Does anyone have a list of invasive plants that would grow in Oklahoma?

When I looked up thyme and oregano, I saw that they are from the mint family, yet they are sold here almost everywhere. I want to purchase them if they are not invasive, but if they are, well, gardening is hard enough without inviting that problem.

Thanks,
Sammy

As for mint, I have battled it before, and it took years to get it all up (I didn't plant it in the ground myself- I inherited it). I love it, but I only grow it in containers, and I keep an eye on the containers to be sure the sneaky devils aren't sneaking out the pots through the drainage holes.

My understanding is that oregano tends to prefer being grown in pots- though that could be a local thing, and not applicable to your area...

Good luck,
Virginia

Anne

What could possible make an invasive beneficial? I can think of at least two things.

One would be shallow rooted....and keeps other weeds from growing.
Two would be harbors beneficial insects.

I'm currently battling Creeping Charlie. I'm not sure if its' good or bad, but I'm leaning to think that it may be good.

It is a ground cover that's low growing (good)
Very few bigger, more water hungry and much more vigorous weeds seem able to germinate where CC is established (good)
It's a mint and a lot of mints are good beneficial hosts. (unsure if the bene population on this is going to happen. Will start checking with a microscope midsummer).
It protected some new growth during our very late last freeze. (Good.)

Don't know if I can get rid of it even if I want to.

Comments welcome.

I also grow lots of kinds of oregano. Greek oregano does seed around and run a bit at the root, but not too badly. O. rotundifolium 'Kent Beauty' expands very slowly and I've never seen a seedling. The rest are somewhere in between these two. The only one I have banished because of over-the-top number of seedings and root-aggressiveness is Hopley's (Origanum laevigatum). The nice thing about oregano is that it is very drought tolerant and happy with whatever incidental water it happens to get and growing it on the dry side keeps it both healthy and less aggressive, I think.

I agree about houttuynia, and also perennial ageratum. Both harder to pull out than mint in my experience.

The king of aggressive, invasive and hard to kill is trumpet vine -- too bad because it really can be beautiful and definitely attracts hummingbirds.

Mint and pineapple sage are the herbs I've had issues with spreading. I only grow mint in pots now. My bay laurel sends up shoots, but it doesn't seem to spread too far.

The things I have issue with are morning glories and wild strawberries that seem to be spread by the birds dropping seeds (though the strawberries are kind of neat and I may use them to fill in between the rocks in my path), fig ivy that either my PO or the neighbor's PO planted (we both blame the other, but they had tree size plants bearing fruit on their side of the fence -- that stuff should be outlawed) and some wild vines.

Mint is one of the worst to grow outside of a pot, including some of its varieties such as ginger mint. Onion and garlic chives are also very invasive as they seed all over. Lemon balm has also become invasive in my garden, seeds all over the place and I cannot get rid of it even when I think I've pulled up every last plant. Feverfew is also a little too self-sowing for my liking although I wouldn't technically call it invasive.

Here are some other plants that are invasive that I've mistakenly grown, many still haunt me -- vinca minor, violas (wild violets), hedera helix (English ivy, though I did get rid of that eventually it wasn't as bad as the periwinkle), lily-of-the-valley, ajuga (bugle), bishop's weed (I did not plant this but birds spread it), wild spotted geranium (I love these but have more than I wanted), black-eyed Susan, and nandina (heavenly bamboo, haven't tried to get rid of it but has spread alarmingly).