What makes a weed a weed?

[SolarCell]

I have always thought the concept of a "weed" was interesting. Who decides what is a weed and what is a "good" plant. As a child, I always felt sorry for the weeds. They always got pulled up for nothing. Just because someone says it is a weed does not make it a bad plant.I know it all depends on what you are trying to grow and what you aren't trying to grow. I like many plants that people would consider weeds. What do you all think about this?

 

[DrCase]

I would pull it up

 

[claudine]

There is a saying, "A weed is but an unloved flower". I find it very true! I'm not a child anyomore, but I still feel sorry for weeds and I always let them live and grow. You should see my lawn, it looks pretty wild Also, a few weeds grow in my flowerpots, next to my miniature roses.

 

[gata montes]

Nearly all the plants that we grow were at one time or another, and in some cases possibly still are, classed as a weed in some places around the World. which in theory means - that everything we choose to plant in out gardens or pots, are actually cultivated weeds
Where I live, there are many so called ' weeds ' that leave here, to be sold in other Countries as expensive indoor and outdoor plants, which says to me - what some people see as weeds others do not.

 

[zigs]

It's where its growing rather than what it is, grass is a weed in the flower bed, and a rose would be a weed in a lawn.

 

[Becky]

Well put, zigs

 

[firelily99]

Its in the eye of the beholder, a matter of perception. Plus, as Zigs said, its where its located although I have had plants in the wrong place, something that would have been considered a weed and left it. In the Audubon Guide to Wildflowers plants like the dandelion are considered weeds. Actually marijuana is considered a wildflower as is poison ivy.

 

[zigs]

There you go, I grow Dandelions in the veg patch as I make coffee from the roots, so its not a weed there

 

[Trellum]

Zigs put it better than anyone here. So every plant is a weed depending on its location. I heard that calla lilies grow wild in new Zealand. Funny, because over here calla lilies are such a rare sighting.

 

[zigs]

Saw a lovely Bronze Fennel growing in the central reservation of the dual carriageway in town today, no doubt the council will consider that a weed

 

[TDolce]

I had a short-lived obsession with learning about food foraging one spring. As I learned about the value of the many plants which are considered weeds, I was amazed that so many wonderful and nutritious plants are removed so that we can have our pristine grass lawns, which we wouldn't dream of eating! For example, the French like purslane and use it in salads. It is very nutritious and a rather attractive succulent. Now that I know the value of the plant (no longer a weed to me), I leave it to grow in certain areas. This year it is serving the purpose of filling in space among petunias and is helpful in choking out the plants that I do still consider to be weeds.

 

[Whitewolf2578]

A weed is a plant that has no value and destroys things around it. Everything is a weed!

 

[ChanellG]

i like @zigs, answer. Some plants have weed in the name, such as milkweed, though are anything but today as the plant is now cultivated and grown in home gardens to attract butterflies. In general, any plant that the gardener can't identify and hasn't planted is generally considered a weed. Some "volunteers" are wild plants, and some are the offspring of cultivated plants that have had their seed spread by the wind or birds.

 

[Gina145]

A lot of the weeds that come up in my garden and among my potted trees are tree seedlings which I move to their own pots. I believe that some of them will have great bonsai potential in a few years' time.

As @zigs said, a lot of it is about location. But there are some plants that are regarded as invasive and when they plant themselves in our garden, legally we're expected to remove them. Sometimes it's because they grow in such abundance that they don't leave space for more desirable plants. Other times it's simply because they use too much water.

 

[marlingardener]

Some of our weeds are really chicken food. We have purslane, henbit, and dandelions, among others. I let the girls forage among them--fresh air, exercise, and lunch!
Unplanted and unplanned plants in the vegetable or herb beds are removed. They take nutrients from the plants I intend to use, and can overshadow seedlings.