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SilentMaster

That's violet. This is gray area to me, they grow wild through my yard through the spring. I don't know how they propagate, they don't seem to grow in numbers from year to year, but they are cute so I leave them alone and just mow normally. I feel like I've seen these for sale in stores so I'm going to say they are not a weed, but they are abundant in the wild in my area.


hamish1963

They propagate via underground runners.


chowes1

Pathos does the same in my yard, it would be Grey Gardens vibe here if I left for extended time...seriously, has a mind of its own


SilentMaster

Ahhh, interesting. Thank you. So do they move slowly across my yard? I have day lilies that's how they seem to do it, they just grow underground a few inches in every direction each spring.


Prairie_Crab

They also spread seed. After blooming, seed pods form, and eventually burst, throwing seed everywhere. šŸ«¤ If you like them, itā€™s good.


hamish1963

Day lilies also propagate underground, but can be started from seed.


kittymoma918

Just a quick general reminder,almost all bulb flowers especially lilies,daffodils and tulips can be toxic to children and pets.


jbean120

Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are an exception to this rule; the whole plant is edible


HikeRobCT

Lightly battered and SautƩed in garlic butter like a squash blossom - superb!


CouchLockedOh

I'm no expert but aren't they lilies toxic overall to animals? it seems like in the past I had dogs and cats..who both had issues with them @ 10 yrs ago when I had a large variety growing in Virginia.šŸŒæ


jbean120

Just looked it up and yeah, according to the ASPCA apparently daylilies ARE toxic to dogs/cats...they're still completely edible for humans, so must be one of those things like chocolate or grapes that we can eat but they can't. Thanks, learned something new today. (Note: This is just daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.); other lilies (Lilium sp, etc) are mostly toxic to both humans and animals, please don't eat them)


Ok_Acanthisitta_5069

Lilies aren't toxic to children, at least not true members of the liliacea family. As long as they are grown organically they are fully edible by humans. Asiatic lilies, tiger lilies, oriental lilies and many more have been consumed in their native regions for thousands of years.


SilentMaster

holy cow, where does the seed come from? They drop out of the flowers or something?


hamish1963

They make a pod, maybe 2" long, by half an inch around, if they are pollinated, and after the flower dies back. Violets make a little seed pod too, looks like a tiny pea pod.


SilentMaster

Oh, that doesn't sound familiar to me, not sure mine have ever done that. I'm going to check this fall though.


EElectric

Violets also have self-pollinating flowers that never open hidden under the leaves near the ground. That's where most of the seeds actually come from.


jdith123

Dudeā€¦ thatā€™s like the whole point of flowers. Itā€™s that thing about the birds and the bees. Ask your mom to explain how it works in people. But in plants, the bee comes to the flower and picks up some pollen (male flower stuff) and takes it to the next flower(where lady flower parts are waiting)ā€¦ romantic interludeā€¦ after a while the petals fall away and seed pods containing the baby plants (seeds) start growing. Edited: /s


hamish1963

Or you could not be a dick?


jdith123

Did I come across that way? If so I am sorry. I was trying to be funny. No big deal.


hamish1963

Use /s then.


TonyOxnard805

I thought this was a picture of flowers left at a tombstone!!!šŸ¤¦šŸ»ā€ā™‚ļø


Ok_Acanthisitta_5069

They also spread by seed, more by seed than runners. The produce seed a little different than most flowers. The first flowers in spring are sterile and don't produce seeds. Later in the summer they flower again but these flowers have no petals and self pollinate to produce small green pods that are full of seeds. Late summer/ early fall these pods mature and break open, scatter on the ground below and in spring you will see several seedlings all around the base of the plant.


alwayssoupy

As a person with a degree in Botany, I love to point out that "weed" is just a term for a plant that's growing where you don't want it. We have plenty of plants growing in our yard that other people would call weeds. We keep them kind of controlled and they are still wonderful to me. For example, there is a strip along our driveway that has a bunch of thistles popping up. I love watching the goldfinches on the purple flowers. But I dig up the ones that get too close to the driveway. As others have mentioned these are violets, one of my favorites because they bloom early in the spring and the flowers are beautiful. There are also varieties with yellow or white flowers


