Purple Flower Weeds are pretty, aren’t they?
But their pretty look should not deceive you, as weeds with purple flowers are infamous for growing in an uncontrolled manner. Primarily, there are a few breeds of these purple weeds that can notoriously infest your lawn or garden in no time if you do not pay attention to them.
However, some gardeners prefer to keep these pretty-looking weeds in their lawn or backyard despite this unpleasant side. But of course, they always keep the growth of these weeds under control.
Keeping this in mind, we have brought you a list of weeds with purple flowers, with pictures. What should you do with them? Well, you can either keep them or uproot them. It’s your choice!
What Harm do Purple Flower Weeds Cause?
It might sometimes bother you why most gardeners prefer to uproot those pretty-looking weeds with purple blooms?
One of the core reasons these weeds are culled is that they can cause harm to your garden or lawn. To be precise, we have listed some of the most vicious impacts of these weeds.
- Deplete the Soil Nutrition:
Weeds are like parasites that use soil as their host to take food and other nutritions. As a result, they can rob off nutrition from your garden soil, affecting the growth and survival of other plants.
- Invasion:
Weeds are nasty invaders. If they are not controlled, they can quickly infest your whole garden in no time. Invading weeds can also choke your other baby plants in your lawn and garden beds.
Also, you must remember that most weeds are hardy survivors, whereas the plants are not. So, once they start spreading, it may be hard for you to cull them in one sway.
- Depletion of Water from the Soil:
Much like the nutrition, weds can also deplete your garden soil with water. Water is highly crucial for your plants during their growing stage. So, uncontrolled weed infestation may result in depriving the plants of essential moisture.
- Blocking sunlight:
Some weeds grow tall, while some spread like grass. And the ones that grow upward can grow more elevated than the garden trees, which can cause two problems-
- Blocking the sun rays
- Blocking the airways
Are Weeds Useful in any way?
The bad reputation of purple weeds may push you to believe that they are all bad. But this is not the case.
In fact, there are some excellent benefits of weeds with purple flowers. So let us explore their good side.
- Some weeds are edible and have medical benefits as well, like dandelions.
- Shallow weeds can be good for preventing soil erosion.
- Weeds can sometimes attract beneficial insects to the garden.
- Weed roots are also beneficial in terms of aerating the soil, providing food for microbes, etc.
- Some of them look pretty.
Yet, despite beneficial usages, their growth should be controlled to avoid any weed infestation.
Types of Purple Flower Weeds with Pictures
Now that we know the weeds, their upsides, and downsides, let us explore some of their types. Keep in mind that the listed purple flower weeds look beautiful but can invade your garden, as well.
#1. Creeping Charlie
Other names: Ground Ivy
Type: Perennial broadleaf weed
Edible: Yes
Edible usages: Pie, Salad, Soup, Broth, Tea, etc.
Medicinal usages: Joint pain, diarrhea, menstrual problem, etc.
Creeping Charlie or Ground Ivy is a shallow weed that grows fast and is a hard- survivor. These weeds form a superficial carpet in your garden and can survive even a land mower. The purple blooms of these weeds look pretty but can invade your garden, drawing all nutrition from the soil if left uncontrolled.
#2. Purple Dead Nettle
Other names: Lamium purpureum or Red Dead Nettle
Type: Annual
Edible: Yes
Edible usages: Salad, smoothie, juice, etc.
Medicinal usages: Anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, etc.
Another aggressive weed that blooms charming violet flowers is purple dead nettle. This weed is so aggressive that it only needs moisture and sunlight to invade your whole lawn. Purple dead nettle produces violet, pink, or white blooms between mid-spring and summer season.
Despite their invading nature, some gardeners prefer to grow them for one compelling reason- these weeds attract honeybees and bumblebees.
#3. Henbit
Other names: Lamium amplexicaule
Type: Annual
Edible: Yes
Edible usages: Salads, tea, etc.
Medicinal usages: Laxative, stimulant, Antirheumatic
Closely resembling purple dead nettle, Henbit also possesses square stems that divide into two sections. However, it differs from other purple flower weeds in terms of the shape of its leaves, which are rounded with deep lobes. Also, unlike purple dead nettle, Henbit leaves have a hairy appearance.
