional cracks… it works.
I made the same mistake (except at least I didn’t BUY the stuff!). Had NO idea how deep the roots from this short plant actually are. It’s been years now and I assume I’ll be digging it out forever.
And guess what – in the same area I also planted Bishop’s weed, so that’s 2 new weeds I’ve introduced to this area of my garden that’ll never, ever go away.
Found this at Wikipedia under the plant listing Houttuynia. “Lizard Tail is an invasive species in many areas in the United States and Australia. Even the less vigorous forms will spread beyond an apt gardener’s control if planted in any moderately moist soil. To prevent this, try planting in an old pot, sunk down into the garden soil.”
Too late for Margaret and anyone else suffering an infestation but good basic advice for any potentially invasive plant.
I think we should all be very careful when choosing non-native species for our gardens. Aggressive beasts are killers of our native plants and change our landscape forever. Not to mention the wear and tear on our backs and blood pressure!
Margaret, I feel your pain. The names of my pain is creeping bellflower: Campanula rampunculoides. I despise this plant, it makes Bishop’s weed look like a primadona. I’ve dug out large areas and removed it completely (yeah, right!) only to see it resurface the following spring. Some friends begged me for a start and I refused to give them any so they sneaked into my yard and dug some up.
diana
@Diana: Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening had an article on your “pain,” which she called the evil twin. FYI.
Oh! I have this in my front bed (planted by the previous owner), I didn’t know what it was until now, of course it is completely out of control and growing into all of my bushes. I guess I will have to learn to love it or just turn pulling it into a weekly workout.
I like to believe I killed Japanese Knotweed by digging and digging the far-ranging roots, discovering disgusting big woody clusters underground in various places and, I confess, drenching every last inch of the plant and roots in Round Up. I can only rationalize that it was either the weed or me/my small urban yard and, initially, the weed was winning. No sign of it now for a year but, unless my progeny take up the battle upon my death, the weed will most likely win in the end. But for now, I’m still armed with my shovel and squirter…
Some plants (weeds for us) are very hard to get rid off. In my garden I have a native scaevola, it is the biggest nuisance, with anderground ryhzomes and it also can seed like mad. It is a “creeping” thing in the truest meaning of the word. In Australia many exotic plants are declared weeds because they spread like wildfire in the right conditions. Lantana is one of them. A “bug” was reliesed to kill them off. Now all lantanas, the hybrids too which don’t set seeds,suffer.
It just likes your little Eden too much. If I was a plant, you’d have a hell of a time getting me out of your garden, too!
I can’t believe this. I just got back from the Botanical Open Gardens tour in Pittsburgh. One of the plants everyone was oohing and aahing over was this very one. I even thought it would look beautiful in my woodland garden.
I too am dealing with gooseneck loosetrife. I yank it out by the carts full. I don’t need another with the same tendencies.Thanks for the heads up.
Oh you all scare me! I have planted the dreaded chameleon a couple times (always in hard-to-grow spots) and have been delighted to have something growing. Never got to the hating-it stage. I also have Bishop’s Weed, which my husband warned me about, but desperate soil (either heavy clay or dry barely-there) calls for desperate measures. I’ll be sure to check in with a mea culpa when I get to where you all are!
Welcome, Christine. Like I said, mine disappeared for awhile, then woke up,and then suddenly…well, you know what happened. So keep an eye out. And do come visit soon again.
Hi Margaret,
I am glad to read about your new website in the New York Times. It is a great site full of information.
I am surprise that a number of folks do not know that houttuynia is a vegetable herb that is widely used in Southeast Asian cooking. The Vietnamese use this herb with its lemony sour taste as one of the main ingredients in fresh spring roll.
Best,
L.T. TRAN
Welcome, L.T TRAn. Thanks for visiting. I do know about its edible and medicinal qualities, but wasn’t sure I wanted to encourage anyone to grow it, frankly, after the issues I am having. But yes, both are true. Hope to see you soon again.
Wisteria. The previous homeowner had it growing on top of the patio cover. I removed it, because I hate things growing on the house, and it housed rats. However, no matter how hard I try, it keeps sprouting up from the bed. It has even sprouted in the lawn a full fifteen yards away. It had to run under the patio to do it. This plant is becoming the bane of my existence.
