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You don’t need to be an expert to identify the weeds in your garden. Our handy guide will help you to spot weeds and check how they grow and spread. Equipment needed: Wildflower books; Plant identification apps – try our identify a plant tool; MyAdvice can be used by RHS members for plant identification enquiries
- Stinging Nettle. Botanical Name: Urtica dioica. Height: 1 – 2 metres. Notes: The Stinging Nettle is known by most for the skin irritation it causes upon direct contact.
- Dandelion. Botanical Name: Taraxacum officinale. Height: 10 – 15 cm. Notes: A well-known garden weed with vibrant yellow flowers. You’ll typically find Dandelions in cultivated land and grassy areas.
- Poison Ivy. Botanical Name: Toxicodendron radicans. Height: Up to 2 metres. Notes: Poison Ivy causes skin irritation through direct contact. You can find this plant growing in the forest understory.
- Ground Ivy. Botanical Name: Glechoma hederaceae. Height: 5 – 50 cm. Notes: Ground Ivy grows in woodlands and garden lawns. It has highly distinctive kidney-shaped leaves and violet flowers.
- Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) Poison sumac is a shrub (some consider it a small tree) that grows in wet areas, often next to cinnamon ferns and cattails.
- Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) Polygonum cuspidatum goes by several common names, including Japanese knotweed and fleece flower. Several other common names include "bamboo" in them, such as "Mexican bamboo" or "American bamboo."
- Crabgrass (Digitaria) Crabgrass is so called because this grassy weed creeps along close to the ground, like a crab. In addition to mixing with lawn grass, it's often found growing in cracks in your hardscape.
- Dandelions (Leontodon taraxacum) Dandelions are a harbinger of spring. Their bright yellow flowers often poke up through lawns and appear between cracks in driveways and sidewalks.
- Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) Crabgrass is a low-growing summer annual that spreads by seed and from the rootings of nodes on the soil. Undisturbed, it can grow to 2 feet tall.
- Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) Purslane is considered noxious in at least one U.S. state. Why is this edible annual succulent plant considered troublesome?
- Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) Another edible weed! Lambsquarters is a fast-growing summer annual that is very nutritious and delicious, steamed, in salads, or juiced.
- Pigweed (Amaranthus spp.) Pigweed wins the title of the most “problematic” annual weed. It has evolved traits that make it a tough competitor, especially in broadleaf crops like soybeans and cotton.
- What Are Weeds?
- How to Identify Weeds
- Types of Weed Roots
- How to Get Rid of Weeds
- Types of Weeds (with Picture and Name) – Identification Guide
- Stinging Nettle
- Creeping Buttercup
- Spotted Spurge Weed
- Broad-Leaved Dock
- Creeping Speedwell
Any unwanted plant growing in your yard can be a type of weed. Generally, common weed plants have undesirable qualities like invasiveness, jaggy leaves, or persistence. Weedy plants can also choke out desirable plants by competing for nutrients, light, and space. As a result, weeds make your garden look unkempt and messy. Weeds generally fall into ...
Proper weed identification is the first step to removing them. To identify weeds, look at the type of leaf, flower, and root system. For example, weeds tend to have a thick root, making them difficult to remove, or a creeping fibrous root system that spreads quickly. Weeds spread easily and quickly and take root where you least want them. Weedy gar...
Weeds are categorized by their roots. Typically, knowing the type of roots is key to controlling weeds and preventing them from ruining your hard work. Here are four types of roots that weeds (and garden plants) have: 1. Tap roots—The toughest garden weeds have long tap roots like a thin parsnip. Dandelions are a common weed with deep roots. The ta...
Use an integrated weed management system to get rid of weeds. Natural weed killers include vinegar, salt, borax, or boiling water. To prevent lawn weeds, use a pre-emergent weed killer such as corn gluten that can keep lawn weeds at bay. Also, a layer of mulchin flower beds can prevent weed growth. Related reading: How to get rid of weeds naturally...
Let’s look in detail at identifying the common types of weeds that can cause problems in your garden.
Stinging nettle is a perennial weed with green, tooth-edged ovate leaves and stinging bristles that cause skin irritation. Stinging nettles grow 3 to 10 ft. (1 – 3 m) tall, and the weedy stinging plant spreads through rhizome roots and airborne seeds. Also called the common nettle, the weed’s roots can reach up to 5 ft. (1.5 m) wide and continue to...
Creeping buttercup is a spreading garden weed with yellow flowersthat can also become firmly rooted in lawns. The pesky weed spreads by long runners that form a robust network of stolons. Creeping buttercup commonly grows in damp ground and moist soil. To get rid of creeping buttercup weeds, dig them up and destroy them. If the yellow-flowering wee...
Spotted spurge is a common weed that affects flower beds or lawns. This spreading weed has oval-shaped leaves on hairy reddish stems that form a ground-hugging mat of dark green foliage. The weedy flowering plant produces small pink flowersbefore distributing thousands of seeds. Spotted spurge has a taproot, making complete removal of the invasive ...
Broad-leaved dock is a troublesome weed with broad leaves that have a rounded or pointed apex and cordate base. Also called butter dock or bitter dock, the aggressive weed has long taproots up to 2 ft. (0.6 m) deep. Dock weeds have flowering stems up to 5 ft. (1.5 m) tall. Weed Identification:Broad-leaved dock has distinctive lanceolate or ovate le...
Creeping speedwell is a mat-forming spreading perennial weed with purple flowers. Although creeping speedwell produces pretty flowers, its fast growth means it can quickly get out of hand in borders and lawns. The four-petalled purple flowersgrow on the end of long stems. Creeping speedwell spreads through rhizomes and stolons. The creeping stems r...
Jul 31, 2023 · Successfully identifying weeds can help you understand exactly what you need to do to get rid of them. In this article, we will introduce you to the most common weeds found in gardens in the UK because, in the world of weeds, knowledge is power.
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Oct 8, 2023 · Contents. Weeds are essentially just plants growing where they are not wanted or needed. They can be cause problems gardens when they grow wild and compete with the plants you’ve worked hard to plant. Many types of weeds can spread from plant to plant, reproducing quickly and forming a large patch very quickly.
