Spring is finally here, and the growing season is upon us. Yay!! Tulips, daffodils, and lilacs are blooming. Birds are building their nests and laying eggs. Everything is fresh and new.
But as you walk around your garden exploring all these wonderful changes, you might notice something else that’s new. Little seedlings popping up everywhere. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they were early spring flowers like poppies, snapdragons, or foxgloves? But no, all the plants springing up are weeds. Weeds, weeds, and more weeds.
The weeds are growing in your flower borders, your vegetable patch, and your herb garden. They’ve found their way into your grass and your pathways. All over the garden they’re springing up.
When we first start gardening, little do we know about the tenacity of weeds. We think that once we create our garden beds, our work is done. But growing alongside those beautiful perennials and flowering shrubs are weeds that are determined to take over.
Weeds not only choke out your desired plants, but they steal the water and nourishment from the soil, often leaving your intended plants hungry and thirsty. They also crowd out the light that your plants need.
The key to stopping the weeds from taking over is to attack them early while they’re still small and easy to remove. To do this, we need to know what we’re looking for and what weeds pose the greatest problem for our garden
Ten Common Weeds Growing in Your Garden…
There are literally 100s if not 1000s of weeds that pose a risk to your lovely garden. This list obviously does not include more than a few of the massive amounts of weeds that are out there. Where you live, your growing zone and climate will affect which weeds are most abundant in your garden. This list looks at ten of the most common weeds that you can find in North America. But most of these weeds are common offenders worldwide.
#1 Dandelion
This perennial weed holds a special place in our hearts. As children, we often picked bright yellow bouquets to give to our moms on Mother’s Day. But as adults, we know how determined dandelions are to take over the garden.
Those sweet yellow flowers quickly turn into puffballs. And one windy day can spread the seeds for miles. When left unchecked, your yard and garden can become a sea of yellow flowers followed by the puffballs.
Dandelions have a deep taproot that nourishes the plant. Digging out the taproot completely can be a challenge. If any of it remains, it will grow back. For this reason, it’s best to remove the dandelions before the plant becomes well-established. Otherwise, you’ll have an ongoing battle.
What to look for:
Small dandelion plants often grow in patches. Find fresh growth and remove before they set their flowers.
#2 Hairy Bittercress (Shotweed)
Hairy bittercress is an annual that is very easy to remove. It has shallow roots that come up easily when pulled. However, they are fairly small and easy to miss. If you let them go to seed, watch out. They catapult those seeds a wide distance. Which then expands their growing area. Bittercress can go to seed, spread those seeds, and then start a second and possibly third generation in one garden season.
What to look for:
Small rosettes with tiny green leaves.
#3 Thistle
There are many varieties of thistles. This perennial weed has a deep taproot and spreading but it also has something else that makes it difficult to eradicate. Spines. You’ll definitely need heavy-duty gloves to take down the thistle.
Canadian thistle is a common example. It grows and spreads via rhizomes and extended roots. Plus, it can spread by seeds. It grows in colonies. So one uncontrolled plant will often turn into many more if you leave it to grow.
Eliminating Canadian thistle when it’s young is the best approach because its root system has not yet spread. Pull or hoe the plant out while it’s easy to eliminate.
What to look for:
Leaves with pointy edges and prickly stems and leaves.
#4 Amaranth (Pigweed)
Wild amaranth can grow 6 feet taller or more. It’s an annual that is easy to remove when young, but older plants have a strong root system. And once it goes to seed, each plant has thousands of seeds that can spread throughout your garden. Learn to recognize the young plants so you can get rid of them quickly.
What to look for:
Broad leaves grow into a tall stock.
#5 Oxalis (Wood Sorrel)
This cute little plant has clover-like leaves and dainty yellow flowers. It spreads by seeds, rhizomes, bulbils, and even just bits of the stems can grow roots and spread. This weed develops a massive root system that can take over whole garden beds. Once established, it can continue to regrow via the root system. This weedy ground cover is my current nemesis.
What to look for:
Small green or brown clover-like leaves with tiny yellow flowers.
#6 Common Mallow
Mallow is a perennial weed that develops deep roots that are difficult to remove once they’ve become established. The plant grows long tendrils during the summer. And it can continue to grow during the winter as well, depending on how cold the temperatures are.