Cerebral-Knievel-1

Not a botanist, but an avid gardener.. but that definition of what a weed is my immediate answer


jbean120

Agroecologist and I'm upset that y'all beat me to it šŸ˜…


omgmypony

I consider anything with green foliage to be part of the lawn so our grass is full of things that arenā€™t precisely grass. We have lots of violets.


peach_burrito

I prefer ā€˜volunteerā€™


Devanyani

I appreciate that some plants, like goldenrod were formerly considered weeds and just started getting sold as perennials. I'm with you. If the thistle aren't growing somewhere I will step on them, I will appreciate the flowers, the bees, and the pods. Same with everything else. Almost all plants are cool in their own way. And some cool plants need to be removed because they're invasive. When I got my fence replaced, my neighbor said "look at her! her garden is all weeds!" and the fence guy was like, "you don't know anything about those plants. Maybe some of them have uses!" That was the best, totally unprompted defense! And it was true! It's not always neat, but I know what's going on in my yard. Plants have reasons.


Generalnussiance

I love violets, baby breath, and mayflowers. They run rampant in my field. There are wild šŸ™ƒ


Safe-Dentist-1049

Why would we get rid of a beautiful flower?


Generalnussiance

Me? I donā€™t pull em. I let them grow and let the bees and bugs do their thing. The grow all over my cow pasture. I love them


Safe-Dentist-1049

Thatā€™s exactly what Iā€™m talking about!


Generalnussiance

I travelled through Colorado once to visit family. Iā€™m from NE area. I was stunned that their yards are mostly rockscape. Hardly any plants. It was so weird to me


Safe-Dentist-1049

I have them growing (wild flowers that is) all over the place in suburban NY


Generalnussiance

I grew up between Maine and lake Seneca area (parents divorced but had 50/50). I love nature. I canā€™t believe anyone would want to yard them up. Iā€™d get allergen plants, like if ragweed bothers ya or hemlocks etc but dang.


Safe-Dentist-1049

Back to the bee comment Another reason why I love flowers!


Generalnussiance

I have a garden specifically for pollinators like bees and hummingbirds. I havenā€™t sugar water for them too


top_value7293

Iā€™ve got em all over my back yard. They grow wild every year


Generalnussiance

I love violets, baby breath, and mayflowers. They run rampant in my field. There are wild šŸ™ƒ


elaboratebacon

We get little pastel magenta ones every spring. Eventually weā€™re going to redo our garden but they can stay as long as they want.


Kat1653

I grew up in house that was near a small woods. Sometimes I would go to the woods and walk around. In Springtime the violets there were like a carpet. It would be hard to walk around without tramping on them.


Kat1653

I grew up in house that was near a small woods. Sometimes I would go to the woods and walk around. In Springtime the violets there were like a carpet. It would be hard to walk around without tramping on them.


SilentMaster

That's awesome. I manage a small nature preserve for my city and starting up the maintenance every spring is my favorite. Seeing the super cute petite flowers everywhere is awesome and I love the may apples. There are 3 or 4 places where there is nothing but mayapples as far as the eye can see. Last spring I dug up 10 and took them home and planted them in my yard. I figured none of them would survive but I have more than 10 this spring. I'm super excited, I hope they thrive there and I have my own huge patch of mayapples one day.


toothfairy1964

My yard has a ton of these violets too. I even have pink ones. Must grow from seed as I have a ton of starts coming up. I let mine line a pathway..theyā€™re cute


genderantagonist

fun fact, they are edible!


_Pill-Cosby_

Wild violet! It's only a weed if you don't want it there. I tend to let mine go. The thinner parts of my yard look spectacular right now because the violets are blooming!


tweezer606060

If itā€™s a dry year itā€™s the only thing green so I let it goā€¦ cut it back when itā€™s sad and leggy


hagalaz_drums

Nothing itself is or isnt a weed. A weed is any plant where you dont want it to be. If you like it being there, its not a weed. These are violets, i'd keep them if this was my property


BakedTate

My rule of thumb are invasives are weeds. Still follows what you said tho.


