Have you found yourself in battle with expanding backyard bamboo? Coming to terms with a clump of yuccas? Or venting over the growth of an invading vine?
You may have become the victim of a problem plant.
While some plants live indefinitely in harmony with other plants, fences and house foundations, others require more work and can damage their surrounds.
Horticulturalists AB Bishop and Tammy Huynh say the line between a plant being a friendly neighbour or a rogue is often context dependent.
Ms Huynh, who is also a Gardening Australia presenter, says we need to "be careful of what [we] do put in the ground".
Common culprits
Ms Bishop, who is the horticultural editor of Gardening Australia Magazine, says plant species with running roots or that sucker excessively are "often destructive forces in your garden".
These plants, like Robinia Mop Top, which "is renowned for suckering", grow new plants from their roots.
Yuccas also fall into this category and can multiply and overtake a space.
"I'm convinced that people don't realise how tall they're going to grow," Ms Bishop says.
Plants that drop things should also be carefully considered, says Ms Bishop, depending on how much time you have for maintenance.
This can include varieties of palms that drop fronds, and varieties of gum trees that might drop seeds or bark.
White cedar trees "also have those little fruits that when they fall can be very, very slippery."
Beware of letting your indoor plants outdoors
What makes a good indoor plant, does not always make for a good outdoor plant, according to Ms Huynh, "like the monstera and the rubber plant — or rubber tree."
"Just a warning that if people were thinking 'it's getting too big for my home, let me throw it outside' — unless you keep it in a contained environment, those plants grow like monsters."
Monsteras are "actually quite adaptable" so "don't underestimate that", Ms Huynh warns.
Rubber plants can grow into "a large tree" with the potential to "ruin paving or fencing or infrastructure."
Tradescantia or spiderwort trailing plants are also common indoors, but "its stems break off quite easily, which then in nature allows it to root quite easily."
Ms Huynh says it "can then take over your garden bed and then when you do go and try and pull them out, they break off so easily."
"Then the vicious cycle continues."
Some plants will require management and maintenance
Ms Bishop says "always check the weed lists of your local councils, because what is going to be weedy in one area isn't going to be weedy in another."
She says species of fox gloves –mainly clump-forming plants that flower in a variety of flowers around a tall stem – have spread into the Tasmanian bush. Be mindful of anything that could escape your garden and "create havoc", she warns.
Agapanthus also have a reputation for tricky expansionism, according to Ms Huynh.
"The older varieties seed very easily, and birds also pick up the seeds and then distribute them."
"Bamboo gets really bad rap," she says, but "choosing the right species will ensure … you don't end up lifting your neighbours' pavers".
Controlling a variety of "running bamboo" – the kind that multiplies quickly – can involve a bit of work but "you can manage bamboo by cutting back new shoots of bamboo and painting them with weed killer."
Depending on your budget, you can also install a physical barrier to contain running types of bamboo.
"Digging down like 600 millimetres into the ground and putting either concrete or some sort of barrier so that the bamboo can't run."
Plants can damage indoors too
If you're a renter with a bond you're keen to reunite with, be mindful that plants can cause damage indoors too, Ms Huynh warns.
She says a lot of popular indoor plants fall into the 'avoid category', which includes devil's ivy for instance.
"They all have developed aerial roots, because in nature they like to climb up trees as they're searching for sunlight."
This comes with a risk – especially to paintwork – when plants are pried away from skirting boards and walls.
Ms Huynh recommends moving these kinds of plants away from any surfaces they risk damaging or giving them something to "cling to".
Picking problem-free plants
Ms Bishop says council weed lists usually include alternatives to potentially problematic species.
"Always consider native alternatives, especially indigenous ones — they're ones which have evolved in your area."
They'll also attract more native wildlife to your garden, she says.
If you've bought a house with an unwanted population of problem plants, her advice is to "bite the bullet and get rid of them and start afresh".
She also recommends taking the neighbours into consideration when planting.
Ms Huynh says there's also some great resources online for finding the right plants for your garden but speaking with your local nursery is another great option.
"Most of them have trained horticulturists who will be able to advice," she says.
"The more information you're able to give them, the better they're able to advise you."