Overrun by geraniums

The people that lived here before us really loved geraniums (not pelargoniums btw). I quite liked them and let them be, not realising how invasive they are. Over the years I sporadically dug some up, usually putting my back out in the process, thus lessening my enthusiasm for the job. Hence the geraniums are winning hands-down. They are useful in a few areas as ground cover, so I don’t want rid of them completely. What plants could be planted near them that won’t be gradually overrun? I need allies in this fight! I realise that such plants may also be thugs, but if I choose carefully where I put them, I’m hoping that I won’t just be making the problem worse. We have neutral/acid soil, and most of the garden is windy. Some are in sun, others are in part shade or full shade.

 

Not all Geraniums spread. Magnificum does tend to expand into a goodly clump, so you might have that one.

Malva Alba works well alongside them, though it does seed around. Hardy Fuchsias would rise up through them with no trouble, giving some extra height and a long period of interest. Hawkshead (white) or Flashlight (palest pink) would go well with most Geraniums.

 

I grow several varieties of hardy geraniums, none of them are invasive, but that could be down to my sandy soil. I'm intrigued to know which one/ones you have that are invasive. Do you know the ID or could you post a photo for the detectives to get to work @Emerion?

 

@Plantminded - I think it’s a pretty common one, but I didn’t plant them, so not sure.

 

There's an evil one with deep roots. It looks like yours. I can't remember the name. it was planted by an elderly neighbour, long dead. I'm still digging it out of my garden and trying to pick it out from under shrubs and perennials. Come to think of it, most of the PITA plants in my garden were planted by neighbours

 

It’s attractive, but if it’s got deep roots and is invasive, other plants may find it difficult to compete with @Emerion. I wouldn’t want to encourage you to plant bluebells which seem totally non plussed by competition in my garden. I use Euphorbia amygdaloides var. Robbiae as ground cover in difficult, dry, shady places. It spreads, but not aggressively, and is easy to pull up by hand. A grass, Hakonechloa, is also very useful for shady and sunny places but it needs a bit of moisture until it gets established. It’s easy to propagate by division. I think I’d try to get rid of the Geranium rather than try to plant something that will tolerate it or outcompete it though.

 

Nothing can outcompete the evil one . Dig it out.

 

I've remembered the name. It's wargrave pink

 

OK, out it all comes then - eventually!

 

I've planted a few clumps of this (I think) and its making me slightly nervous!

I guess any "weed suppressant" ground-cover plants have the potential to be a nuisance. If they didn't spread reasonably fast, they wouldn't really do the job well.

 

If it’s doing what you want at the moment @Erigeron, let it but just keep an eye on it and take action when necessary. I planted some Vinca a couple of years ago to bind the soil in a sloping border, in the knowledge that it could become a problem. At the moment it’s doing exactly what I wanted it to do, the birds leave the soil in that border alone and don’t redistribute it on the steps below! I also grow bamboo which is potentially invasive but I keep a close eye on it and reduce the number of canes produced each year by more than half.

 

Vinca is a bit easier because it doesn't seed everywhere or at least so much.. Another gift from my neighbour.
Groundcover does just that - everywhere there's ground.

 

Waldstenia Ternata is absolutely brilliant ground-cover if you are after leaves not flowers. (It does throw out the occasional yellow buttercup-like ones.) It is evergreen, spreads gently but is very shallow rooted so easy to control. No apparent pests or diseases and loves shade. Copes with dryness too and is dead easy to propagate.

Perfect little plant, in my experience. Zero trouble and very useful.

 

We have Geranium Wargrave Pink and it is excellent ground cover if you like the world to be pink. It spreads quickly and self seeds around and about, we have a heavy loam soil.Easy to spot and yank out if it pops up where it’s unwanted, but not one to introduce if you want an easy life and like plants to stay as a clump in one space.

We also have Brookside, Roxanne, Dreamland, Elke, Kashmir White, macrorrhizum (pink and white) and none of these self seed for us. I rather wish they did as these were the ones I’ve deliberately chosen, the Wargrave was inherited (front garden) and a rescued unwanted plant (rear garden)

 

Not easy to yank out of a clump of iris , or the middle of anything or behind or under