Sound off on the plants you love to hate
by
Douglas Hunt
Anne Raver, who writes beautifully about gardening for The New York Times, got taken to the woodshed by readers after a recent column on the downy mildew that is attacking the ubiquitous garden impatiens in which she wrote, “Impatiens is an overused plant I love to hate.” To which I said, “Amen, Anne.”
When I worked at a nursery I dreaded the day those endless flats of characterless color showed up. Almost as much as I dreaded the late summer arrival of mums. Actually, in the latter case, it wasn’t the plant I hated so much as what was done to it in production greenhouses to turn a pleasant plant into a bloated blob of often unappealing color.
Raver’s column spurred a poll on GardenRant.com, which drew some interesting responses--who knew anyone could dislike a Japanese maple?--and now we’re giving opinionated Hometalk members a chance to sound off. What plants drive you to distraction? Let the dishing begin!
When I worked at a nursery I dreaded the day those endless flats of characterless color showed up. Almost as much as I dreaded the late summer arrival of mums. Actually, in the latter case, it wasn’t the plant I hated so much as what was done to it in production greenhouses to turn a pleasant plant into a bloated blob of often unappealing color.
Raver’s column spurred a poll on GardenRant.com, which drew some interesting responses--who knew anyone could dislike a Japanese maple?--and now we’re giving opinionated Hometalk members a chance to sound off. What plants drive you to distraction? Let the dishing begin!
Do you share Anne Raver's dislike of the impatiens?
The garden mum is a plant that does nothing for me.
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 66 comments
-
I hate those standard little spirea. Ew. But I love the wispy, long, cut-leaf spirea with astilbe-like blooms
-
Day lilies. They can be beautiful but what's the point? Another that I love but hate is buttercups; they look so pretty but are incredibly invasive. I learned this the hard way.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?