The Virtue of Weeds: What We’ve Carried With Us

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.

― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Fortune of the Republic (1878)

While busy loathing weeds, we rarely reflect upon how or why they came to be a problem. The Virtue of Weeds: What We’ve Carried With Us explores the complex relationship between humans and invasive plants.

Plants reproduce in various ways—by creeping root systems or spreading seeds by wind, through water and soil, or in the bellies of animals. However, we often overlook the fact that plants most often end up where they are not supposed to be due to human activity. Through the vast movement of people across North America over the past several centuries, plants have gained the ability to spread faster and farther afield than they ever could on their own.

While weeds are viewed as nuisances or ecological threats, their presence is closely tied to human activity. Plants have travelled with us for centuries—carried intentionally as medicinal and ornamental varieties, or unintentionally through colonisation, trade, and transportation. Many species once valued for their usefulness or beauty have since spread beyond cultivation, becoming invasive and disrupting native ecosystems.

This exhibition considers how human activity has shaped the movement and proliferation of these plants, and how our relationship with them reflects larger histories of colonization and environmental change. By tracing the journeys of familiar weeds and examining both their virtues and their consequences, the work invites viewers to reconsider the plants we overlook or condemn.

Artist Biography

Melissa Cole has a Diploma in Botanical Illustration with distinction from The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scotland, and was recipient of the Lizzie Sanders Award for Excellence in Botanical Illustration. Melissa holds a Master of Arts in Art History from Birkbeck, University of London, England, where she also worked at the National Portrait Gallery.