#3 Giant ragweed
#1 I wish there was a more close up pic of the leaves
#2 does it have woody stems?

#1 might be Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife), but yes a close up would be helpful.

#1 does not look like Lythrum salicaria to me.

To answer the title question: basically it is you who decides what is and what is not a weed in your garden. No plant is a weed by definition.

Are the leaves on no. 2 uniform on both sides and are they in groups of three.

Thanks! here is a closeup of weed # 1. The tips are always bent: it's not wilted. I used to grow a lythrum (Morden's Pink), before it was commonly known how invasive they are. This does not look that familiar.

#2 now has a yellow and purple flower that looks a lot like something in the tomato family. I'll attach more shots after this one.

closeup of growing tip

closeup. Flower is about 7/8 inch is diameter; all facing straight downward. Stems are NOT woody.

This post was edited by linnea56 on Tue, Jul 16, 13 at 15:42

Could the first one be solidago or golden rod? I seem to recall mine having drooping growing tips before they budded up.

I think the second one is a tomatillo judging from the flower.

Solidago? HâÂÂmmmâ¦I might well have traded for that. The place itâÂÂs planted too, looks like no accident: Just where IâÂÂd put a tall plant as a backdrop. I would have gotten this in 2011 or earlier, thoughâ¦I wonder if it takes that long to show some height?

Tomatillos? Now that would be a novelty in my perennial garden. I canâÂÂt say IâÂÂve ever bought one whose seeds could have ended up out there.

I missed where you said the flower was 7/8ths of an inch in diameter. That is bigger than a tomatillo flower. But the color is right on. I looked up Chinese lanterns, and that didn't look like what you have there. I am pretty sure it is a nightshade family plant, but I'm not sure which one. You'll have to wait and see what kind of fruit it makes.

I've heard chinese lanterns are invasive, so I sure hope not.

That doesn't look like chinese lanterns, they are bright orange, I remember them from childhood. They have the shape of a small lantern.

That yellow flower - does it hang down?

If, yes, not only is it a weed, but it has an incredibly long tap root. It's one of the few plants I use Round-up on, otherwise it's impossible to get rid of. As soon as I see it, I spray it.

You can also head over to that other site (gave's darden since apparently it's blocked here.) They have an extremely active plant id forum. I often get an ID within an hour.

The yellow flower hangs straight down. Thanks for the tip on "you know who" garden. I look for plant information there, but I didn't know they had a forum.

The Name That Plant forum on gardenweb has lots of activity also and I've had responses almost immediately.

Here is a link that might be useful: Name That Plant

1. Might be an aster, some of my asters look a bit weedy before fall flower formation. I have to remind myself not to pull them.

The 2nd one, that looks like something in the tomato family, is now producing pods, so may be easier to ID now. Here's a photo:

{{gwi:246103}}

Is your plant more upright, or is is it more spreading? Is it still 18 in" tall? If it isn't any taller, then it isn't a tomatillo. Maybe it could be a wild groundcherry? Physalis something-or-other.

#2 is not a ground cherry. I am positive it's a noxious weed, I just don't know the name of it.

Did you post here at the plant id forum? How about the other site whose name cannot be mentioned?

2 is a Ground Cherry imo. Physalis subglabrata.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ground Cherry