Weeds With Orange Flowers: Are These Weeds in Your Grass, Yard, or Garden?

Did a weed suddenly appear in your yard or garden with bright orange flowers? If so, you are probably curious as to what your new invader might be. Weeds with orange flowers are common across North America. Some are invasive weeds, and some are just plants that grow wildly.

It’s important to remember, that as the old saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. That’s definitely the case when it comes to some flowering weeds on this list. Just because a daylily is hated by many people across the country, doensn’t mean it’s not appreciated by many others.

Often, whether a plant is defined as a weed comes down to if it spreads rapidly through your garden and if people do not like looking at it. A plant is thought of as a weed if it is invasive or hard to get rid of. In this article, we take a deeper look at the most common weeds that have orange flowers in some shade. Let’s jump in!

The Most Common Weeds With Orange Flowers

While you may be annoyed at weeds with orange flowers popping up in your garden, consider that the bright flowers can sometimes be a benefit. They make it easier for you to find the weeds so you can remove them. Otherwise, they can add a bit of color to your landscape if you choose to let them hang around. It’s not uncommon for weeds to come in many colors, like purple flowered weeds, or yellow flowered weeds.

Some people choose to integrate certain weeds into their garden if they like their appearance and feel that they can keep the weeds under control. Certain weeds can even be beneficial to your garden by attracting pollinators. If you are going to include any of these plants in your garden, you should first make sure that they are not invasive or fast-spreading. Instead, choose plants native to your area that do not spread too quickly.

Butterfly Weed

Scientific Name: Asclepias tuberosa

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: Eastern, Southwestern North America
• Plant Size: 1.5-2 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Part  sun to full sun
• Plant Zone: 3-9

Living up to its name, Butterfly Weed is known to attract butterflies with its bright colors and delicate scent. While this plant is considered a weed by some, many people intentionally grow this plant. This preference is because it attracts beneficial insects such as butterflies. Pollinators can be very good to have in a garden.

You can recognize this plant thanks to its dense spray of small orange flowers and narrow leaves. Butterfly weed can get rather large, though it often stays in a bush shape and does not spread too far beyond that bush shape. This shape lends itself well towards being part of a butterfly or pollinator garden.  

Orange Hawkweed

Scientific Name: Hieracium aurantiacum

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: Central and Southeast Europe
• Plant Size: 8 to 35 inches
• Sun Exposure: Partial to Full Sun
• Plant Zone: 3 – 8

Orange Hawkweed is often mistaken for a dandelion. This confusion is due to its similar flower shape, and it similarly produces seeds. This plant is invasive, and it can spread aggressively thanks to its seeds and rhizome roots. It is very good at growing quickly and densely in many climates. Certain areas have this plant on their list of invasive species, and there are ways that you can report that you saw this plant.

When removing this plant from your garden, make sure that you are getting all the parts of the plant. This thoroughness is necessary because this plant can grow from even a part of a rhizome. It can take a few removal sessions before you stop seeing Orange Hawkweed in your garden.

Orange Jewelweed

Scientific Name: Impatiens capensis

• Plant Type: Annual
• Geographic Origin: North America
• Plant Size: 2-5 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Light shade to partial sun
• Plant Zone: 2 – 11

This plant has a unique slipper-like flower that contains many beautiful speckles and color gradations. It is a fairly common wildflower in parts of North America. Orange Jewelweed thrives in moist woods-like environments that do not have too much sun.

One cool thing about this plant is that it often grows near poison ivy, and the juice from the stems of the orange jewelweed can relieve itch from poison ivy. It has many uses in Native American medicine.

The Orange Jewelweed does not spread aggressively since it prefers specific growing locations. You likely will not need to worry about eradication if you find this plant in your garden.

Orange Nasturtium

Scientific Name: Tropaeolum

• Plant type: Perennial (zones 9-11), Annual (zones 2-8)
• Geographic Origin: Mexico, Central America, Northern parts of South America
• Plant Size: 1 to 10 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full Sun
• Plant Zone: 2-11

There are several types of nasturtium out there, and quite a few of them are orange. Some popular types of Orange Nasturtium include Orange Troika, Baby Orange, Double Gleam, and Apricot Twist. Nasturtiums come in many shapes and sizes. There are dwarf and trailing varieties.

While nasturtium is sometimes considered a weed, it is often cultivated purposely. Nasturtium is a popular plant, thanks to its appearance and its usefulness. All parts of these plants are edible, and they have a nice, peppery fragrance. It is also used in co-planting strategies to drive away pests.

Red Chickweed

Scientific Name: Anagallis arvensis

• Plant Type: Annual
• Geographic Origin: Mediterranean
• Plant Size: 1-15 inches tall
• Sun Exposure: Some Sun
• Plant Zone: 3-12

This weed goes by a few names, including Scarlet Pimpernel, Poor Man’s Weather-Glass, and Shepard’s Clock. It is part of the primrose family, and it is useful as a ground cover. While it is considered a weed, it prefers to grow where it does not have competition, and it is unlikely to try to crowd out other plants.

