Identifying Weeds

Most of us can spot a weed in our garden. But, sometimes a new plant will pop up that you’re fairly certain you didn’t put there. Is it a weed? Or, is it an ornamental that was dropped in your garden courtesy of Mother Nature.

Last spring I had a bunch of "weeds" pop up. I started to pull them out but stopped when I realized that they were a little more attractive than the average weed. My neighbor (who has a beautiful garden) just happened to be passing by. She told me they were Snapdragons. Then it hit me. I planted a Snapdragon last year, which in my area is an annual. I pulled it out at the end of the season. But apparently it had set seed.

So, next time you’re weeding and come across a plant that you’re not sure about, look it up on one of the following sites that help with weed identification.

Iowa State Weed Science
National Gardening Association Weed Library
The Organic Weed Management Website
Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide
University of California Weed Photo Gallery