Plants from hell get out of hand and take over, throwing around their weight with unimagined power and influence. Imagine Tony Soprano muscling in between the phlox and daisies. Of course, admitting that you fell for a plant from hell is embarrassing, especially if you, like me, should have known better. But in the interest of public education, and with the hope of preventing some other poor soul from making the same mistake, a number of Michigan's horticultural elite agreed to share their own experiences with plants from hell. For Dan Crow, a professional garden designer who also tends the grounds at the governor's mansion in Lansing, the enemy arrived in the form of two attractive bamboos.
Many gardeners recoil at the mere mention of bamboo because the running types can be so invasive.
But Crow figured he had the experience and knowledge to retain the upper hand in his garden, located in Perry. He thought he could cope. He was wrong. Dean Krauskopf, host of a weekly garden show on Detroit radio station WJR-AM, hears a lot about bad plants happening to good people. He has a woeful tale of his own.