Welcome, Turling. Sounds like you are being tested mightily. oh, dear. I think it’s a matter of mowing/digging endlessly, as per my situation, too. I wish us luck (and hope to see you soon again).
“such a pretty plant” I once said, not heeding the label with the innocuous information, “spreads!” I didn’t know then that “spreads” is a euphemism for invasive, or as one garden writer described a few of these type of plants, as “garden thugs!” Now I’m forced to do penance every summer on hands and knees.
Welcome, Aimee. The euphemisms of our endeavor certainly are, well, euphemistic. You are right. “Spreads” means “trouble” and now we are all in deep. I will think of you when I am likewise engaged in the never-ending dig.
Perhaps it is a plant which takes perverse delight in tormenting us. The houttuynia I planted on the slope leading down to my pond in New York has stubbornly refused to spread more than 3 feet in about 8 years. I had visions of an interesting variegated groundcover creeping among the rocks and yellow flag iris, but it was not to be. It’s still there on the bank, but keeping a pretty low profile these days since my new lawn guys started mowing it down. Maybe it doesn’t like sloping sites. Or maybe it’s just laughing at me.
Welcome, Nancy. I think you got lucky. Or maybe not, and it will leap up and sideways and everywhere any minute now, when it reads what we are saying about it.
I’ve been battling Houttuynia ever since I’ve been gardening. A friend gave me some (should I still call her a friend? LOL) and it has been a losing battle. And it smells awful when you dig it up!
My neighbor planted this years ago and even though he has departed, the Houttuynia hopped over to my yard and lives on. It never really has gotten out of control (but then again I never quite can get ride of it) and it does remind me fondly of him. He called the plant Hootenanny! so thinking of that puts an amusing spin on weeding.
Welcome, Suzanne, and yes, even I laughed at the idea of Hootenanny (though this plant is nothing to laugh about). Thanks for the smile.
hi margaret. i offer something i have tried on a weed in my little part of the world (the pacific northwest)- bind weed or morning glory. i took water bottles from the recycling, left the cap on, but poked a hole up near the neck. i filled them with 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar and then very carefully secured them to the ground so that the liquid wouldn’t spill out. then i snaked tendrils from the plant into the bottle. in fall, when plants are grabbing energy and sucking it back to the roots, this little contraption kills the mother ship. it worked wonders for me, but maybe it was the fact that every time i went out to attack it, i would say “bindweed!! one of us has to go, and it’s not going to be me!!”
just a thought. i’m enjoying your posts!
cheers!
samantha
Welcome, Samantha. I love this idea…a special formula for Baby! And also your words of discouragement…I do some threatening here, too. Please visit again soon.
I love to see garden sites that have places for people who have had a little bit of knowledge. I’m tired of sites that have the same easy plants over and over on them. So nice to see real problems and real solutions and real nice plant information. I love your blog and will be back.
Glyphosate is only active on the leaves of plants and shouldn’t be taken up by the roots of another.
Welcome, Tersa, and thanks for the additional information. See you soon again, I hope.
I don’t know whether to be glad or sorry that other people are fighting with houttynia! Misery loves company, I suppose. One little 5″ pot, priced at $3.99 I think, and I have been battling it for years and years. All I wanted was a pretty groundcover and this looked so charming, with its little white flower and its citrus scent. I pull it and slash it and put Roundup on it sometimes and use words that a nice old lady shouldn’t use.
Just came back to say that I just planted lysimachia “Beaujolais” — a really pretty loosestrife, with grey/blue foliage and red-wine-coloured flower spikes — should I pull it out before it joins forces with the hootnanny? It’s so pretty, and it’s perfect behind a couple of red leafed heuchera and some silver lychnis.
I know this comment comes well after the original post but I had a similar struggle with the darlin Houttuynia. It came as in innocent little sprig. When I wanted wild flowers in the space I moved it to another area. Eventually, after it killed anything small/new, I moved it yet again to the very back of my yard. When I decided I wanted other plants there I tried spraying it, digging it out, you know the drill, I even used all season vegetation killer, everything died but that little thing came slowly back. Finally I put down roofing paper as weed barrier. The next summer I lifted the heavy roofing paper and there were those demon plants bravely winding around under the asphalt coated black material trying to find it’s way to the outside. How it got any water is beyond me, no light was possible, yet there it was. I gave up. I sprayed the heck out of it and layed the paper back down for another year. After two years like that, it finally died out. Ever since, when I hear the word “invasive” I think of that plant! Thanks for sharing your story. It was comforting to know someone else went through my struggle.
