Who decided dandelions were weeds?
American poet Ella Wilcox said a weed is but an unloved flower. This is so true.
Dandelions have popped up throughout our neighborhood, bright buttons of yellow growing in clumps near fences and sidewalks. I kinda like dandelions. To me, they are one of the first signs of Spring.
My sister and I couldn’t wait to be big enough to mow the yard. Once the day finally came, that John Deere riding mower became ours until we left for college. Of course the excitement quickly wore off as the summer sun baked our vast yard. The grass grew fast, probably because it was mostly weeds—dandelions, henbit and those pale pink flowers that look like lacy cups. Sometimes we left patches of dandelions in the side yard because they were so pretty. Daddy didn’t much like that…
If you look closely, dandelions are not that different from mums. Or asters. Or daisies. Only easier to grow…
Why not celebrate the hardy dandelion? Instead we make things difficult, wrestling with prissy flowers that may or may not survive.
The happy go lucky dandelion asks for nothing except to be left alone to grow and spread. If we pay attention, they will even predict the weather—open and fluffy during a stretch of sunny days but shut tight when rain is coming. With leaves that can be used for tea and salad and wine, the dandelion is useful too.
But the very best part…
When the time is right, the flower head transforms into a light white feathery globe, a parachute ready to spread tiny seeds across the land. What other flower miraculously transforms a roadside or abandoned lot or ditch bank into a thousand wishes?
One Thousand Wishes
(morgueFile)
Grace Grits and Gardening
“When life is not coming up roses
Look to the weeds
and find the beauty hidden within them.”
― L.F.Young
Love your dandelions. Great pictures. Our front yard is still full of them.
I love dandelions and always have. It makes me so happy when my little one gets excited to see them in the yard.
I love dandelions too. They are so cheerful and I think a yard full looks down right pretty. My kids love gathering bouquets of them for me. Last year, I got a big bouquet of wish flowers (of the white seeded globes) for my birthday so I could have many wishes. They are the essence of childhood and innocence…and yes! A great sign of spring! YAY!
Thanks Kathy!
I love dandelions, too. And that quote about weeds and flowers is beautiful. I love when my boys bring me flowers from the yard.
My former neighbor used to bring me a dandelion bouguet each Spring and later she would bring a big pot of wild violets. Thanks for the memories! I’ll never look at a dandelion in the same light again!
You can eat them as well! 🙂 Raw or cooked, they are very good for you.
Yes and dandelion wine…
Loved this post. I remember taking my mother dandelion bouquets and have received my share of them too. I especially like those quotes.
Great pics! I have a love/hate relationship with these little dandies! Thanks for reminding me to see the beauty they have. Happy spring!!
I love dandelions..we have them here plenty too…they spread cheer around! Lovely pics and the quote in the end made me 🙂
I have never attempted to rid our yard of dandelions. The reasoning was simple. There are just too many to remove by hand and the herbicides that will work are so hazardous to my desirable plants. In recent years my dad has waged war on dandelions and other broadleaf “weeds”. With the John Deere mower, he pulls around a yard sprayer of 2, 4-D, dessicating everything in their yard. Since losing his pilot’s license for health reasons, he has managed to put 40 years of ag pilot experience into removing every undesirable plant in their spacious yard. Of course, he has also managed to eliminate roses, hydrangea, forsythia, and multiple varieties of evergreen shrubbery. Most of the trees no long have leaves on lower branches and 50 years of landscaping intended to hide the not so architecturally attractive house (added on to whenever and however the need dictated–Bat Cavish- you know what I mean) is gone. Dad is at least proud of his dandelion free scattered patches of bermuda grass struggling to survive in the blue clay gumbo of Chelford. Thanks for making me think of the dandelion as a good thing.
I can just picture your dad. Oh well, something to keep him busy, right? And yes, Bat Caves are prevalent in MissCo…
Julie from Pary Moppins beat me to the “they are edible as well” 🙂
I dont think dandelions are weeds either. i love them and so does my kiddo
So pretty. I don’t mean to link drop, but I wrote something about wildflowers here. http://wp.me/p2gaRC-Fc
They also attract butterflies…good for your butterfly garden.