physostegia virginiata (false dragon's head) disaster!!!

[microcollie]

2 years ago, I planted some physostegia in my garden. It looked great on the tag and there was no mention of it being overly rambunctious. The 1st year all went well and it stayed pretty much where it was planted. Now (2nd year) it's popping up all over the place. It's pretty when in bloom, and wouldn't be so bad to pull up, but it's coming up in the middle of clumps of neighboring plants. I would hate to have to dig up older more established plants, but the roots seem to be entwined. I HATE the idea of chemicals. I mix my vegitables into my flower beds and want to keep organic. Any suggestions? I'm worried that if I don't get rid of it now, that by next year it will kill off less exuberant plants.

[rainbowgardener]

yup, an aggressive spreader.

It will spread by runners from the roots as well as by seeds. The seeds part you can control by deadheading and not letting it go to seed.

For the part spreading from the roots, I just keep pulling it. There isn't any chemical you could put on it that wouldn't kill the neighboring plants too. Just pull it. If you have to dig up some clumps of things to separate the physostegia (obedient plant is another common name for the physostegia virginiana) from the other stuff, it isn't likely to hurt anything very much.

[microcollie]

I was afraid you'd say that. Unfortunately, the two things most effected by it are my baptisias and my oriental poppies, two things I'd like to avoid digging up. Sure wish the tag had said how much of a spreader it was. I bought it to use as a cut flower, so there weren't mant spent flowers left to go to seed. Guess I'll keep at the pulling and see how things go. Thanks. Wonder where the obedient part comes from. It's anything but!!!

[rainbowgardener]

It's called obedient plant because if you bend the flower, it stays at whatever angle you put it at.