Why are weeds considered weeds?
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M$3 Answers
Interestingly enough I have some roses that I consider "weeds" because I keep trying to get rid of them and every year they grow back no matter what I do--right in the middle of my daisy garden. And the previous homeowner just LOVED snow on the mountain for a groundcover in all the gardens. Too bad it's a stinky, hard-to-eliminate, aggressive groundcover that turns brown with too much sun. It took 4 years of steady pulling to purge the beds of this woman's once-beloved plants.
On the other hand, I'm always sparing wild onion and a few other unidentified goodies that have popped up in the garden because their blooms are just pretty enough to leave alone.
But aside from personal taste and preference, here are some characteristics that make a plant more likely to be declared a weed:
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1. Invasive -
Any plant that grows aggressively into different parts of the garden and/or the lawn will quickly become unwelcome.
2. Hardy and Vigorous to a Fault -
Any plant that is hard to kill can be considered a weed. Us gardeners like to be able to give any plant the boot as we like, and we don't appreciate unwelcome guests.
3. Prickly -
Any plant that hurts you to touch it is going to have a tough time winning the hearts of gardeners. It takes a special plant like roses to win us over.
4. Appears Out of Nowhere -
Any plant that we don't plant on our own is very weedy. Again, us gardeners have control issues, and plants that pop up from squirrel treasure, bird droppings, or seeds on the breeze are thoroughly irritating.
(One exception? Johhny Jump-Ups, I just love those surprise treasures!)
5. Causes Rashes or Irritation -
File this under the same category as plants that are prickly.
6. Has Seed Puffs that Blow in the Breeze -
A baby weed maker? Heck no! Not only are the seed puffs often not attractive, but we do not want little baby weeds popping up a few weeks later.
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Now, if you take any combination of those above factors, then you for sure have a "weed". Then it's time to haul out the weed killer and the thick gloves and get to work.
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M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
If you're not on top of those dandilions and wild verbina (while pretty yes), they WILL kill all of your grass and you'll have a yard that's just full of weeds.
Gardening for years...
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M$
some of what is listed above as "aside from personal taste and preference" really is a matter of taste and preference; for example prickliness and puffy seedheads occur on beautiful plants that many gardeners really love (i grow various cactus, raspberries, roses, blackberry, anchusa, globethistle ...), and some plants that are hard to kill are very welcome to me in my dry climate -- they tend to be low maintenance, long-lived and some are quite beautiful
perhaps most important, though, and not a matter of opinion, is that federal and state governments publish lists of weeds considered "noxious" in the sense that they can cause economic and/or environmental harm as they spread; the lists vary by location (something invasive in the southeast might be fine in the cold, dry west), so here's a reference to all the official lists of such weeds in the United states -- some of these plants are surprisingly common, for example here in Colorado many gardeners grow myrtle spurge
http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxiousDriver