Cotoneaster is right up there with English ivy. I wish I had never planted it here.
Between the rhododendrons and blueberries is a matted mass of cotoneaster. It was started with just four roots pulled from some that were overflowing a garden area. It looked harmless enough, and a friend said it was a good ground cover. That it was, but it didn’t stop there. It not only spread along the ground, but began growing higher and higher. It even shades the blueberries, which need all the sun they can get. It’s growing into the rhododendrons, stealing moisture and nutrients from them and the blueberries. Every year I cut it back away from the blueberries, but now I want it gone.
The pile of cotoneaster brush in the foreground made very little dent in the mass that needs removing. I may need some professional help, or just do it myself, some each year. It’s a good winter project, but there are already way too many of those.