You may admire their pretty foliage, but left unchecked these plants can smother your flowers and take over in the backyard
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Invasive ground cover plants are the uninvited garden guests that never want to leave. They take root and squat determinedly in your beds, spreading outwards and enveloping your other flowers or running rampant over your lawn. In some cases, these pernicious intruders can even threaten the structure of your house.
When it comes to some of the hardest invasive plants to get rid of, my particular bête noire (or should that be bête vert?) is bindweed, also known as Convolvulus arvensis, which winds its way around plants and bushes and up the trellis on my fences. Some may like its white, trumpet-shaped flowers, but I see them overwhelming the carefully selected and purposefully planted contents of my garden beds.
We are here to help you break the cycle of doing battle with your backyard to control the invasive ground cover plants threatening to unashamedly carpet your flower beds. We have expert advice on what to avoid if you want a garden thats easy to maintain, and what to do if your ground cover foliage is getting out of control.
Invasive plants can wreak havoc in gardens and natural areas if left unchecked. Among the most problematic are aggressive ground covers that spread rapidly and displace native species. Some especially troublesome invasive ground covers produce cheerful yellow blooms, making them deceptively attractive choices for landscaping. However, these seemingly harmless plants can quickly get out of control.
In this article we’ll identify key invasive ground covers with yellow flowers examine their negative impacts, and discuss effective management strategies to control them. By understanding these aggressive plants, you can make informed choices about what to grow in your garden.
Common Invasive Ground Covers with Yellow Flowers
Several invasive ground covers produce bright yellow flowers in spring or summer Here are some of the most common culprits
Lesser Celandine
This perennial plant has glossy, dark green heart-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers with 7-12 petals. It spreads vigorously via tubers and can form dense carpets, displacing all other vegetation.
Creeping Jenny
Also called moneywort, this plant has round leaves and small, trumpet-shaped yellow flowers. It spreads rapidly via trailing stems that root at nodes.
Bishop’s Weed
Despite its delicate white flowers Bishop’s weed grows aggressively. Its leaves emerge chartreuse in spring before turning dark green. It forms a dense mat that expands quickly through rhizomes.
Yellow Archangel
Native to Europe, this fast-growing plant has square stems and purple-tinged foliage. It produces clusters of small yellow flowers in spring. It spreads vigorously through stolons and displaces native woodland plants.
Evening Primrose
The bright yellow, four-petaled flowers of evening primrose open in evening and fade by midday. This native wildflower spreads aggressively through prolific self-seeding.
Periwinkle
This trailing evergreen ground cover has dark green leaves and starry, 5-petaled yellow flowers. It spreads rapidly through creeping stems and can overwhelm gardens.
The Damaging Impacts of Invasive Ground Covers
Aggressive spreading helps invasive ground covers outcompete surrounding plants. As they take over, invasive ground covers can:
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Crowd out and displace native plant species, reducing biodiversity.
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Alter soil chemistry and light availability.
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Disrupt pollinator services by replacing native nectar sources.
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Degrade wildlife habitat by suppressing ground layer diversity.
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Weaken other plants by smothering root systems and shading out growth.
Their rapid growth quickly leads to monocultures where invasive ground covers dominate entirely, to the detriment of the whole ecosystem. Preventing their spread is crucial.
Effective Management and Control Strategies
Controlling invasive ground covers requires persistence and multiple interventions:
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Remove manually by digging or hand-pulling frequently to exhaust root reserves. Dispose of all plant parts off-site.
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Cut back flowers before they set seed to prevent spread.
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Smother with mulch or landscape fabric, depriving the plant of light.
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Use targeted herbicide applications according to label instructions to kill growth.
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Introduce grazing animals, like goats, that will eat invasive ground covers.
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Maintain control efforts for several years to deplete the seed bank and root reserves.
Prevention is also key. Avoid purchasing or propagating invasive ground covers. Instead, plant native species or non-invasive alternatives that are environmentally safe.
Invasive ground covers with yellow flowers can quickly take over gardens and natural spaces. Identifying problem plants like Lesser Celandine, Bishop’s Weed, and Evening Primrose helps avoid their introduction. Containing established growth through persistent manual removal, cutting, smothering, herbicide use, and grazing prevents damaging spread. With vigilance, invasive ground covers can be managed to restore healthy native plant communities. Careful planting choices and prompt control efforts are key to protection.
8 invasive ground cover plants to think twice about planting in your yard
If maintained with care and a fastidious gardening eye, these plants can bring many benefits to your yard, but left unchecked they will take over.
Yellow Archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon) (Image credit: Getty Images/Bryony van der Merwe / 500px)
The yellow blooms and green and white foliage are a telltale sign of this particular plant which can grow fast in shady areas. Yellow archangel thrives in Zones 3-8 (on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map) and is highly invasive, to the effect that it competes with native ground covers and understory,’ warns horticulturist Nathan Thorne. ‘Ways to control it include manual pulling up of the plant together with the use of herbicides, preferably in the early spring.’
Nathan is an environmental horticulturist and CEO of Handy Flowers with over 15 years of expertise in garden restoration and invasive species management. He knows how to prevent them from proliferating and overwhelming natural flora.
10 Tough Evergreen Ground Covers for Your Garden
FAQ
What are the yellow flowers in invasive ground cover?
‘The lesser celandine, which has shiny, kidney-shaped leaves and yellow flowers, is prevalent in moist, shady areas, and can form dense mats that smother native plants. ‘To control it, dig up the plants, preferably in early spring before they produce bulbils and tubers, being careful to remove all underground parts.
What ground cover has yellow flowers?
- Yellow alyssum (Aurinia saxatilis)
- Hardy yellow ice plant (Delosperma nubigenum)
- Barren strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides)
- Spring cinquefoil (Potentilla neumanniana)
- Yellow stonecrop (Sedum nuttallianum)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
What is the ground cover with yellow star shaped flowers?
Chrysogonum virginianum goes by several common names, including golden star and green-and-gold, referring to its combination of attractive green foliage and upward-facing star-shape yellow blooms. This low-maintenance native perennial plant forms a spreading mat in sun or shade but does not spread aggressively.
What is an invasive vine with yellow flowers?
Lesser celandine, Ficaria verna, is native to Europe and parts of northern Africa and Asia. It was introduced to the United States in the late 1860s as an ornamental plant. While it prefers moist soils in forested floodplains, thriving along stream and river banks, it can also grow in drier upland areas.