Planting Soleirolei in a Japanese garden aka "Mind your own Business!

mikelata

Hi all,

Has anyone planted "Helxine, Soleirolei" outdoors?
https://www.johnstowngardencentre.ie/p/mind-your-own-business---helxine-soleirolei/soleirolia?refSrc=acer_garnet&nosto=productpage-nosto-2

I have read that it is not recommended because it can get out of control.
What does get out of control? The invasive spreading? or that it just keeps regrowing in the same place?

Thanks

looksee

It depends a bit on the site. If it is sheltered and damp and it is happy it can take off and just cover everything, you won't have a Japanese garden so much as a hummocky patch of green. If it is not happy it will most likely just die on a dry summer.

magicbastarder

i don't know where it came from, but i had it in my last house, in the front (north facing) garden, but really only in the shade of the house. i liked it, but it never spread our from under the shade.

mikelata

What I have read is that it spreads like crazy, taking over grass, wall cracks and garden, and that there is no control, like roundup, that would affect the plant
Opinion is divided in this thread: https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54039/

But I have seen it in Japanese gardens: next to ponds or in hilly rocks...

In my garden, the area where I would like to spread it is in the back, which is separated from the neighbors by fences.
The area is behind a gravel garden

My worry is the plant to spread to the neighbors or to the gravel garden

Thanks

Bixy

It is a problem plant in my garden (east coast) even in relatively sunny positions - spreading under shrubs, into lawns etc.Today I noticed snowdrops struggling to emerge through a mat of Helxine. While it is easy enough to scrape up (except in a lawn situation) I have noticed that it is very tolerant of Roundup so that is not really a solution either. Pity, because it is a very pretty plant...

Tree

mikelata wrote: »

Hi all,

Has anyone planted "Helxine, Soleirolei" outdoors?
https://www.johnstowngardencentre.ie/p/mind-your-own-business---helxine-soleirolei/soleirolia?refSrc=acer_garnet&nosto=productpage-nosto-2

I have read that it is not recommended because it can get out of control.
What does get out of control? The invasive spreading? or that it just keeps regrowing in the same place?

Thanks

Definitely the spreading.

Our garden in the last place was full of it, couldn't get rid of it. The neighbours planted it then ignored the bed, and it went all around. Spread really well across the concrete as a mat before it hit the grass

mikelata

Tree wrote: »

Definitely the spreading.

Our garden in the last place was full of it, couldn't get rid of it. The neighbours planted it then ignored the bed, and it went all around. Spread really well across the concrete as a mat before it hit the grass

I might be just looking for the answer I want to hear , but do you think it will also spread without control beyond the area of the picture?

there is a 1m step before the gravel, and a fence on both sides to separate from the neighbours

Thanks!

Good jib!

From the Johnstown Garden Centre website:

"Mind-your-own-business, Soleirolia is a creeping perennial with tiny rounded leaves. Despite looking pretty in cracks in paving, it re-grows from the smallest stem sections and can soon get out of control. It is especially difficult to control in the lawn so it works better as a houseplant."

I personally have no experience with this plant, but know from dealing with other invasive plant species (knotweed and giant hogweed especially) that if even the guy selling it to you is warning you about how hard it is to control, that's a definite red flag.

Looking at the photo, the plant could possibly fill that area. Could it grow through the fences (as happens with knotweed)? If you really want to go ahead with planting it, put some sort of separation between the roots and the rest of the soil (thick sturdy plastic sheeting) and keep cutting back whatever grows beyond the area you've laid out for it.

mikelata

Good jib! wrote: »

From the Johnstown Garden Centre website:

"Mind-your-own-business, Soleirolia is a creeping perennial with tiny rounded leaves. Despite looking pretty in cracks in paving, it re-grows from the smallest stem sections and can soon get out of control. It is especially difficult to control in the lawn so it works better as a houseplant."

I personally have no experience with this plant, but know from dealing with other invasive plant species (knotweed and giant hogweed especially) that if even the guy selling it to you is warning you about how hard it is to control, that's a definite red flag.

Looking at the photo, the plant could possibly fill that area. Could it grow through the fences (as happens with knotweed)? If you really want to go ahead with planting it, put some sort of separation between the roots and the rest of the soil (thick sturdy plastic sheeting) and keep cutting back whatever grows beyond the area you've laid out for it.

your view and advice makes sense

Tree

mikelata wrote: »

I might be just looking for the answer I want to hear , but do you think it will also spread without control beyond the area of the picture?

there is a 1m step before the gravel, and a fence on both sides to separate from the neighbours

Thanks!

'I think you'll have to spend a lot of time minding it, as if any bit of it gets over the fence, you'll have a hell of a time containing it. It does look lovely, but probably better on an isolated rockery than near lovely soil.

New Home

On a side note, I bought three of those plants in pots and they all died on me - where do you guys think I may have gone wrong with them?

(Apologies for side-tracking the thread).

mikelata

guys, you were all completely right

I won't plant it in the garden after all. I have noticed a couple of front gardens in Dublin where it spreaded into the gravel... I also saw one house where they have also tried to do a Japanese inspired front garden: rocks, moss and Soleirolia...and they are clearly struggling to stop the spread into the lawn...

I did an experiment: I bought 2 plants, split them and planted them in a pot...in one month it took it over (see the pic)

magicbastarder

mikelata wrote: »

there is no control, like roundup, that would affect the plant

i find that hard to believe?

edit: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=348