10 Weeds With Purple Flowers

Despite their bad reputation, weeds are simply plants growing where they aren’t wanted. Often overlooked or seen as unattractive or invasive, some weeds can actually be quite pretty, featuring striking foliage or flowers. While many people dismiss or eliminate these plants, flowering weeds, especially native ones, can be crucial food sources for pollinators like bees and butterflies. However, it's important to be cautious as some non-native weeds can become invasive.

We’ve compiled a list of ten weeds with purple flowers that you might want to include in a pollinator garden or a more natural spot in your yard. To help you make the best choice, we’ve included growth habits, care tips, and expert advice from horticulturists Samuel Schmitz of Triton College and Trisha Singh of Garden for Wildlife.

Burdock

With large, rough-textured leaves, burdock has distinctive, fast-growing foliage and pretty purple or pink flowers that resemble thistles. These flowers eventually turn into burrs that cling to animals and clothing, helping the plant spread. Growing 4 to 5 feet tall in a season, burdock is considered invasive in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, according to Singh. Manual removal is the best way to manage burdock in your garden.

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Fleabane

Fleabane looks like miniature daisies, featuring small purple, pink or white petals with yellow centers and long, narrow pointed leaves. It’s commonly found in fields and along roadsides, where it can quickly form clusters, especially in full sun. While not overly aggressive, fleabane requires management in a garden to control its spreading habit.

Besides its appealing purple flowers, fleabane can also repel bugs. “The leaves release compounds believed to keep unwanted insects at bay,” Singh says. “It’s been used to deter pests, including fleas, which is how it got its name.”

Wild Violet

Wild violet is a low-growing ground cover with heart-shaped leaves and small purple or white flowers. It can be invasive in lawns and garden beds. “These perennials produce large amounts of viable seeds, becoming problematic if not managed early on,” Schmitz says. “Control can be difficult, depending on your comfort level with using chemicals.” I've found broadleaf weed killer to be the most effective method for controlling wild violet in my lawn.

Purple Deadnettle

Purple deadnettle features small purple flowers and jagged, heart-shaped leaves on a central stem. Part of the mint family, this low-growing plant reaches 2 to 8 inches tall. One of the earliest plants to emerge in spring, purple deadnettle is also an important food source for pollinators. “These plants are easily controlled by hand weeding in beds and rarely become an issue in turf because they are intolerant of mowing heights,” Schmitz says. “If you can tolerate them early in the season, it’s beneficial to let the bees feed on them before removing them as other flowers bloom.”

Chicory

Commonly found in fields, meadows, and along roadsides, chicory can also be an attractive addition to a wildflower garden. Drought-tolerant and low-maintenance, it has delicate stems with purplish-blue, daisy-like flowers.

Chicory is considered invasive in parts of the U.S. and can quickly take over if not controlled. “This stuff pops up all over here in Maryland,” Singh says. “I see it near the driveway and along roads throughout the state.” Chicory also has medicinal properties and can be used as a coffee substitute.

Creeping Speedwell

This fast-growing ground cover produces small, purplish-blue flowers on delicate stems. New growth features rose-bud-like leaves, making it an attractive garden addition. However, it is considered invasive in some states and needs to be closely monitored. This hardy, drought-resistant plant can spread in large patches up to 3 feet wide.

Heal-all

Heal-all features tall, cone-shaped clusters of small purple or pink flowers atop single stems with oval, serrated leaves. The flower stems stand 6 to 12 inches tall, slightly higher than the foliage. While it’s a beautiful addition to gardens, it can spread aggressively and needs management to prevent takeover. “If left unchecked, this plant forms masses and stolons sprawling along the ground," Schmitz says. "Hand pulling is laborious, but chemical applications can effectively control it.”

Comfrey

Comfrey features thick foliage with broad, spear-like leaves and can be a significant presence in gardens, growing 2 to 4 feet tall. Its clusters of drooping, bell-shaped purple, blue, or pink flowers are particularly attractive. If you want to add this to your pollinator garden, it will reach full size in a single season. However, once established, it can be hard to manage. Comfrey thrives in poor soils and is drought-tolerant due to its deep taproots, making it challenging to remove.

Aster

Asters are another great option for pollinators, producing small, star-shaped purple or white flowers with yellow centers. They have slender leaves and stems with a clumping growth habit, reaching 2 to 4 feet tall. While not fast growers, asters spread through underground rhizomes once established. However, they are manageable in gardens, requiring only occasional splitting and cutting back.

Ground Ivy

Also known as Creeping Charlie, this ground cover is commonly found in lawns and disturbed soil. Ground ivy produces small purplish-blue flowers and has foliage similar to clover. “It has square stems and attracts pollinators like other mints,” Schmitz says. “But it creates an insidious sprawling mass of vines across the ground.” Manual removal and targeted broadleaf herbicide applications are the best methods to control this weed in beds and lawns.

About the Experts

• Samuel Schmitz is a full-time faculty instructor in the Horticulture Department at Triton College in Illinois. He was formerly the Ground Operations Supervisor for Ball Horticultural Company for 16 years.
• Trisha Singh is the Vice President of Product at Garden for Wildlife, a program run by the National Wildlife Federation, which encourages wildlife-friendly gardening spaces. Trisha is a wildlife biologist passionate about native plant gardening and helping others in their native gardening pursuits.