While small amounts of the leaves of this plant are edible, this plant can also cause irritations for some people. Some parts of this plant are also used medicinally for different disorders. You should avoid using this plant for medicinal or culinary functions unless you have specific training.

Red Sorrel

Scientific Name: Rumex acetosella

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: Eurasia
• Plant Size: 20 inches
• Sun Exposure: Partial to Full Sun
• Plant Zone: 5-11

Sorrel comes in many shapes and sizes. These plants are related to buckwheat. Red Sorrel can indicate that your soil has too much acid in it. As a result, this weed can help you know if you need your soil analyzed. Sorrel is also identifiable by their heart shaped leaves.

While it is called red sorrel, this plant is on this list because the flowers can sometimes look orange. These flowers are tiny, and they form along the top of the plant’s thin stems.

Red sorrel is another plant that spreads using its rhizomes. This growth method can make it somewhat aggressive in the right habitat. This plant does well in sandy, acidic soils. While this plant is ok for humans to consume in small quantities, it can be poisonous if eaten by livestock and other animals.

Evening Primrose

Scientific Name: Oenothera versicolor

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: North America, South America
• Plant Size: 2 feet
• Sun Exposure: Partial to Full Sun
• Plant Zone: 4-9

This member of the evening primrose family has scented orange flowers that are very attractive to pollinators. The flowers of these plants bloom in the evenings, but that does not mean that they do not love getting plenty of sun during the day. The Sunset Boulevard, also known as the Evening Primrose echos the sunset with its shades of peach that transition into shades of red.

While this plant is sometimes known as a weed, it is often intentionally planted across North America. It does not spread aggressively, which makes it a great fit if you want to make a wildflower or pollinator-friendly garden.

Tawny Day-Lily

Scientific Name: Hemerocallis fulva

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: Asia
• Plant Size: 12-18 inches
• Sun Exposure: Full Sun
• Plant Zone: 5-9

Tawny Day-Lilies are known for their colorful addition to gardens and their popularity among pollinators. However, they behave like perennial weeds, though other day-lilies do not behave in this way. You likely will want to plan ahead before you plant Tawny Day-Lilies and should be consistent about removing any excess plants you do not want. 

While people often grow Tawny Day-Lilies on purpose, they can spread and get out of control quite easily, and daylilies are difficult to remove. They can spread via their root systems and their seeds. It is a good idea to install a physical barrier to control the day-lilies.

You can also manually remove excess daylilies, taking special care to remove all the roots of the plants. Be careful when it comes to disposing of these plants, since you can risk spreading them if you don’t do a thorough job. 

Trumpet Creeper

Scientific Name: Campsis radicans

• Plant type: Perrenials
• Geographic Origin: Eastern United States
• Plant Size: 40 feet
• Sun Exposure: Partial Shade to Full Sun
• Plant Zone: 4-9

While this flowering vine is native to the eastern United States, it can be invasive in other parts of the country. Many people grow this plant intentionally on trellises or a fence. Be aware that this plant can often infiltrate into neighboring gardens. Trumpet Creeper is especially good at growing in warm and wet conditions.

This plant spreads with seeds and through underground runners. Trumpet Creepers can grow aggressively, and this plant can appear far away from where it originally started. Be careful when planting this creeper since it can even spread over to your neighbor’s house and take up all the space and resources of other plants.

The vines can also damage fences or rocks. So, if you grow this plant, make sure it has a good, stable structure to climb and that it does not infiltrate other structures.

Chinese Lantern

Scientific Name: Abution pictum

• Plant type: Annual (Zone 4-7), Perennial (Zone 8-11)
• Geographic Origin: China
• Plant Size: 2-8 feet tall
• Sun Exposure: Full Sun
• Plant Zone: 4-11

You can recognize the Chinese Lantern by its large fuzzy leaves, its tall, spindly stem, and its small orange flowers. Its leaves are somewhat similar in shape to those of the hibiscus, which is a relative. The plant produces cup-shaped fruit and little seeds that can be viable for around 50 years. It is native to China, and it was traditionally used in medicine and to make cords and woven materials.

While other plants on this list may make welcome additions to your garden, Velvetleaf is likely not one of those. This plant is very aggressive and competitive. It crowds out other plants by stealing their resources. Aubution pictum is also commonly harmful to farms. If you see this plant in your garden, you should carefully remove it, making sure that you are not spreading any seeds.

Dalmatian Toadflax

Scientific Name: Linaria dalmatica

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: Europe, Asia
• Plant Size: 2 to 3 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full Sun
• Plant Zone: 5 – 9

Dalmatian Toadflax has yellow and orange blooms that look similar to snapdragons. This plant can be prolific thanks to its ability to reproduce via both seeds ribosomes roots. Compared to some other less invasive plants in this article, you probably do not want this plant near your garden. That’s because you might end up with only Dalmatian Toadflax in your garden. There are a few types of Toadflax that are better in a garden environment.

The key to getting rid of toadflax is preventing it from growing in the first place. Remove any young plants you see several times during spring and summer. Take special care to remove the whole plant, including the roots. If you have a large amount of Dalmation Toadflax, you may want to remove it with biocontrols or chemicals.