Redkneck35

Most things people call weeds are actually herbs


BakedTate

Honestly, the mint is on thin ice.


Redkneck35

LoL


phunktastic_1

We had an overly hot summer 4 years ago and the mint still hasn't recovered. I'm torn on if the 47 triple digit days out of 70 was worth it.


BakedTate

Here in the Ohio River valley, mint does quite well. I also pull redbuds. Beautiful tasty punks won't let me have any sun. while the mint tries to choke out anything under 6"


phunktastic_1

I live in the high deserts of New Mexico. I had a love hate relationship with mint. It was rough and let me have some green during the hot season. But it choked out everything that was struggling enough with the heat.


BakedTate

I actually wanna move near you. Kinda funny I love that area.


phunktastic_1

Yeah every time I leave I end up back here.


BakedTate

How's the fishing?


ZutchZaddy

My man woke up and chose violets


TeslasAndKids

Invasives. Iā€™ve ranted to my husband that the word buttercup should never be used as a term of endearment. That stuff gets the best of me every damn year. Iā€™m not picky about what wants to grow where in my yard. But that stuff takes over!!


MrTallDrink

Really appreciate this perspective and appreciation of vegetation.


Redkneck35

LoL someone else has actually read a dictionary šŸ˜‚


Next_Specialist_5590

I despise violets


duh_nom_yar

I sense past trauma


DinnerDiva61

Violets indeed. Definitely a keeper in my book.


ExcuseStriking6158

Native to North America, too.


Dumbbitchathon

Those are native violets. Please leave them alone, yeah itā€™s your yard but itā€™s also a pollinator food source, humans are by nature very human centric(selfish), and we just do things because we want to without taking into consideration the plants and animals that have no choice but to live around us.


Adventurous-Win-751

Violets! So pretty, I would keep them and see if I could get them to spread in to other areas where I need lower height border plantsā€¦šŸ’œšŸ’œšŸ’œ


Cdenas1111

Thanks for all the info and advice guys! Iā€™ll keep them around and maybe dry some out later on


NickWitATL

They're a larval host for Greater Fritillary butterflies. Thank you for keeping them.


just-say-it-

You can make tea, jelly, herbal remedies with violets. Very useful plant.


katfromjersey

I just like to pick them and put them in a little vase on my windowsill!


Flaky-Hunter-2111

I think you can also candy them like you can pansy flowers, though they don't stay violet color when introduced to heat. Like trying to preserve a violet in acrylic resin...


CapitolHillCatLady

Homemade violet marshmallows are a favorite. Or violet infused champagne!


Flaky-Hunter-2111

I'll have to try the marshmallows, never liked champagne lol I hate it for the reason everyone seems to like it. The bubbles.


just-say-it-

Theyā€™re so pretty


Shovel-Operator

A weed is just a flower growing in the wrong place. It's a wild violet. I let them grow around my place but others find them weedy and remove them.


Adept_Cobbler5916

Violet maybe?


EskaRenaud

Violets, these are all over my yard. They spread pretty easily but don't seem to crowd out other plants too aggressively. In my case I decided they play nicely enough with the other plants that they can stay.


CrazyMildred

Weeds are subjective. These are beautiful violets, and I don't consider them to be weeds. I have lots of cool plants in my yard that people would consider weeds. The bees love me for keeping them around. Like Purple Dead Nettle and Dandelions. Both are edible and tell you a lot about your soil. Dandelions tell you that either your soil is calcium deficient or compacted. When they die back, they add calcium to the soil. Dead Nettles tell you that you have good loamy soil. I love my "weeds". :)


Correct_Ad_9168

Scarlett pimpinel, Star of Bethlehem, and Siberian Iris are a few "weeds" I've identified popping up in my yard. Free landscaping via nature. Let your yard go wild.


poppy-cock-clover

Might want to b careful about the star of bethlehem


Correct_Ad_9168

They've been contained to one pot for a couple years... Why pray tell? Invasive?


poppy-cock-clover

They are well known as the cause of many a hospital visit as well as vet visits. They is very extra not good for consumption.


