15 Weeds with Purple Flowers

These Weeds with Purple Flowers prove you don’t always need blooming shrubs and trees to have a colorful garden!

Why Weeds with Purple Flowers? Simple–they’re pretty, don’t need much care, and are incredibly resilient, so they’ll keep flowering no matter what.

Best Weeds with Purple Flowers

Although weeds are invasive, you can grow them in containers to keep their spread in check.

1. Creeping Charlie

Botanical Name: Glechoma hederacea

Creeping Charlie is a low-growing perennial that gives purple flowers in spring and summer. This purple flower weed spreads quite quickly and is considered invasive.

2. Purple Dead Nettle

Botanical Name: Lamium purpureum

Purple Dead Nettle belongs to the mint family and is often confused with stinging nettles, but it doesn’t have those stinging hairs and is safe to touch. These purple weeds can grow upto 6-8 inches tall.

3. Forget-Me-Nots

Botanical Name: Myosotis sylvatica

Forget-me-nots have become widespread now and are commonly cultivated as garden flowers. These purple weed flowers are quite easy to grow and maintain, making for a great border plants, too!

4. Sweet Violet

Botanical Name: Viola odorata

Sweet Violets have incredible heart-shaped petals and reach only a height of 4-10 inches. These are also used in herbal medicine for headaches and skin conditions. These purple weeds will fill your lawn with a sweet fragrance in no time!  

5. Spear Thistle

Botanical Name: Cirsium vulgare

Spear Thistle is a weed with pink-purple flowers that appear puffy, sort of like spiny balls. It’s invasive and can grow up to 5 feet tall. The flowers are also rich in nectar and attract bees.

6. Violet Woodsorrel

Botanical Name: Oxalis violacea

If you notice a shamrock-like plant with purple flowers on your lawn, it could be Violet Woodsorrel. It is edible but can be toxic if eaten in too much quantity. 

7. Heal-all Plant

Botanical Name: Prunella vulgaris

Healall is also called self-heal because it was used as a cure-all remedy. You can boil and cook the entire plant as a leafy veggie. These purple weeds also grow blue or white flowers throughout summer.

8. Spotted Knapweed

Botanical Name: Centaurea maculosa

Spotted Knapweed is a noxious biennial weed that is native to Eurasia. It’s one of the most invasive weeds in North America. You can try growing it, but a single one of these produces thousands of seeds that remain viable in the soil for up many years.

9. Henbit Deadnettle

Botanical Name: Lamium amplexicaule

Henbit Deadnettle is a common winter annual weed that is often found in open areas, gardens, and fields. This weed has delicate purple flowers that are great for pollinators and ecosystems. If you have always wanted purple weeds in yard, this is it!

10. Canada Thistle

Botanical Name: Cirsium arvense

Canada Thistle belongs to the sunflower family and is a highly aggressive and persistent weed full of purple flowers. It easily grows 6-7 feet tall and has roots that spread nearly 20 feet in a single year.

11. Musk Thistle

Botanical Name: Carduus nutans

Musk Thistle is a relatively large weed that reaches almost 9-10 feet high and has prickly leaves. It also has large, purple flower heads. However, it competes with plants for water, nutrients, and sunlight.

12. Dove’s-Foot Crane’s-Bill

Botanical Name: Geranium molle

Some people call it a wildflower, but some consider it a weed. This purple flower weed has deeply lobed leaves resembling a bird’s foot. It also has small purple flowers that attract butterflies.

13. Purpletop Verbena

Botanical Name: Verbena bonariensis

The Purpletop Verbena is an aggressive grower that grows 6 feet tall and gives purple bloom clusters in mid-summer and fall. If you live in an area where it’s considered invasive, it’s best to avoid planting it.

14. Creeping Bellflower

Botanical Name: Campanula rapunculoides

Creeping Bellflower is a fast-grower with heart-shaped or lance-shaped leaves and small purple flowers in the shape of bells. These purple weeds are really invasive, so be careful!

15. Bugleweed

Botanical Name: Ajuga reptans

Bugleweed is a great choice for landscaping and can also be used as a ground cover. Once mature, this purple flower weed  can reach a height of 7-8 inches.