When you’re really into gardening and plants, you start to pay attention to what’s available at certain nurseries, what your neighbors are planting in their yards, or the plants you see in public spaces. It’s a great way to start to articulate the look you like and the “feel” of the garden that seems right to you. And although there are plants that are perfectly fine in that they aren’t susceptible to pests and are drought tolerant, sometimes they’re so overused I want to stand on the top of my truck and yell “Enough already! I’m so done with this plant!” So here they are: the Plants That Make Me Want To Scream Enough:
- “New Gold” lantana (Lantana)–Yes, I know their bright yellow color is amazing in the summer. And they’re drought tolerant. And the deer don’t like them. But they are in every garden, every public space everywhere. Let’s take a break from this one for awhile and use Zexmenia (Wedelia texana) or Skeletonleaf Goldeneye (Viguiera stenoloba) for that golden color instead.
- “Stella D’Oro” Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Stella d’Oro’)–With so many varieties of daylilies to pick from, why keep reaching for this one? Yeah, it’s a groovy strong yellow color, but what about the purply-black color of ‘Strutter’s Ball’ or the orangy-red of ‘Fire King’? Take a risk!
- Raspberry Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)–I’m pretty sure it’s ‘Raspberry Sundae’ that I’m sick to death of. I know, I was was enamored of its brilliant strong pink color at one time myself, so I do feel your pain. I’m not telling you to rip it out of your yard, that would be silly. But if you need another ornamental tree, try a Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) for a good pink color, or branch out (pun intended) to the little white Anacacho Orchid tree (Bauhinia lunariodes).
- Nandina (Nandina domestica)–Some nandinas are actually on a “Do Not Plant” list for this area because they can be invasive (the tall berrying varieties), but some are okay. I’m just not planting them because I’m tired of them. For an evergreen shrub alternative, try Indian Hawthorne (Rhaphiolepis indica) or even Upright Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis).
- Dwarf Ruellia (Ruellia brittoniana)–specifically, the ‘Katie’ variety. I used them a lot when I was first designing, and I really like the lavender flowers and dark green foliage. But they’re so invasive that even though they are recommended for this area, I never plant them these days. Come to think of it, my clients have asked for them to be taken out lately!
- Cherry Sage (Salvia greggii)–I know I’m stepping on some botanical toes here because this is such a pretty and drought tolerant plant, but I’ve always been frustrated with its legginess and bloom inconsistency. So I’m done. At least for now.
Now if you have these plants in your garden and you love them, that’s great! Keep them. They’re not bad plants, they’re just overused ones, in my opinion. I’m as guilty as the next gardener for tending to gravitate towards the tried and true, but sometimes you just have to take a botanical leap and try something different and new! Tell you what–let me know what plants you’re sick of, plus new plants that you’re trying and I’ll post about that soon! But between now and then, let’s make a pinky-pact that we’re not going to be sticks-in-the mud; we’re way too creative for that.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Some of my over-used pet peeves:
Didn’t like them back in the seventies, still don’t like them now.
If I never see another Coleus, I’ll be just fine.
I’m afraid that it’s not just Stella d’Oro I don’t like, I don’t like any day lilies at all. They’re all terribly untidy, flopping this way and that. And they’re everywhere.
Then there are all the plants with dark foliage. Heuchera, particularly, but recently everything seems to come with “bronze” leaves. When did green go out of fashion? Bah!
When I interviewed Christopher Lloyd for the San Diego Union-Tribune, he said disparagingly of local gardens, “It’s astonishing you do so little with what you’ve got.” I think of that when I see the one-size-fits-all, ho-hum combo of lawn, flowerbeds (with tired annuals), palm trees that have grown too tall (nothing but trunks unless you’re looking at them from down the block), Texas privet pruned by idiot gardeners into labor-intensive balls or amoebas, junipers with their wood exposed (because they got too big and had to be pruned back), and the list goes on. As for what I’d like to see more of…well, I wrote two books on the subject…
Apel, although I love some of the daylily flowers I have to agree with you about the foliage; it’s pretty floppy, particularly the first season after planting. Clients sometimes look at me like I’m nuts that I put that in!
Debra, you and I are on the same page with succulents! I have an entire balcony full of succulents that have taken a hit with the unusually cold winter we’ve had so far! : ( And, I’m going to include what I call “meatball shrubs” in a Garden Fail post sometime soon.
Thanks for comments!
Well, I like the lantana, ruellia and daylilies for certain situations. But, with nothing else, they are certainly boring.
I’m having a major depressive episode looking out my window at my garden right now. We are not meant for this cold down here.
I hate HATE nandina, everywhere.
Hi Katie! I like them, too, I’m just tired of them! ; ) And about the nandinas–I remember reading a review about Nandina ‘Nana’ that their foliage makes them look like chlorotic beachballs!
Jenny: Having just befriended you at Facebook, I popped over to your blog to see what you’re up to. Great writing, great subject matter and as already stated at FB, great ‘tude. I took a similar approach in my local blog at a website called Edhat.com. Here’s my list of plants I would touch with a ten foot pole (or eight-foot three-inch Czech).
http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=2789
Thanks, Billy! If I’da had my wits about me, I would have added Golden Euonymus to the list, with its creepy weird sudden offshoots of golden grossness. Wait! Let’s make another list!