Here’s a good article from the BH&G Garden Editors on weed identification for Better Homes & Gardens.
Don’t let weeds rob your garden of its beauty—some of these plants choke out the garden plants you’ve worked so hard to grow. Use our guide to help identify and control these troublesome pests.
Weed Identification Guide
We get it. Weeds are obnoxious and hard to eliminate. But with proper weed identification, you can stop them while they’re young. Use our guide to identify weeds by appearance and know how to remove them safely.
Dandelion
Type: Broadleaf perennial
Size: 12 inches tall, 6 – 16 inches wide
Where it grows: Lawns and gardens in sun or shade
Appearance: This common lawn weed has a strong taproot; leaves are deeply notched. Yellow flowers mature to puffballs. Dandelion seeds are like parachutes that fly away in the wind—they’re the plants that you would blow on and “make a wish” when you were younger.
Lawn Weed Control Tip: Mulch to prevent dandelions in gardens. Pull dandelion weeds by hand or use a postemergence herbicide in lawns.
Oxalis
Type: Broadleaf perennial
Size: To 20 inches tall
Where it grows: Sunny or shady landscape, lawn, or garden areas
Appearance: This garden weed has light green leaves that look like clover and cup-shape yellow flowers in summer and fall.
Control: Mulch garden areas in spring to prevent weeds. Pull oxalis weeds by hand or spray weeds with a postemergence herbicide in spring or fall.
Test Garden Tip: The leaves of oxalis are edible in small quantities and have a sharp, sour taste. However, plants should not be eaten if they have been treated with pesticide. The plant can be harmful if eaten in large amounts.
Crabgrass
Type: Grassy annual
Size: To 18 inches tall and 20 inches wide
Where it grows: Lawn, landscape, and garden areas in sun or shade
Appearance: Crabgrass is exactly what it sounds like: a grassy weed. This lawn weed grows roots anywhere the stem makes soil contact. Seed heads spread out like four fingers.
Control: Mulch your lawn to prevent crabgrass or use a preemergence herbicide; pull plants by hand or spot-treat with a nonselective postemergence herbicide.
Bindweed
Type: Broadleaf perennial
Size: Climbs 6 feet or more
Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas in sun
Idnetify Weeds: Bindweed has arrowhead-shape leaves on twining vines. The garden weed bears white to pale pink morning glory-type flowers.
Control: Mulch your garden to prevent bindweed. Repeatedly chop down growing bindweed plants and/or treat with postemergence herbicide.
Test Garden Tip: Wandering roots produce offspring 20-30 feet from the mother vine.
White Clover
Type: Broadleaf perennial
Size: 8-10 inches tall, 12 inches wide
Where it grows: Lawn, landscape, and garden areas in sun to partial shade
Appearance: White clover has three-lobe leaves frame round white flower clusters.
Control: Mulch your garden beds to prevent white clover in landscape areas. Use a postemergence herbicide in lawns or hand-pull the weeds.
Test Garden Tip: Clover adds nitrogen to the soil so as far as weeds go, this one is moderately helpful.
Nutsedge
Type: Grassy perennial
Size: 2 feet tall, 1 foot wide
Where it grows: Lawn, landscape, or garden areas with moist soil in sun or shade
Appearance: Nutsedge has grassy leaves and nutlike tubers on the root system.
Control: Mulch garden areas in spring to prevent nutsedge. Pull plants by hand or spray with a postemergence herbicide containing monosodium methanearsonate (also known as MSMA).
Creeping Charlie
Type: Broadleaf perennial
Size: 4 inches tall, several feet wide
Where it grows: Shady lawn, landscape, or garden areas
Appearance: Creeping Charlie groundcover has scalloped leaves and clusters of purple flowers in late spring.
Control: Mulch garden areas in spring to prevent creeping charlie. Pull plants by hand or spray with a postemergence herbicide in spring or fall.
Lamb’s-Quarter
Type: Broadleaf annual
Size: To 4 feet tall and 18 inches wide
Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas in sun or shade
Appearance: Lamb’s-quarter’s scalloped leaves have gray undersides to them.
Control: Mulch your garden to prevent lamb’s-quarter. Pull weed plants by hand or use a postemergence herbicide.
Plaintain
Type: Broadleaf perennial
Size: To 8 inches tall and 12 inches wide
Where it grows: Moist lawn and garden areas in sun or shade
Appearance: Plantains have a broad, flat leaves around a low rosette.
Control: Mulch to prevent plantains growing in the garden. Pull these weeds by hand or use a postemergence herbicide in lawns.
Test Garden Tip: Each plantain plant can produce more than 15,000 seeds.
Dayflower
Type: Annual grass relative
Size: To 30 inches tall and wide
Where it grows: Sunny or shady landscape areas
Appearance: Dayflowers have dark green leaves clasping a stem and brilliant blue flowers through the summer.
Control: Mulch the garden to prevent weeds or use a preemergence herbicide in spring. Pull weeds by hand or spot-treat with a nonselective postemergence herbicide.
Purslane
Type: Broadleaf annual
Size: To 6 inches tall and 2 feet wide
Where it grows: Dry, sunny landscape and garden areas
Appearance: Purslane groundcover has fleshy, dark green leaves and small yellow flowers at the ends of the stems.
Control: Mulch your garden to prevent purslane or use a preemergence herbicide in the spring. Pull plants by hand or spot-treat with a nonselective postemergence herbicide.
Velvetleaf
Type: Broadleaf annual
Size: To 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide
Where it grows: Fertile, sunny landscape and garden areas
Appearance: Velvetleaf gets its name after its large, velvety heart-shape leaves up to 10 inches across. The weed blooms yellow flowers in summer.
Weed Control: Mulch your garden to prevent velvetleaf or use a preemergence herbicide in spring; pull plants by hand or use a postemergence herbicide.
Wild Violet
Type: Broadleaf perennial
Size: 6 inches tall, 6 inches wide
Where it grows: Shady lawn, landscape, or garden areas
Appearance: Wild violet is a groundcover with heart-shape leaves and purple flowers in late spring.
Control: Mulch garden beds in spring to prevent wild violet. Pull weeds by hand or spray with a postemergence herbicide in spring or fall.
Smartweed
Type: Broadleaf annual
Size: To 42 inches tall and 30 inches wide
Where it grows: Sunny landscape and garden areas
Appearance: Smartweed is an upright plant with pink or white flowers in summer and fall and has lance-shape leaves often marked with purple chevrons.
Control: To prevent this weed, mulch garden beds in spring. Pull plants by hand or apply a postemergence herbicide once it grows.
Test Garden Tip: This weed is native to areas of North America. Unlike many exotic weeds, it does support wildlife.