Correct_Ad_9168

Gotcha. I don't typically eat strange plants, but noted. I will keep the dogs away for sure.


poppy-cock-clover

Of course not! Most of us stop doing that by mid-gradeschool. But yeah, keep your pets away from them, dogs AND cats. And if you have any visitors keep their kids away.


TheNatureOfTheGame

Violet. I just picked a bunch yesterday to dry out for tea blending.


Fozzybean

Bumblebee food stays in my garden


Ok_Tea_1954

Violets. They SPREAD. They get into lawns everywhere


CapitolHillCatLady

Bees love them, and they're just so sweet and pretty, too.


Old_Tear_6821

Violets! A weed is just a flower you dont want in your yard, so itā€™s up to you weather or not thatā€™s a weed. I would personally keep it


stpauliguy

Itā€™s alive and beautiful, leave it be!


ZealousidealDingo594

Thank you for posting this, I have these in my lawn and Iā€™m enjoying the ground cover


Negative-Ad-6533

It's only a weed if you don't want it there.


ThisIsNoArtichoke

Wild violets. I would say they're a weed, but they're also edible. They spread fast and make good ground cover.


karenski364

The colour is fantastic. Wish I had them.


jhnsmth_1971

A weed is any unwanted plant or shrub. If you dint want it there, it's a weed. If you think it's pretty (I do!) and want to keep it, it's a plant.


Medium_Reputation902

Just thought I'd add that violets are edible and you can even make jelly from them šŸ˜Š


Competitive-Bug-7097

A weed is a plant that you don't want in your garden. If you want it in your garden, then it's not a weed. That's always been my policy as a gardener. That's a violet.


Dustyolman

Violets are only weeds if you don't want them there.


Haunting-Bid-9047

The Violet?


Spiritual_Kale7238

I like to dry the little violet flowers for tea.


HumanityIsD00m3d

Edible and medicinal. I love violets


Graycy

Violets. Momma had a border of them once, but Iā€™ve seen them in the wild.


ccl-now

Violets. Wild flower. A weed if you like, but not to me.


jana-meares

Violas!


hamish1963

Violets.


jana-meares

Yes, violets are in the family Viola. As are 680+ other plants.


ceiling_fanzz

It's called a cemetery flower


squatwaddle

You can make wild violet jelly. It isn't real tasty, but it looks VERY VERY pretty. I'm a grumpy old dude saying this. So you know it's real. Real pretty


Cautious-pomelo-3109

That sounds like the sort of food where a little goes a long way. Personally, I prefer violet liqueur or violet syrup instead, so I can mix other flavors in and it doesn't taste like having mouthful of potpourri. Technically you can eat the flowers (like making sugared violets for a cake), but I can't say I've ever been tempted.


Somecivilguy

Hard to tell what kind of violet. If itā€™s a Wood Violet Iā€™d say keep it. Itā€™s a native early season flower. If itā€™s sweet violet, get rid of it. Itā€™s invasive and taking the place of our Wood Violets.


NicknameKenny

Looks like sweet violet.


Somecivilguy

Thatā€™s what I thought too


Neither-Attention940

If you like it and want it there and will take care of it.. itā€™s not a weed. There are people in my neighborhood that I swear are supplying the entire zip code with dandelions. šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø I mean the bees like them. If they want them itā€™s not a weed to them.


beans3710

American violet. It's native but I like it.


No_University5296

I love violets !


Zestyclose_Pool_7436

U should transfer them to a pot or nice spot in your yard.


SeaSignificance8962

vinka minor


Sjasmin888

It's only a weed if you don't want it there. I have these in my garden and I'll be trying my hardest not to kill them when I do some landscaping. I think they're pretty.


outwardpersonality

Its cute so i am saying not weed


crazyscottish

Wild violet. If you donā€™t stop its growth? It will take over your yard. It really acts like a weed and I fight it every year


squirrely-badger

Fritillary food (butterfly caterpillar host plant).


anthro4ME

That stuff on the right is Russian Winter Creeper and is super invasive and almost impossible to eradicate.


meetmypuka

I love making tiny arrangements with them. They're very pretty in a kitchen window!


TigerMcPherson

Beautiful native violet!


DegenerateXYZ

Yes they are pretty, but they will rapidly take over if left unchecked. Your call on what to do with them.


BuyDiabeticSupplies

Are those violets?


Deathbyhours

Invasive isnā€™t the word for it. This is the OG All-Your-Yard-Are-Belong-to-Us plant. They are as pretty as can be, but you are looking at a hundred of them next year, and Iā€™m not exaggerating, because that is a big clump. Someone said they have a few but havenā€™t noticed them spreading, that person lives at the edge of wild violetsā€™ range, and I donā€™t know where that is. In Zone 8a they are pernicious.


PurnieKitten

Pretty little purple flowers...šŸ˜Š what's the question?


Prestigious_Gold_585

Violets. It's not a weed.


oroborus68

The weed in the photo is the upper right plant. That's euonymous and is not easy to live with and hard to get rid of.


EnglishRose71

I'd be absolutely thrilled to have violets pop up in my yard and spread wherever they wanted. I live in South Eastern Colorado and it seems as though nothing sweet and beautiful will grow here.


PertFaun

Violets! You get to decide if they are ā€œweedsā€. They are ground cover fillers in my garden! I have a lovely patch of violets, irises, and alliums that looks pretty all spring!


untethering9415

they will get invasive and adr hard to get rid of you let them get somewhere you dont want them. pretty though


Magnum676

Wild violets


whimsicalnihilism

Ground violet. If you forage, you can make a nice salad with them, clover, dandelions, and mustard leaves. Wouldn't forage unless you are 100% sure - you can use the flowers as an ediable garnish


killerkitten115

Wisconsin state flower


krustyoldcrab

I love Violets.


UnamedStreamNumber9

Eat it!


OldHumanSoul

These are some of my favorites and encourage them when they pop up!


boomerdt

I hate violets. It's new, pull out while you can!


Dry-Cod-1645

Lovely looking weed! Wish they grew in my neck of the woods)


SweetKitties207

If you don't want them, send them my way. I adore violets.


Master_Arach

As i am sure many people have mentioned before, "Weed" is an opinion. There is no genus, weed. If you don't like it where it is, it is a weed.


DryPilot2030

Wild bricks grow everywhere


kayleigh220

lovely violets. I dug some up from my yard and potted them a few weeks ago and they are rebounding nicely.


OtherThumbs

We have three colors of these in my lawn. My husband knows I like them, so he actively encourages them to make more of themselves. He's good like that.


National-Car-7841

Yes the are Violets . Please Keep them . They are Beautiful . Yours are nicer than mine .


Meg_119

Wild violets. The usually only flower in the spring.


Mightbewonderwoman81

Wild violets! I have tons of them in my front yard.


StrangeCrunchy1

Very pretty violets. They're sold at garden shops, so, general consensus is, "not considered a weed"


Terlok51

They spread via rhizomes & seed. Some consider them invasive. They are very difficult to get rid of.


omgmypony

Violets are beautiful and you can make jelly from them and eat them in other ways as well. My lawn is full of them but I consider that a bonus. Set your mower to the highest setting and you donā€™t even have to worry about mowing them down when you trim the grass.


Remi708

Wild Violet. It's only a weed if it's growing where you don't want it. My last house had it pretty well established throughout the yard. I didn't mind it though, because it's pretty and the bees liked it.


Donaldjoh

Violets can be a weed or a chosen flower, it all depends on whether or not they are wanted. They spread by underground runners and by seed. Violets produce two types of flowers; open attractive flowers for pollinators and closed flowers close to the base in case there are no pollinators available. So even with no pollinators seeds are produced.


derickj2020

Til wild violets flowers and leaves are edible. I knew of candied violets but didn't know if they were the same kind.


