But I can't name this plant that popped up in a friend's garden.
Can you?

Looks like an all green reversion of the Chameleon Plant.....Houttuynia cordata.

It does look like H. cordata: Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata)

Does it have a strong sharp scent? That is another indicator of houttuynia.

I didn't sniff it, but I WILL!


Rampant spreader?

Notoriously difficult weed.

Or not. I don't consider it a weed and use it as a ground cover under trees and shrubs. I think it is more aggressive in different parts of the country, and it also depends on how much free space you have.

Yeah, I'm familiar with the one that's variegated, with red.
Wasn't sure about the simple little wjite one.....
Guess if it tries to take over next year I'll pull it....

There is no such thing as "pulling it". So sorry, crittergarden. I've dug it, sprayed it, covered it with black plastic for 9 months. It's horribly invasive here. Spraying with Ortho's Poison Ivy and Tough Brush Killer was the final answer for me. I fought it for 8 years and it covered 50' x 12', invaded the lawn and daylilies.

A typical day was 6 hours of digging to try to eliminate it - hopeless. The spray works. I use it as the concentrate and do not dilute it.

I've met the "chamelion" Houttuynia, so I can foresee what you are saying....

Oh well - my friend's bed could use a fresh digging and redoing anyway......

pirl said:

Holy alien roots, Batman!
I hope everyone realizes that those three roots are tree roots, and the mass of roots in the bag are the culprits.
What's in the bowl?

The bowl contains stones I found as I dug to unearth the horrid weed. I keep all the stones and use them for other projects, mainly because the noise of the trowel hitting the stones bothers my ears. Often I was down a foot or more and scraping the bottoms of the pine roots to get every single piece.



Finding even a small piece meant there was trouble brewing below so it was many more hours of digging in each and every spot.




The tiny pieces at the left meant I was digging again. This time I had to go under the timbers and scrape the bottoms of the timbers (and the pine root) with a knife, since the tiniest remnants would begin the horror anew.




I have 293 photos of my battle with this monster and they do serve to remind me to check carefully before I buy a plant to be sure it won't end up being another Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon'.

I use buckets with holes drilled in the bottom to contain mints, bee balm, lysimachia, etc. when I plant them in the ground. With mint at least, you have to leave a couple of inches of the bucket rim above soil level (soil level both inside and outside the pot) or they will flop over and root that way. I was lucky to find some black buckets that absolutely do not show at all. You could spray paint a white bucket black - or you could find some huge plastic pots that maybe someone got some bushes/trees in. I bought some of those from a guy at a flea market.....

There ARE ways....

Also, I think that when I redo my friend's bed I might just leave those Houttuynia in there, remove the crummy looking plants, and underplant the Houttuynia with tall things..... BULBS, certainly, but maybe rudbeckia, etc.

Our mint is grown in a pot, held high above the ground by a holder I don't even remember buying. It's a blessing.


Trying to remove your friend's Houttuynia would be a big job if it's been there for a year or more. I can only wish you the best of luck. Your friend is certainly fortunate having you to help.

I love the doing of it!

I think I'll refurbish by removing some not-so-lovely plants and leaving the Houttuynia in there.
The bed is bounded by driveway, walkway, and house.

I chose in ground buckets for mints and such here in zone 5 so they can hibernate as usual. I'd have to bring clay pots in or they'd crack.

Mine did crack eventually and I replaced it with terra cotta colored plastic.

You are a splendid friend.

I do try.
Some see me as a big help, some don't.
BUT I love the garden as much as I care about the people who live in the house, so......