Common mallow has a woody taproot that’s difficult to remove. You might mistake it for a geranium as the leaves look similar, but don’t be fooled. Pluck it out as soon as you see this plant growing.
What to look for:
Ruffly shaped leaves growing out of a central stem.
#7 Grasses (Quackgrass and more)
Grasses are quick to take over your garden beds when given the chance. Most grow via a rhizomatous root system, but they also spread by seeds. Grasses spring up in garden beds and even grow among the plants. That makes it difficult to remove without damaging the roots of your desired plants, such as perennial flowers.
What to look for:
Grasses often start at the edges of beds and borders before spreading into garden beds. Watch out for any growth moving into these areas. Consider creating a border or barrier between lawns and beds.
#8 Bindweed
This perennial weed looks a lot like annual morning glory. And while there are many varieties of bindweed, the most common sports small white flowers. As it grows, its stems twine around neighboring plants. When growing in your flower beds, it can damage your garden plants by binding the stems and flower heads together.
Bindweed can be difficult to remove from your plants once the tendrils have spread. This means it’s important to remove it before it grows and spreads. Once you know of an infestation, you need to be diligent in removing the young growth to stop its spread.
What to look for:
Elongated heart-shaped leaves growing on a lengthening stem.
#9 Crabgrass
This annual weed can quickly infest your lawn and flower beds. It is a low-growing plant that spreads with long, extending branches. As it grows, it often kills out the grass in its pathway. Although it dies back at the first autumn frost, it leaves behind bare areas of soil that will then be more susceptible to new crabgrass seedlings in the spring.
What to look for:
Small weed with long stems forming.
#10 Creeping Charlie (Ground Ivy)
This perennial weed grows commonly in shady areas of grass. It spreads by seeds, stems, and roots. Creeping Charlie is often sold in garden centers as a container plant. If you choose to purchase it, be careful where you plant it and try to remove seed heads before the seeds spread in your garden beds and grass.
What to look for:
Dainty leaves growing in a small patch.
There are so many more weeds that you might find thriving in your garden. We also struggle with Virginia creeper, lamb’s quarters, and wild lettuce.
Do you have a weed that you can’t identify? Check out these websites for a variety of other weeds you might find growing: A to Z Weeds: Identify Weeds by Photos and Features and Weed ID Guide. And this article shares a variety of resources to learn more about weed identification: Weeds of North America: leading resources for weed identification.
Tips for Removing Weeds…
Here are just a few things to keep in mind as you try to eliminate the weeds this spring.
- Remove weed seedlings as soon as possible. The quicker you eliminate the weeds, the easier it will be.
- Hand-weed after a rain or irrigation. It’s best to hoe when the ground is dry.
- When digging up weeds, be sure to get the whole root if possible.
- If you can’t get all the roots, then keep removing new leaves as they grow. Without sunlight, the roots won’t be able to resupply energy and could eventually die.
- If you’re overwhelmed by all the weeds, just make a plan to work ten minutes at a time. Ten minutes in the morning and ten in the evening can help to keep them in check.
- For large overgrown areas, cover with a black tarp or board to smother the weeds.
- Be considerate of your neighbors. When you have an uncontrolled weed patch go to seed, the weeds can easily spread to your neighbors’ gardens. So try to remove them as quickly as you can.
For more ideas on eliminating weeds, check out this post… How to Conquer Obnoxious Weeds in Your Garden.
This top ten list is just the tip of the iceberg. I could list at least a dozen more that I’ve found growing in my garden over the years. While we love to hate weeds, keep in mind that many of them provide some benefits to us and wildlife. Some weeds provide food for birds and nectar for pollinators.
Many weeds also have nutritional and medicinal benefits. For example, plantain can be used as a poultice to help soothe bug bites and bee stings. Nettles contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to nourish our bodies. Dandelions have been shown to reduce inflammation. Some people grow a garden of weeds to get the health benefits they provide.
Getting rid of the common weeds in your garden can feel like a full-time job. But as you continue to eliminate the worst offenders, you’ll see fewer weeds springing up. When you stay on top of spring growth, you’ll have fewer problems all season long.