A Brooklyn, New York, gardener went to Reddit for help after an unidentified plant spread through their garden bed.
It shows how even a native species can become a headache when its growth habit overwhelms nearby flowers.
What happened?
A Brooklyn gardener posted on Reddit seeking an ID for a plant that had started taking over an iris bed.
"Can anyone ID this plant?" they said. "I thought it was a peony but it's not. It has a rhizome root system that goes deep and refused to flower in a large container, but now it's starving out my irises and maybe soon my roses."
Commenters suggested it was Rudbeckia laciniata Hortensia, a double-flowered cultivar also known as Golden Glow or Outhouse Flower. It is native to the lower 48 states and parts of Canada.
That answer matched the plant's behavior. Gardeners said it spreads through rhizomes and can grow to around 10 feet tall, enough to crowd out nearby plants.
TCD Picks » EDF Spotlight
💡EDF's Vital Signs newsletter delivers stories about game-changing solutions close to home and around the world
Why does it matter?
What you plant affects both the amount of upkeep a yard requires and the habitat it can provide.
Commenters noted that while Rudbeckia laciniata Hortensia is native to North America, this double-flowered cultivar may be less beneficial for pollinators because its blooms are sterile compared with the straight species.
Replacing all or even part of a traditional lawn with lower-maintenance options, such as native plants, clover, buffalo grass, or xeriscaping, can save time and money on upkeep while lowering water bills.
Homeowners looking to make that transition can explore options for upgrading to a natural lawn or rewilding a yard.
A yard planned around site conditions can support pollinators, reduce mowing, and cut resource use. Even a vigorous native spreader may need regular thinning or relocation to keep it from overwhelming neighboring plants.
What are people saying?
The comment section focused largely on the identification itself and on how big the plant can get.
One wrote, "Jesus christ they're huge."
"I'm not a fan of yellow flowers in general but if this is a sturdy perennial that regularly gets that tall it would make a decent privacy barrier and a good alternative to ornamental grasses," another commenter added. "I'm actually going to look into this plant further."
One person suggested, "Perhaps it's easier to move your irises!"
In the comments, the original poster shared a "before" image of the plant as a small, potted sapling before it was moved to their garden bed.
"Now aware of what I planted, driving around I've noticed a few gardens where this plant has taken over the entire yard," they wrote.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
