A spread of colourful wildflowers is a sight to behold. However, despite their beauty and numerous benefits for humans, insects, and other wildlife, many people would not consider planting them in their gardens.
In fact, most people would frown at a neighbour who grows “weeds”, such as dandelions or thistles.
The wildflowers that rank high on the list are:
- Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)
- Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
- Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)
- Mock Strawberry (Duchesnea indica)
- Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
- Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta)
- Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
- Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa)
- Crown Vetch (Securigera varia)
Let’s look at each of the wildflowers in detail and find out why they are considered weeds.
1. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Dandelion is a common grassland plant that opens into a cheerful yellow display in early spring.
Despite this floral display, many people are not too thrilled when they overtake a flower garden or seem to outnumber the grass on a lawn.
Since they can grow in most soil conditions and regerminate again in the same year, people may dislike dealing with these wildflowers every year.
2. Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
The lavender to light pink-flowered field thistle is a sight to behold. A mature plant can grow 1 to 2m in height and produces narrow-tubed flowers that attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
With its aggressive growth and high seed viability, it is understandable that people find it invasive and noxious. Mowing the plants during the flower bud stage can help in maintaining control.
3. Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)
The Queen Anne’s Lace’s delicate fern-like display of white flowers is unrivalled. However, even the sprawling beauty of the lacy flowers does not get the plant into people’s good graces, and it’s easy to see why.
The biennial wildflower is highly adaptable, has an aggressive growth habit, and can outcompete native plants. Queen Anne’s Lace is listed as a noxious weed in at least 35 states in the United States.
4. Mock Strawberry (Duchesnea indica)
Mock Strawberry is a low-lying plant often used as an ornamental or ground cover. While its attractive strawberries and stunning yellow flowers are a sight to behold, many people consider it a weed.
The pernicious ground cover can overrun a landscape or turf. One runner can grow up to 2m in length. If only the red strawberry fruits were delectable (they are dry and bland), perhaps the Mock Strawberry would get better appreciation.
5. Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
The sun-loving Red Clover, however valuable, also finds itself on this list. The beautiful pale pink-flowered plant is a favourite stopover for bumblebees and other wildlife like rabbits and deer.
People also use this wildflower to increase soil fertility, as a food garnish, and as an alternative medicine for female hormonal problems and skin conditions.
The plant is considered weedy because it forms dense patches on lawns and can easily crowd out turfgrasses. The clumps also make a lawn look quite unsightly.
6. Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta)
Yellow Woodsorrel is a common summer plant that can thrive in sun or shade. Its bright yellow flowers provide a refreshing colour on any landscape.
However, this weed often camouflages among other plants and catches most landscapers by surprise. Many acknowledge that they only notice it when it flowers.
No gardener looks forward to the back-breaking work of pulling out the tiny and delicate plants. Not to mention, most herbicides don’t help much in Yellow Woodsorrel control.
7. Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
Few wildflowers announce the spring season like the showy Virginia Spring Beauty. The striking pale pink and white stripes make this wildflower stand out, attracting a variety of pollinators and other small wildlife.
While mostly used as an ornamental and salad garnish, this grass-like plant is still considered a broadleaf weed.
Its tendency to sprout in well-manicured lawns and other unwanted places puts the spring beauty on many gardener’s to-kill lists.
8. Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa)
The purple-flowered Hairy Vetch is commonly used as a nitrogen-fixing plant in corn, cotton, tomato, and rice farms.
The vining legume also improves soil aeration and porosity and can help suppress other weeds. Interestingly, what makes it a good cover crop is also what makes it an aggressive weed.
If growing as a weed, Hairy Vetch can smother crop plants, reducing yields. Additionally, it grows into dense patches of tangled stems that sprawl across long distances, impede movement, and make pulling them out tedious.
9. Crown Vetch (Securigera varia)
Besides the lovely pinkish-lavender to white mid-spring blooms, Crown Vetch is also used to improve soil fertility.
However, once planted, this wildflower can be hard to control due to its aggressive growth and high seed viability (the seeds can remain viable in the soil for more than 15 years).
As a creeping plant, it can shade out or smother desirable vegetation. Since it is widely adapted, most landscapers and farmers find it difficult to prevent it from spreading to unwanted areas.
Lead Editor for Insight Weeds.