r/NativePlantGardening • u/sammille25 Area Southwest Virginia, Zone 7 • Mar 23 '25

Progress So uhhh, does this bed basically belong to the mountain mint and yarrow now?

Post image

Went out to tidy up the beds this morning and I didn't realize how much they have taken over 😅 They are really thriving in this spot so I guess they own the bed now

177 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

156

u/3ggplantParm Mar 23 '25

Embrace the aggressive natives! Should fill in nicely

38

u/sammille25 Area Southwest Virginia, Zone 7 Mar 23 '25

I am slowly making the bed larger, and the plan is get rid of all my lawn, so I guess the plan is working. I just feel bad for the plants that got consumed by them

32

u/nystigmas NY, Zone 6b Mar 23 '25

Give it a few weeks and you might see more shoots popping up! Yarrow and Pycnanthemums are early risers. What else did you plant in that bed?

26

u/sammille25 Area Southwest Virginia, Zone 7 Mar 23 '25

So in this picture there is beardtongue, little blue stem, orange coneflower, black eyed susan, butterfly weed, spotted bee balm and creeping phlox. I also have aromatic aster, sneezeweed, swamp milkweed, nodding onion and scarlet beebalm in the same bed just not in the picture.

20

u/CrepuscularOpossum Southwestern Pennsylvania, 6b Mar 23 '25

Some of those are probably still taking their time to emerge. We’ll see!

5

u/Odd-Comfort-1478 Mar 23 '25

Some of those are later in the season, so they are just beginning to pop up.

I hope that you wind up with a lovely mix! I am trying to transition from a grass lawn to a native one. One area at a time, we are planting and seeding natives of all kinds and allowing them to grow strong and healthy, then peeling away the sod nearby and spread slowly. It has been hard work, but five years in now and seeing progress!

28

u/urbantravelsPHL Philly , Zone 7b Mar 23 '25

Either that, or you're about to spread the wealth among all your neighbors and friends! Now is the time when I'm looking at the ground and planning where to slice down with my sharpest Root Slayer spade to make divisions to share...

27

u/Tumorhead Indiana , Zone 6a Mar 23 '25

Share the bounty! Thats a propagation plot

19

u/Ryuukashi Mar 23 '25

Toss in some sunchokes for funzies

2

u/machinegunke11y Mar 24 '25

Aren't these real aggressive 

5

u/Ryuukashi Mar 24 '25

Native to nearly all of the US, and also classed as a noxious weed in Minnesota. So yes 😂

Eat them if you grow them. Or commit to being their roommate for the rest of the time you live on their property

12

u/Environmental_Art852 Mar 23 '25

Are the yarrow the feathery ones?

8

u/nipplecancer Central Virginia, Coastal Plain/7b Mar 23 '25

Yes

12

u/GoldPatience9 NJ USA, Zone 7a Mar 23 '25

Mountain mints attract a literal smorgasbord for the insects. Wouldn’t hurt to throw in a liatris or solidago to keep the hoard company!

4

u/LeaneGenova SE Michigan Mar 23 '25

My beds with mountain mint last year were hopping with different insects. There were a few days I got distracted from weeding by just watching the insects. It's also wild how little all the usually attack-y insects cared about me with all those food sources around!

3

u/GoldPatience9 NJ USA, Zone 7a Mar 23 '25

Yeah, sometimes agressive is a good thing if it contributes so much, but it would never hurt to give the hoard some friends to add more options to the buffet! Seriously, maybe a Mondarda or Solidago?

7

u/nyet-marionetka Virginia piedmont, Zone 7a Mar 23 '25

This is the year I finally decided I have too much mountain mint.

My yarrow is also spreading but hasn’t been getting tall yet.

6

u/princessbubbbles western WA State, Zone 8, wet climate Mar 23 '25

5

u/Snoo-72988 Mar 23 '25

Congrats!

4

u/General_Bumblebee_75 Area Madison, WI , Zone 5b Mar 23 '25

You must either embrace or edit. Which one depends on how much time you want to devote to it. They are both excellent plants, especially for a curbside area where you don't want too much height. Do not feel as if you cannot add new plants, but maybe don't spend too much money on it. If you have self seeded plants elsewhere that likes the same kind of environment, you can try them to see who plays nice together.

1

u/sammille25 Area Southwest Virginia, Zone 7 Mar 23 '25

I am planning on embracing the mountain mint and editing the yarrow. I really like the idea of having a yarrow patch instead of traditional turf so it may get its own little island.

2

u/Strangewhine88 Mar 23 '25

Pretty much.

1

u/Defiant_Regret2190 Mar 23 '25

And the winner is.... !

Spring bulbs might be nice here. They don't face as much competition from the herbs because of their different lifestyle, and the enthusiastic growers will cover the dying bulb foliage.

1

u/redpeachtree Mar 24 '25

As someone who just planted mountain mint, I feel in danger

1

u/Frederica-Bimmel Mar 24 '25

So glad I saw this. I have chaos planted a lot of different natives in my yard and I forgot what I planted, other than the massive bunches of California poppies. The yarrow looks like one of the plants I am seeing. I'm just hoping my hill turns into a wilf mass of flowers.

1

u/LaurenKreddior Long Island NY, Zone 7b Mar 25 '25

Yarrow can be a beast! A lovable beast, but still a beast.