I’ve dealt with invasive and ugly shrubs as a professional gardener – these are the 5 shrubs I'll never grow again, and what I'd choose instead

A wooden bench surrounded by green foliage of fatsia, hostas, and more.

As a gardener, I am always learning from trial and error. I have planted many things over my career that I was once genuinely excited about, only to learn more as they grew, finding myself staring at them five years later, pondering why I did so.

Shrubs, in particular, can be problematic. You grow them for height and structure in the borders, and suddenly, in the blink of an eye, they’re spreading, suckering or throwing up seedlings in your neighbor's yard. Or, on a more aesthetic note, tastes may change. Take Japanese laurel, for instance. I used to admire its gold-flecked foliage. Now it just screams car lot planting to me.