You can find this weed with purple flowers at the edge of your lawn or next to the buildings. In addition, Henbit attracts pollinators like bumblebees, honeybees, and hummingbirds. So, in this sense, this weed may prove beneficial for your garden.
#4. Forget-me-not
Other names: Myosotis sylvatica
Type: Perennial
Edible: Yes
Edible usages: Salads, candied for cakes, candyfloss, etc.
Medicinal usages: Astringents, volatile oils, etc.
It is interesting to note that Forget-me-not is often considered as border plants by gardeners. This is because they are easy to grow and maintain. This ease often makes them an excellent choice for being cultivated as border plants in gardens. However, if not controlled, Forget-me-nots can quickly take over your lawn and even creep into the grass.
These are annual and short-lived perennials and often grow best in areas with moist soil that receive partial or complete sunshine. Forget-me-nots can be easily recognized by their attractive blue flowers with round petals and a yellow center.
#5. Wild Violet
Other names: Viola odorata and Violaceae
Type: Perennial
Edible: Yes
Edible usages: Salads, confections, herbal tea, soups, etc.
Medicinal usages: Compressed, infused oil, insect bites, etc.
These weeds with purple flowers look charming as they grow across your lawn or garden. The younger weeds need moisture and shady condition to grow and spread. However, the older ones are very hardy and are tolerant to even draughts.
Wild violets can spread through air pollination as well as through rhizomes underneath the ground. The most favorable spreading season for these weeds is summer. And despite their name, they can produce blooms in colors other than violet, including yellow, white, light purple, and blue.
Some common types of wild violet flowers are:
- Confederate Violet
- Yellow Violet
- Common Blue Violet
- Freckles Violet
Bonus Read: 5 Best Mars Hydro Grow Lights
What to do when Purple Flower Weeds are not Pretty at all?
So, we have already mentioned that although these weeds with purple flowers look pretty and charming, they take no time to get vicious. They lose all their appeals once they start growing in an uncontrolled manner, invading the entire lawn.
This leads to the question of what to do when these weeds are no more charming? Well, we have got you covered. You can follow the steps below to remove them from your garden.
- Vinegar:
One of the organic ways of getting rid of purple flowers weeds is by using white vinegar.
You can mix household vinegar with salt or dish soap to spray the mixture on the weeds—Mix 1-gallon vinegar with 1 cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of dish soap. You can pour the mixture into a spray bottle to target the weeds directly.
However, this mixture may prove harmful for your other plants and trees as well. So, spraying it judiciously is preferable.
- Boiling water:
Another handy method is to kill the unwanted weeds. It may sound inhuman to use boiling water on these often charming-looking purple weeds, but it is a time-tested method. You just need to pour the scalding water directly on the targeted weeds, and within a few days, they will start to shrivel.
- Cover with Newspaper:
Weeds need sunlight to grow and spread. So, to eradicate them, you can try coving the weed-covered area with new papers or thick cardboard and add a few inches of mulch on top. It will prevent any sunlight from reaching the weeds, eliminating the scopes of all low-growing weeds and weed sprouting.
Also Read: 5 Backyard Lighting Ideas for the Holiday Season
In this process, the mulch you are adding can help the soil from moisture loss and erosion and prevent the weeds from popping up in the future.
- Remover manually:
Manual removal of weeds using a shovel, weed fork, spade, and other tools is also possible. You can remove the unwanted weeds from their roots with the help of these tools. However, many of these weeds are aggressive spreaders and may pop up again. So, you may have to apply this method regularly.
- Flaming:
You can use a flame weeder to kill the weed parts above the ground, leaving the roots. So, to get rid of the weed completely, you may have to use a flame weeder multiple times. However, you should not use this method during the dry season to avoid any fire accidents. Also, reading the precautions before starting with the techniques is crucial.
Summary
To warp up, we can state that weeds with purple flowers look charming, and some of them may even have some medical benefits. Still, they can cause issues if grown in an uncontrolled manner.
So, it will be wise to look around your lawn or garden and check for purple flower weeds. And if you find any of them growing without your knowledge, you may prefer to get rid of them before they start their invasion.
On the other hand, however, if you are planning to grow them intentionally for their usages, we recommend you to keep a check on their growth and spread. Then, based on their spread, needs, and impacts on other plants in the garden, you should decide whether to keep or cull them.