Never Use Chameleon Plant As A Ground Cover—It Will Take Over Your Yard

There are plenty of shrubs, trees, and flowers you should avoid planting in your garden. Some you should steer clear of because of their smelly blooms (bye-bye, Bradford pear), and others are just too darn invasive. The latter take over and create a real conundrum for gardeners who have to work year after year to eradicate them from their yard. That's why you should avoid planting chameleon plant at all costs. Here's what to know about this ground cover, how to remove it, and what you should plant instead.

What Is Chameleon Plant?

"But it's so pretty!" you say. Chameleon plant has brightly colored foliage that blends shades of red, pink, green, and yellow in attractive combinations. What we call chameleon plant is Houttuynia cordata 'Tricolor,' and it gets its name from those distinctive leaves.

Unfortunately, this plant spreads like there's no tomorrow. The Grumpy Gardener describes it like this: "Usually planted as a ground cover or a color plant for the shade, it spreads by every way imaginable. Thick networks of roots snake through the ground. Pieces that fall on the ground take root."

Those thick networks make it very difficult to eradicate once they take root and start spreading. What's worse, it is a hardy grower throughout the South and can thrive in most any conditions. Don't think you're out of the woods just because your garden is dry and sunny or shady and wet. Chameleon plant will grow, and fast. Then it will likely lose its visual interest when the leaves fade to green.

How To Get Rid Of Chameleon Plant

If it has taken over your garden, there's not much hope for getting rid of the chameleon plant altogether without intensive labor. Herbicides are not especially effective on this plant. Ever the realist, Grumpy recommends the most drastic of measures to deal with chameleon plant once it has spread: "Set off a tactical nuclear weapon in your garden. Pave over your garden with a foot of concrete." But most of us aren't likely to do start pouring concrete, so follow these steps instead to eradicate this aggressive spreader by hand:

1. Mark an area well outside the edges of your patch. Begin digging up part of the area with a shovel, placing the dirt in a wheelbarrow or on a large tarp. Dig to a depth of 12 inches.
2. Sift through the dirt and remove all leaves, stems, and rhizomes, placing them in a trash bag. Return the soil to the hole once you are done.
3. Move on to the next area and repeat.
4. Watch for any new leaves that sprout over the next few weeks and remove them.

This process usually takes a couple of years (or longer) before the chameleon plant completely disappears.

What To Plant Instead of Chameleon Plant

If you're considering planting a new ground cover, there are better alternatives to chameleon plant. Try one of these options if you want to plant something with striking or colorful foliage:

• 'Jack Frost' brunnera: This Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla) has heart-shaped, green leaves frosted in white. Baby blue flower spikes emerge in spring. You can plant it in part shade or full shade in moist soil in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3-8.
• Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans): This low-growing groundcover can be found with green, purple, bronze, or tri-color foliage and has blue or purple flower spikes in spring. Bugleweed is adaptable to growing in full sun to shade throughout the South, though it prefers well-draining, moderately moist soil. Bugleweed does have a tendency to escape into lawns, so you'll need to keep an eye on it.