
In addition to widespread weeds like bentgrass and crabgrass, Spokane is home to other weeds that can take over yards and make lawncare miserable, like knapweed, quackgrass, and bugloss.
Weeds are a pain, but if you can identify them, you can choose the right control methods to eliminate them and keep them away. Here’s more about the common weeds of Spokane, Washington:
Crabgrass

A stubborn perennial weed that’s known for the spindly stems that give it its name, crabgrass is extremely common in residential areas. This weed will crowd out lawns and garden plants if given the opportunity, and steal both water and valuable nutrients.
Bentgrass

Bentgrass is a perennial grass that grows low to the ground through above-ground stolons. While bentgrass is a type of turfgrass, one very common on golf courses, it’s considered a weed when it grows where it’s not wanted and easily becomes invasive.
Quackgrass

Quackgrass, also called common couch, is a perennial grassy weed that looks very similar to crabgrass, but also has some key differences. Namely, quackgrass has thick, flat leaves and a blue-green color. Like crabgrass, quackgrass spreads aggressively and will crowd out other plants.
Chickweed

Common chickweed is an annual flowering weed that emerges in spring or late summer. This weed has small white flowers and forms a dense mat that aggressively crowds out landscape plants. Common chickweed is edible, unlike many other weeds, though it’s not recommended for children or expecting mothers.
Henbit

Henbit is a winter annual weed that can be identified by its vivid purple flowers and spiky, hairy leaves. This weed is an aggressive plant that outcompetes other, more desirable plants, and it’s also difficult to get rid of once it takes root.
Noxious weeds of Spokane

Spokane is also home to more harmful weeds called noxious weeds. Noxious weeds are plants that are harmful to people, agricultural crops, or their local ecosystem. It’s rare to find a noxious weed growing in a residential area, but it does happen. Here are a few of Spokane’s common noxious weeds:
- Cinquefoil: Cinquefoil is a noxious weed that grows in small bush-like clumps with yellow flowers. This plant is considered a noxious weed because it is both invasive and unpalatable to wildlife, which leads it to grow unchecked. It crowds out other plants wherever it goes, which disrupts the local ecosystem by removing native plants and reducing food for grazing animals.
- Goatgrass: Goatgrass is an annual weed with long, pointy leaves that reach about six inches in length. This weed is very similar to wheat, which is where its harm lies; it hybridizes with wheat crops and reduces their quality.
- Knapweed: Knapweed is a very dangerous noxious weed. It produces bright pink-purple flowers with spiky leaves and long light brown stems. The most common variety is spotted knapweed. In addition to being invasive and aggressive, knapweed presents a clear danger to humans since it’s widely considered to contain carcinogens. Never handle knapweed without protective gear.
- Bugloss: Another noxious weed of Spokane is common bugloss. Bugloss is a flowering perennial weed that grows about one to two feet tall and produces star-shaped blue to purple flowers. It looks quite nice, but it’s a direct threat to agriculture. Common bugloss infests alfalfa fields and pastures and causes hay to grow mold.
- Leafy Spurge: Finally, leafy spurge is a flowering perennial weed that grows up to three feet tall and produces bright yellow to green flowers. This weed is another that’s classified as noxious because it impacts agriculture; Leafy spurge invades grazing pastures and croplands and takes over. This weed is poisonous to many animals, including cattle, and causes blisters if you touch it without gloves.
Find a lawn pro near you
Spokane is home to plenty of weeds that would love nothing more than to infest your landscape. Keep them out to protect your lawn and garden plants.
If you need lawn help, contact lawn care professionals near you. They can keep your Spokane landscape neat, healthy, and weed-free.
Main Photo Credit: Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule). Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0