Weeds are plants that are considered undesirable by many people. Weeds are often thought to be troublesome because many are difficult to control. Weeds need to be controlled in the domestic environment as well commercial environments such as farming.
In agriculture, weed control is important because if they are not limited correctly, they can damage whole crop plantations. Some weeds are more dominant than other plants and crops. Due to this dominance, they can often take over large areas, which may cause a decrease in saleable agricultural goods.
Around the home many weeds do not cause specific problems other than people’s views that they are unsightly. In our opinion there are some weeds that can actually enhance the landscape by allowing nature’s beauty to display itself in the balance intended. Some weeds are considered beautiful and definitely have vibrant colors, for example dandelions, buttercups and daisies that can be seen when walking through a meadow on a sunny spring day. In our opinion weeds in their natural environment where they present no direct hazard to nearby farming or gardens enhance the beauty of nature. Weeds may be welcome in this environment when they contribute to the scenery.
Effective weed control around your home can be maintained by utilising manual actions such as lifting the roots of weeds from lawns and soil beds by hand (use appropriate gloves or other forms of protection) or by using weed control products such as weed killers. We do not generally recommend using weed killers that contain potentially harmful chemicals. This is especially important if you have a young family of pets that may be in the vicinity shortly after any weed killer is applied. Other methods, using less hazardous chemicals, which may work on certain weeds but not all, may be a suitable option. ‘Natural’ and ‘safe’ weed killers may not be particularly effective on the more invasive and hardy varieties. Read specific articles about weeds on About Plants to discover more information.
Common Weeds with Flowers
There are many weed varieties. Some are unsightly and a few are poisonous, but many produce flowers that look pleasant when the weeds are in bloom. These include forget-me-nots (Myosotis scorpioides), daisies (Bellis perennis), buttercups (Ranunculus), white clover (Trifolium repens), creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides) and even the vibrant purple flowers of thistles (Onopordum acanthium). Many people actually consider the forget-me-not to be a flower rather than a weed. The opinion is somewhat divided there.