Weeds - Red, Pink, Purple, Blue

Weed Identification Chart

Red, Pink, Purple and Blue Flowers

Flower Name and Description Seedling

Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
A small, prostrate annual, this has fragile square stems and greyish leaves, with bright red, five-petalled flowers. Also called the Poor Man's Weather-Glass, because the flowers close when the sun goes in. Shallow rooted, easily removed.

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.

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.

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.

Herb Robert (Geranium robertaianum)
The only wild Geranium you might want to keep, although it's still usually too straggly for a place in the garden. Prettier leaves than many wild Geraniums, turning reddish in hot weather. There is a white form in cultivation, but I prefer to keep this for the wild garden.

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
A tough perennial weed, often in grass, with a dense head of deep pink to red flowers and trifoliate leaves on strong stems. A much larger plant than Dutch Clover, growing to a foot or so high, the stems can get woody, and the whole plant is softly hairy.

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.

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.

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.

Bush Vetch (Vicia sepium)
A spreading perennial weed difficult to get rid of, forming thick patches of pinnate leaves with dense clusters of purple pea-flowers fading to brown from spring onwards. Usually inhabits grassy hedgerows, but seems happy anywhere. Flowers conspicuous enough to have a place in a wild garden.

Kenilworth Ivy, Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis)
An elegant little cushion found on old walls, with delicate lilac and yellow flowers, and rounded ivy or kidney-shaped deep green leaves. Unfortunately, given an easy life in a garden, it sends out pink thready stems and roots ad infinitum, which are impossible to remove when they get entangled with your better plants. Good in a wall, but don't let it near your rockery.

Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris)
Always one of my favourite weeds, until it invades my flower beds. A perennial, it has bright purple flowers in dense heads on woody stems about a foot high, on patches of deep green leaves with purplish veins which spread to form large mats.

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.

Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys)
The familiar weed you see on grassy verges, with a spike of bright blue flowers with a white eye. A perennial, around 6", with serrated-edged hairy leaves. The flowers don't last, the stems are weak and straggly, and it's best left to the roadsides. Several similar species.

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
	Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) A small, prostrate annual, this has fragile square stems and greyish leaves, with bright red, five-petalled flowers. Also called the Poor Man's Weather-Glass, because the flowers close when the sun goes in. Shallow rooted, easily removed.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	Herb Robert (Geranium robertaianum) The only wild Geranium you might want to keep, although it's still usually too straggly for a place in the garden. Prettier leaves than many wild Geraniums, turning reddish in hot weather. There is a white form in cultivation, but I prefer to keep this for the wild garden.
	Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) A tough perennial weed, often in grass, with a dense head of deep pink to red flowers and trifoliate leaves on strong stems. A much larger plant than Dutch Clover, growing to a foot or so high, the stems can get woody, and the whole plant is softly hairy.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	Bush Vetch (Vicia sepium) A spreading perennial weed difficult to get rid of, forming thick patches of pinnate leaves with dense clusters of purple pea-flowers fading to brown from spring onwards. Usually inhabits grassy hedgerows, but seems happy anywhere. Flowers conspicuous enough to have a place in a wild garden.
	Kenilworth Ivy, Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis) An elegant little cushion found on old walls, with delicate lilac and yellow flowers, and rounded ivy or kidney-shaped deep green leaves. Unfortunately, given an easy life in a garden, it sends out pink thready stems and roots ad infinitum, which are impossible to remove when they get entangled with your better plants. Good in a wall, but don't let it near your rockery.
	Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris) Always one of my favourite weeds, until it invades my flower beds. A perennial, it has bright purple flowers in dense heads on woody stems about a foot high, on patches of deep green leaves with purplish veins which spread to form large mats.
	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.
	Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys) The familiar weed you see on grassy verges, with a spike of bright blue flowers with a white eye. A perennial, around 6", with serrated-edged hairy leaves. The flowers don't last, the stems are weak and straggly, and it's best left to the roadsides. Several similar species.
	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.