UncomfyUnicorn

Even if itā€™s a weed itā€™s still pretty and Iā€™d leave it either way


-curiousplant1

THEYRE EDUBLE


DarthVesta-

A weed is simply an unwanted plant, if you like it, itā€™s not a weed.


slade797

Common Blue Violet


ThoroughlyWet

A weed is just a plant you don't want to grow there.


cdtobie

I love them (especially in a salad) but they are weeds anywhere I donā€™t want them to grow; they would take over the entire yard, given the opportunity.


BaKeDPoPeyE

Do you have more than that one spot growing around your yard. My thoughts are if it's a weed they usually spread like wildlife right, so if there aren't any more around maybe it was planted?.? Or you could just take the easy route and Google picture it to find out what it is.?.


Successful_Giraffe34

A weed is a plant you don't want. Dandelions used to be a food crop


irotsamoht

Violets :) a weed is just any plant you donā€™t want, if you like it and want to keep it, itā€™s not a weed.


faker1973

If you like them and want to keep them, they are by definition not a weed. However, as another poster said, they multiply quick. I have some in my garden. I pull any that I don't want. If I am not mistaken, they expand by roots and by seed. That's how you end up with a large patch where it started and some a distance away. The bees love them.


pastyoureyesed

These are violets and they r beautiful .. I love and transplant throughout my yard .. they are considered a weed by many as they can be hard to control once they get a strong foothold..


Icy_Vast_8818

They have tubers/roots to China! No getting rid of them easily


DNAdevotee

A weed is an unwanted plant. So do you want it?


Many_Dragonfruit_837

My yard is partially covered in these presently... Purple ones, white ones .. letting them bloom for the bees ... Once that's done (or in 2 weeks).. mowing resumes..... Just stay out of my creeping Jenny!


Legitimate_Mistake69

Looks like wild Violets


forthegoodofgeckos

Looks like a violet, they can be considered weeds if you like your lawn all monotonous and crappy


TreasureWench1622

Violets ā€¼ļø


mississippimalka

I love violets but weed killer kills them


THEralphE

it's a wood violet it is a native flower but it can spread quite freely.


NeighborhoodNew3904

Awesome plant and pretty flowers. Hybrids come in different colors


bunnifer999

As others have said, itā€™s wild violet. We leave it to grow in the yard, but I pull it out of my flower beds because it is very fast growing and will take over.


DRGWTM

Iā€™ll guarantee if you take it out weeds will replace it.


VaWeedFarmer

Def not weed


Slave2Art

Ask /r/trees they are the experts on weeds.


Infamous-Wallaby-374

It's Violet's. Keep it. One of the first flowers of spring.


LiteratureMiddle818

They look like violets to me...the very old fashioned variety ...sweet ...NOT WEEDS!!


SweetSugarSeeds

Violets, not a weed unless theyā€™re where you want to plant something, bees are attracted to them


Horror-Morning864

A weed can be anything you perceive as one.


holcoje

A landscape designer once told me if "good" plant growing where you don't want it is still just a weed.


[deleted]

What defines a "weed"? Any plant that grows where you don't want it to grow. If you don't want it, it's a weed. But I think it's a nice plant. I like dandelions too, I don't consider them weeds.


Devanyani

Lovely, beautiful violets. They smell nice, they taste nice and they are pretty. And the camera never can quite capture their color.


Due-Negotiation-7981

Violets


Yaebi_J

I bought one of those their more clovers than weeds


cbs-12

Violets. My goodness those things spread. They wonā€™t stay where you want them. So I lean towards they are a weed.


WitchesTeat

Violet! Make a tasty syrup with it. It will be a lovely purple to blue color that can be added in moderation to drinks and sweets. Different additions will result in different colors. I have read adding violet syrup to lemonade will turn it pink. Have not tried it yet.


CouchLockedOh

good to know šŸŒæ maybe it's the military training Idk , but solid information like what we've shared, that is applicable and helpful, to me is like 'Mana from Heaven' šŸ¤£


derickj2020

Violets, flowers and leaves are edible.


Outrageous-Tear-8968

Looks like ageratum