I never let my Hellebores set seed. I limit myself to just a few named varieties.

Nothing suddenly *this* year, but over my gardening experience I would say two things stand out. One is digitalis grandiflora. I like foxgloves but don't like dealing with biennials. I was pleased early in my gardening life to discover digitalis grandiflora. Not as large or showy as biennial foxgloves, but a lovely soft yellow and a perennial with quite long-lasting blooms. Then I saw that it multiplied. Oh, how nice. After a few years, I realized it was, as you say, everywhere!

At first if it popped up somewhere I didn't want it I would dig it up and move it. Now, I rip it out and toss it. I also try to cut back the spent flowers as soon as they are done. I don't regret planting it by any means, but I do now try to keep on top of it.

The second plant that comes to mind is penstemon. The reason this one gets me is that I NEVER planted it! One year many years back I found a volunteer in a shade garden. I asked around, looked it up, and identified it as penstemon. Hmm, wonder where that came from. Then a few years later I suddenly realized it's everywhere! It kind of bugs me but I leave it for the bees who seem to love it, and then rip it out or cut it back.

Honorable mention: columbines. I know, I know, this is one of those that a gardener should *expect* to seed around. Being a new gardener at the time, I didn't realize they did so to quite such an extent. It was really only last year and this year in particular that I am making a determined effort to control them. I do so, so, sooo love them in the spring, especially all the different shades of pinks and purples that have mutated and popped up over the years (not so much the Green Apple variety, which are actually more like plain white and boring - those I rip out gladly lol). But once spring is done, they are nothing but in the way. In the wrong spots, pink and purples mixed in my red-yellow-orange bed, taking up space that could be used for other plants... they had to go. Just this spring I dug up a ton of them - and by the way, who knew they had such strong root systems? Yikes.

(Lol most of the foliage in the photo above that is not columbine or LoTV is digitalis grandiflora!! Which was NEVER planted in that bed!)

My designated red, yellow, orange bed - apparently these guys didn't read the garden plans!

The boring (imo) Green Apple reseeders. Still a nice swath of white in the spring garden, though

Lastly, it was just in the last few years that I noticed my hellebores were reseeding. They are an unnamed variety - given to me by a gardening friend who bought one of those "grab-bag" type offers of half a dozen or so unnamed ones inexpensively. I don't mind those reseeding - yet, lol! - as I have plenty of shady spots I can place them, and I love the early blooms. Have given some away too this year.

Funny, my carex Ice Dance has barely moved in 20 years. But it IS in a very small spot surrounded by asphalt, so there's that!

:)

Dee

I had "Ice Dance" at my other house and know *exactly* what you mean LOL! It is quite attractive for the most part (hated how it looked in spring but the ugly phase passed soon enough), and I do have to give it props for being not just tolerant, but actually attractive in drier shade -- it never fried for me, even under trees.

I've made a conscious effort to plant a lot more natives in recent years, so I expect them to move at a good clip. So far not too many of them have gotten out of hand, but one that is poised for domination is wild bergamot. It was new to me as of later last season and yowza did it take off this spring...already. Another one is mountain mint. They're easy enough to pull, though, and I haven't noticed them spreading by seed...yet. On the shrub front, it's silky dogwood. I really like it but I think it was not a good choice for a foundation bed -- it grows fast, both upwards and outwards. I have to trim them back quite a bit every year. I'm going to have to move them farther out on the property when I eventually get the front beds re-done.

On the non-native front, I'd say "Becky" shastas and "Annabelle" hydrangea. The shastas don't spread by seed but they grow at a fast clip, I can't even tell you how many divisions I've made for my own yard, for others' yards, and the yard waste bin.

I classify Annabelles as thugs -- holy moly they just want to take over everything, and they're big hefty plants so will shade out anything they decide to creep up on. Fortunately they're easy enough to keep it check, a sharp shovel will slice off the runners/daughters, and hand pruners take care of wayward stems or blooms. But, I can't imagine ever being without them, they're one of my favorites so I b*tch and moan about the never-ending beat-back of them then look out the window and smile when I see them. I mean...how could you not love this:

Not a perennial, but I didn’t realize before I planted them that both winterberry holly/Ilex verticillata and Hydrangea Annabelle sucker prolifically and take up lots of real estate.

I have some of the ones mentioned and agree with the comments..

the plant that has given me the most grief?..a stoloniferous hosta - Clausa..it doesn't seed all over but runs..I can't see keeping it where it is so it's going..

started with 4 plants in 4 inch pots..planted 2 on each side of my path..

they popped up in the path..🙁

the worst removal in my life..the roots are tougher than ivy, lamium, vinca, pachysandra or euonymous (wintercreeper) all of which I've removed..

this is a battle..

nicholsworth I recently saw a post of yours regarding your Clausa hosta and was surprised by it - I had never realized hostas could do something like this! I'm assuming it only occurs with hostas that are stoloniferous, but I never knew there was such a thing. That must have been SUCH a huge chore to take on clearing that path and I wish you luck with it!

Likewise, I never realized hydrangeas could be so aggressive. I don't grow Annabelle and now likely never will haha. I'm more of a lace-cap gal anyway lol.

babs reminded me with her winterberry comment (because I have winterberry in this garden) that in a garden I maintain which is very swampy I planted several itea, and they love it there and they sucker quite a bit. I have let them go for the most part. It's a very large garden, it's easy in this difficult spot, it thrives and attracts pollinators, and has nice fall color. I do think after about 12 years though I may have to trim them back a bit.

:)

Dee

diggerdee..I was unaware that any hosta would spread like this..it's really difficult to dig out 🙁..

Interesting that 'Annabelle' was mentioned. I was just looking at my 'Incrediballs' in front a few weeks ago and realized they'd crept over and were swallowing an 'Endless Summer.' Will be cutting it back in the fall.

Nicholsworth - that 'Clausa' is really something!

"Will be cutting it back in the fall."

You may already know this, but they bloom on new wood, you can cut them back to the ground and they'll still grow and bloom beautifully -- so cutting back isn't going to control the spread. You've got to chop off the underground runners/daughters, whatever you call them. Fortunately it's a light-duty task, they root shallowly.

mxk3 - I didn't word that well. I've had them for years and do cut them down most years. I meant I'd dig up the end part of it to cut it back in bounds.

^^ Gotcha. :0)