Learn the most common weeds with purple flowers and lawn maintenance tips to eradicate them.

At some point, all of us learned that common weeds (looking at you, dandelions) are the enemy. It's simple to view weeds as a nuisance and assume you have to get rid of them all to have a beautiful garden. Turns out, there's more to the story. Are all weeds created equal, and should we break our backs to rid our yards of all of them with equal fervor? The answer is maybe not.

Weeds often pop up where they’re not wanted, quickly taking over and choking out your favorite plants if left unchecked. While most gardeners instinctively remove these unwanted intruders, not all weeds are as troublesome as they seem. In fact, some common weeds might actually be worth keeping around, as they can bring unexpected benefits to your garden and even your kitchen.

What Is a Weed? Not everyone agrees on which plants are weeds, or what to do about them. Not all weeds need to be eradicated. Some can be helpful by breaking up or temporarily covering the soil, nourishing pollinators and even people. Clover provides nitrogen to your soil, supports declining bees and makes a good salad topper! I’ve had to do some relearning about managing unwanted plants. The best way to avoid weeds? Prevention, by growing a...

Weeds are seriously pesky, and many will be looking to banish them as the weather finally warms up - but is there a way to get rid of them that doesn't involve harsh chemicals?