@Rosella: I think I would have been tempted to buy it, too, so I do understand. I have tried in recent years to avoid adding any more thugs to the family, and because I have a couple of other Lysimachia that I can’t rid myself of, I might have resisted…but it is a handsome plant. And so it goes. Temptation is endless.
Welcome, Jeri. The update:
I was so proud of myself for planting grass and mowing…to rid myself of the thug…but guess what? It’s up and growing all over the former area, right through the grass, worse than ever. :) My lot in like is to fight a chameleon I guess. Onward.
The bane of my existence is bishop’s weed aka goutweed. I think I may have hit on a method of murder: I take empty veggie or coffee cans with the tops off, and put them over the offending culprit(s) pushing the can down into the soil. This really seems to be killing the devils. Maybe another variation on the solar method – it’s heating them up? *So cute* too, to see the shiny cans all over my back 40. Not.
my mistake was Petasites. I planted it in beds my first year with Hostas in two places and for 8 years and your description above is my life with this monster. I love it in a space far from anything or in water or on the edge of a huge property. when ever I see it but it goes every place and mows down anythng in it’s path. BEWARE of this plant!
I just added this plant to a cutting and took it to my mother in laws and we both raved about how much we loved it.
Based on your advise, I will not be moving it into an area where it has room to spread.
Thanks!
Colleen
I am crying as I read these comments. About 9 years ago I purchased this devil at a farmers market. It instantly broke from its colorful nature an proceeded to take over the entire garden on the rising hill outside the major view in my kitchen , in my narrow back yard. In other-words that garden is a constant portrait in the most lived in room of my house. So years of black plastic is out.
I just love this site thank you so much.
A few years ago I spent several weeks in the fall digging up every last root. Now even the smell of it makes me sick. The next summer it looked as though I had never done a thing. The only thing I have seen that it recoils from is freezing temperatures. I have a vision of myself in my yard with a tank of liquid nitrogen freezing it to death.
And it stinks to boot !!
@50s Pam: I love the image of you there with all your upended coffee cans, fighting the forces of evil.
@Linda P: Got it, got it and will never be without it. Petasites. Yup. Got it early, will die here beside it probably. Sigh. My sympathies.
@Colleen: Wherever you put it, it will behave for awhile (even years) and then you will find it 10 feet away and in a hundred-foot-square area and so on. Be careful.
Welcome, Marcy; liquid Nitrogen sounds good, and I haven’t tried it. Wonder if one needs a license or permit? :) The smell makes me sick, too, and apparently disgusts another new commenter:
Welcome, Deb. Each pass of the mower makes me gag, you are so right.
Hope to see you all soon again.
I went out this morning (in my pajamas) and pulled up the relatively well behave still colorful crop on the front side of my house just to be sure. I wish I had known : (
ok,
so i’m reading your “ground covers” book & i see this great color combination of chameleon & feverfew (pg 23) & i think…”wow, what a great contrast”!… so, i buy a pot of this H. cordata.
fast forward to reading about what a thug this houttuynia really is & i don’t plant it b4 asking you, ms margaret, will i be making a big mistake???
my nusery is pretty good as far as returning the plant (w/ receipt) & substituting for an equal in cost.
i’m counting on you to set me straight…
dump & substitute or take my chances..keeping it in a submerged container?
denden,
lagrangeville,ny
@Denden: Yes, look at the date on that book…like 100 years ago…when the plant was “new” and nobody was alerted yet to its dangers. (By the way, it’s still sold all over the place without any hazard warning on the label, poor unsuspecting shoppers.)
Old post, but maybe someone is still looking. I just helped a family member try to dig up a patch of this. Evil stuff.
I came home with a nice division of an innocent spiderwort to take home, but I’ve been afraid to give it a home in my garden, because it was in the same bed with the houttuynia. I just imagine there are evil little rootlets in there that will take over my garden if I give poor innocent spiderwort a chance. What do you think? Did you ever succeed in killing the stuff?