Every successful gardener works hard to choose the right plant for the right place. But just as important in South Florida is learning to avoid putting the wrong plant in any place.

There are some plants that eventually will take on the look and characteristics of weeds when turned loose in your garden, even though you bought them in a nursery or garden center. They spread outside their beds, overrun other plants, and new shoots pop up in unwanted places.

Then there are the truly ``invasive'' plants, which do a lot more damage than just making your yard look messy. The term ``invasive'' refers to plants that spread into natural areas and disrupt them by displacing natives, changing the ecology of the area, or hybridizing with natives.

The most damaging of these -- such as melaleuca, carrotwood, Brazilian pepper, Australian pines and others -- are banned (http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/old/programs/urbanhort/publications/PDF/Miami-Dade-County-Invasive-Plants.pdf).

There are also plants listed by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council that are not yet prohibited, but which have invaded natural areas, and in some cases, caused ecological damage (www.fleppc.org/index.cfm). These are discouraged.

The plants below are popular landscaping plants that can make your garden weedy and high maintenance and, in some cases, also cause problems by escaping into natural areas.

• Ruellia brittoniana (Mexican petunia): These stunning purple flowers can be seen everywhere during the summer in South Florida, and you almost never see a small clump of them. They can quickly take over a flower bed because they spread both by seed and by underground runners. Once you have it in your yard, it is not easy to get rid of.

There have been concerns about the cultivated ruellia because it has been spreading by seed into natural areas, said Adrian Hunsberger, urban horticulture agent for the University of Florida/IFAS Miami-Dade County Extension. A plant that spreads readily by seed is much more likely to become invasive than one that just spreads by runners, she added. The plant council considers ruellia brittoniana a Category 1 invasive plant, which means it is already disrupting native plant communities in Florida.

The good news for fans of these showy plants is that in recent years a sterile, noninvasive version, which produces no viable seeds, has been showing up in nurseries. Of course, this doesn't mean they won't continue to spread in your yard by underground runners.

If you feel you must have ruellias, opt for the sterile seedless variety, and plant them in the ground in their containers to keep them in check.

A better choice: There is a native, the Ruellia caroliniensis, with the same beautiful purple flowers, though they are slightly smaller. Unfortunately, it is not as prolific a bloomer as its more unruly relative. It also tends to spread, but more politely.

• Lantana camara: This is a beautiful hardy plant that butterflies adore, but it comes with a lot of baggage. There are two types of lantana widely cultivated in Florida: Lantana camara, with bright yellow and red flowers, and Lantana montevidensis, low and trailing, with either all purple or all yellow flowers. Both have numerous forms, cultivars and hybrids and are sold under various names, said Pat Howell, natural areas specialist for Broward County Parks and Recreation. And, she warned, both have invaded natural areas.

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