invasive weeds

Invasive Weeds that Camouflage as Flowers in the Garden

Dan This Land of Ours

The invasive weeds that can camouflage as flowers in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

A lot of weeds are commonly mistaken for annuals and perennials—but they can stunt the rest of your seedlings if left unchecked. Weeds can be downright dangerous in a home garden, and the most devastating varieties know how to camouflage themselves among other plants and flowers that you’ve taken the time to grow yourself.

Common purslane – or moss rose – is known to outgrow spaces quickly. To prevent it from competing with other crops in your garden, experts suggest keeping it in a segregated planter where it can be easily contained.

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Prickly lettuce-Lactuca Serriola
Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

Amaranth is another that can quickly become unmanageable. Just like the tumbleweeds that you find in the desert, weedy amaranth will spread its seeds by breaking off at the stem and tumbling throughout your garden.

Prickly lettuce is often mistaken for wild poppies. It can actually be quite harmful to pets and animals because it contains a natural sedative that actually causes animals to be frantic if ingested.

Other invasive weeds to watch for:  Trumpet vines, Field Bindweed, Tree of Heaven, and Celandine.

Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program here.

Invasive Weeds that Camouflages as Flowers in the Garden