Weeds - Red, Pink, Purple, Blue

Weed Identification Chart

Red, Pink, Purple and Blue Flowers

Flower Name and Description Seedling

Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
A delicate-looking pale pink or white trumpet, about an inch across, on leafy thin wiry stems which unfortunately twine tightly around everything in their path. A perennial weed, with a woody rootstock, difficult to eradicate.

Redshank, Spotted Knotweed (Polygonum persicaria)
A leafy annual, often with a black blotch on the long pointed leaves. Dense clusters of small pale pink flowers in summer.

Willow-Herb (Epilobium)
There are several perennial Willow Herbs which might appear in gardens. All have leafy straight unbranched stems to about a foot high, with a few small pale pink flowers with four notched petals in summer.

Dovesfoot Cranesbill (Geranium molle)
A very common Cranesbill, with round leaves deeply lobed, forming a flat rosette, often in gardens. Small pink flowers with notched petals.

Cranesbill (Geranium spp)
There are several Geraniums which have small flowers with a lot of leaf, so don't merit a place in the garden. Unfortunately, in the seedling stage, they look the same as any other Geranium, Anemone or Buttercup. If you haven't planted Geranium or Anemone seeds, you'll probably want to remove anything that looks like this.

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)
Quite a pretty little annual, only about 3"-6" high, with square stems and clusters of bright pinky-red flowers in the topmost whorls of leaves. Red Dead-Nettle is much the same. Flowering from February.

Ground Thistle, Dwarf Thistle (Cirsium acaulon)
One of the thistles most likely to catch you unawares, as it can hide in grass, undetected until it flowers. It's a perennial, with a flat cushion of shiny, spiny leaves, which is very uncomfortable to walk on in bare feet! The deep pink flowers are over an inch across, and sit elegantly in the middle of the rosette. Sorry, the seedling photo is another type of thistle.

Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
An insidious perennial weed, this one forms long trails of roots deep underground, covering huge areas. Often found in lawns, or vegetable patches. Difficult to eradicate, as every bit of root left in grows into a new plant, so try and remove it when it's still small and manageable. I think the seedling picture is some other type of thistle!

Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre)
A very prolific weed in damp heavy soils, forming beautiful large rosettes of prickly, greyish-hairy leaves, from which arise thick stems heavily clothed in both leaves and spines, terminating in a cluster of small flowers with petals about the same size as the calyx, hardly worthy of the effort the plant puts into them! A biennial, forming the rosette the first year and flowering the next.

Forget-me-not (Myosotis spp)
There are several small, feeble Forget-me-nots with insignificant flowers which don't belong in the garden. They're mostly annual, with soft bluish leaves and dowdy greyish-blue flowers on a single stem 1-3" high. If you want Forget-me-nots, get one of the larger-flowered ones and hoe these tiny ones out.

Thyme-leaved Speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia)
This Speedwell has tiny bright blue to greyish flowers on leafy prostrate stems. Leaves are small, pointed and shiny, not hairy and toothed like many Speedwells. Another perennial that roots as it goes, so spreads to form large mats, particularly in damp gardens. In its tighter and deeper blue forms, may be suitable for a rock garden.

White Flowers ~ Yellow Flowers ~ Green Flowers

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Flower	Name and Description	Seedling
	Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) A delicate-looking pale pink or white trumpet, about an inch across, on leafy thin wiry stems which unfortunately twine tightly around everything in their path. A perennial weed, with a woody rootstock, difficult to eradicate.
	Redshank, Spotted Knotweed (Polygonum persicaria) A leafy annual, often with a black blotch on the long pointed leaves. Dense clusters of small pale pink flowers in summer.
	Willow-Herb (Epilobium) There are several perennial Willow Herbs which might appear in gardens. All have leafy straight unbranched stems to about a foot high, with a few small pale pink flowers with four notched petals in summer.
	Dovesfoot Cranesbill (Geranium molle) A very common Cranesbill, with round leaves deeply lobed, forming a flat rosette, often in gardens. Small pink flowers with notched petals.
	Cranesbill (Geranium spp) There are several Geraniums which have small flowers with a lot of leaf, so don't merit a place in the garden. Unfortunately, in the seedling stage, they look the same as any other Geranium, Anemone or Buttercup. If you haven't planted Geranium or Anemone seeds, you'll probably want to remove anything that looks like this.
	Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) Quite a pretty little annual, only about 3"-6" high, with square stems and clusters of bright pinky-red flowers in the topmost whorls of leaves. Red Dead-Nettle is much the same. Flowering from February.
	Ground Thistle, Dwarf Thistle (Cirsium acaulon) One of the thistles most likely to catch you unawares, as it can hide in grass, undetected until it flowers. It's a perennial, with a flat cushion of shiny, spiny leaves, which is very uncomfortable to walk on in bare feet! The deep pink flowers are over an inch across, and sit elegantly in the middle of the rosette. Sorry, the seedling photo is another type of thistle.
	Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense) An insidious perennial weed, this one forms long trails of roots deep underground, covering huge areas. Often found in lawns, or vegetable patches. Difficult to eradicate, as every bit of root left in grows into a new plant, so try and remove it when it's still small and manageable. I think the seedling picture is some other type of thistle!
	Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre) A very prolific weed in damp heavy soils, forming beautiful large rosettes of prickly, greyish-hairy leaves, from which arise thick stems heavily clothed in both leaves and spines, terminating in a cluster of small flowers with petals about the same size as the calyx, hardly worthy of the effort the plant puts into them! A biennial, forming the rosette the first year and flowering the next.
	Forget-me-not (Myosotis spp) There are several small, feeble Forget-me-nots with insignificant flowers which don't belong in the garden. They're mostly annual, with soft bluish leaves and dowdy greyish-blue flowers on a single stem 1-3" high. If you want Forget-me-nots, get one of the larger-flowered ones and hoe these tiny ones out.
	Thyme-leaved Speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia) This Speedwell has tiny bright blue to greyish flowers on leafy prostrate stems. Leaves are small, pointed and shiny, not hairy and toothed like many Speedwells. Another perennial that roots as it goes, so spreads to form large mats, particularly in damp gardens. In its tighter and deeper blue forms, may be suitable for a rock garden.