Kitchen Garden Forum

I like to see them growing in the wild too and agree that the flowers are fascinating - each petal being a separate flower. That's why I take so many photos of them.

As they say a weed is just a wildflower growing in the wrong place and I have several thousand growing on my plot paths which would take forever and a day to individually weed out so they have to be mown down in the hope that this keeps them in check. I would leave them be if they stayed on the paths but weeding dandelion from vegetable beds especailly ones that have managed to develop a good root is no easy task. Even if I didn't mind doing this I don't think plot neighbours would be happy if I just let them al seed.

I do have lots of fruit blossom that the bees can enjoy so don't think I am depriving them and other well behaved wildflowers growing under the fruit trees.

Who would have thought, the humble dandelion could evoke such passionate replies.

Just out of interest, here are some local names for dandelions, taken from Geoffrey Grigson's The Englishman's Flora:

Bum-pipe
Burning Fire
Canker
Clock
Clocks and Watches
Combs and Hairpins
Devil's Milk Plant
Dindle
Dog Posy
Eksis Girse
Farmer's Clocks
Four O'clock
Golden Suns
Heart Fever Grass
Horse Gowan
Irish Daisy
Lay-a-bed
Mess a Bed
Milk Gowan
Monk's Head
One, Two, Three, Pee a Bed
Pishamoolag
Piss-a-bed
Pissimire
Pittle Bed
Priest's Crown
Shit-a-bed
Stink Davie
Swine's Snout
Wet-a-bed
Wet Weed
Witch Gowan

In French it is pissenlit too.

I take it they didn't use to think a lot of the old Dadelion, then!

You can actually buy dandelion tea as a diuretic - ok if you can stay near a loo and not to be drunk before you go to bed!

It's not just the dandelions round here - we also have fields full of Lady's Smock. In fact I have decided not to cut my front lawn. The Dandelions and Lady's Smock look much too nice and in any case the 'lawn' has more moss than grass. Perhaps because the weather is relatively cold, the dandelions are not yet seeding.

The Dandelion was taken over to Norway by monks and really loved that country. They also seemed to be double there compared with ours.

And in New Zealand - Alan - Gorse and Broom are alien weeds of the highest order. They have Broom and Gorse eradication programs.

Ah Lady's Smock/Cuckoo Flower/Milkmaids - one of the true beauties of the spring. We have a wet lawn which is full of them. A good excuse not to mow
Lots of rather sexual connotations to the names

Here they're Llaeth y gaseg - Mare's milk.

madasafish, thank you yes bees are so important, planting suitable flowers for them among the veg as usual. At the moment they are enjoying the fruit blossom.