There are two plants I wish I had not planted: Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana) and Mexican primrose (Oenothera caespitosa) Although they are attractive (when blooming) and drought-tolerant plants, they are very invasive and difficult to eradicate from places I would prefer that they not be.
I originally planted Mexican primrose on a mound in our front yard, which is desert landscaped with gravel and scattered plants on drip irrigation. The mound had been suggested by a landscape designer we consulted when we first moved here and faced a large barren lot. I don't particularly like looking at colored gravel, and I thought the mound was boring, so I planted this pretty pink flower with the idea that it would spread and cover the mound with blooms. Big mistake.
First of all, it has been a battle to get it to cover the mound as planned. It would prefer to reseed itself in random areas of the yard where it is indistinguishable from weeds when it is not blooming. This resulted in several calls to our concerned HOA, which threatened fines if we did not remove the weeds from the gravel. It has also spread to our backyard, where it chokes out other things I'd rather have growing there. I pull it out on a daily basis and add it to the compost pile, but sometimes think it is winning the battle. It is a Hydra plant....pull up one, and several more arise to take its place.
Second, it doesn't have a particularly long blooming period. It is also susceptible to a beetle which eats holes in the leaves, leaving it alive but very tattered and weedy-looking with no blooms. Of course, the beetle prefers to attack just prior to the plant's limited flowering period so that we have the worst of both worlds: a ratty looking plant and no blooms.
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