Growing Goutweed
How To Use This Plant
This is a wonderful ground cover as it is a fast spreading plant and able to shrug off most difficult growing conditions.
Goutweed is best planted where few other plants exist as it will smother out nearby plants quite effectively.
Fast growing goutweed will effectively colonize hillsides or other difficult locations where other plants will not live.
Do not plant it in a good garden with other plants. I have seen more gardeners swearing at this plant as they tried to remove it than almost any other. It is extremely invasive.
Where To Use This Plant
This is a good groundcover. Some garden snobs will tell you this plant is overused but if you have a waste space where nothing else will grow - this might be the answer.
Plant almost anywhere - from full sun to shade. In deep shade, the plant will fall over very quickly and look ugly.
How To Care For This Plant
Water it if you plant in full sun. Regular waterings will keep the leaves looking fresh and not ragged from over-exposure.
It may develop fungal spots (brownish leaves) in mid-summer but this isn't a problem.
To freshen this plant, cut it to the ground as soon as it flops over (it will flop over) in early summer. It will quickly regrow and look quite lovely. I've seen gardeners using a lawn mower to prune it - this works well.
Don't worry about the small white flowers. They aren't really all that good looking and can be ignored or pruned off.
How To Propagate This Plant
It will spread quickly but if you need to help it along, simply dig up a chunk in the early spring. Replant and you now have two plants. Growing goutweed is that simple.
Goutweed is almost indestructible.
In summary - this is a good plant where nothing else will grow or you want a ground cover for a difficult place. It is not a plant for the good perennial garden.
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