To Plant Cleome Or Not To Plant Cleome? – That Is The Question

I have gone to war on invasives – yet I continue to grow cleome. Yep, it’s a contradiction. There aren’t many plants that are more invasive, unless you go for the really crazy ones that are, or should be, outlawed. So why do I do it? Why do I subject myself to a plant that so freely self-seeds? It’s pretty, but that’s not enough. I have been vigilant against other pretty but invasive plants. It’s the combination of pretty and controllable that does it for me.

Here is the pretty.

And here is the controllable. Sure, it produces a million seedlings, but they are easy to identify and just require a slight tug to remove. Even if they get big, it still just takes a tug as I walk past. They must be easy to remove if I’m still doing it.

There are places where I just allow one to grow, like by my Garden Girl statue.

Most years I allow many to grow along one of the paths.

But don’t say I didn’t warn you. There were a few years where I let cleome have its way. Jurassic park, here we come!