Weedy beauty (Frenemies)

Dandelions just can't seem to catch a break. As a gardener, you hate them. They appear in early spring before many of the "planted" flowers bloom, trying to trick you into thinking that they really are your daffodils, golden rananculus or some sweet buttercups. But you know they're not. You look closer to inspect them, praying a volunteer escaped onto your lawn... but lo and behold, it's them, ...dandelions...the insidious vultures of your well tended garden.


Well you know this is a blog about neglected beauty, so just wait... I'm going to sing a few praises about these golden nuisances.

Like many plants, their Latin name was derived from the Greek, Taraxacum officinale, which literally means altering or stirring up. That may make sense from a gardening point of view because they get you pretty agitated just looking at them. But Taraxacum officinale is a reference to stirring up your digestive tract. For example, dandelions roots have been used for centuries to remove toxins and poisons from the blood. They were quite popular in the Middle Ages for a treatment against jaundice.


Today, dandelion roots and extracts are still used and can be found in health food stores. Their use as a diuretic and a laxative is practiced by many homeopathic practitioners.


You can eat them too. Dandelions are high in vitamins A, B, and C. Their leaves are anti-oxidants that can be tossed in salads, soups, honey and jellies. Heck, you can can even drink them by adding the extract to make wines and coffee.


As far as a flower, well...sure. They will hold up for a day or so if you cut them and put them directly in water. They create a hippie-chic look if you use them individually without the "nicer" flowers that you actually planted.

Andy Goldsworthy's famous dandelion display

So when you yank them out of your lawn, please remember the stems and roots can be re-used as a dietary supplement. And recycling is good, even if it's a weed. Maybe when you are done, you can pick up a copy of Ray Bradbury's, Dandelion Wine and learn a little about wine making and Bradbury's life as a kid in small-town America.

Dandelions...they may just be our "frenemies" after all.

Other Interesting Facts about Dandelions:

*The word Dandelion comes from the French name for the plant, "dents de lion", or teeth of the lion, referring to the jagged edges of the leaf of the plant.

*The milk can be used as a repellent against warts.

*Centuries ago, it was considered good-luck to put 2-3 stems of dandelions in a bridal bouquet-- their flower meaning is faithfulness and happiness.

*Dandelion seeds are an important food to many small birds.

*The dandelion first came from Asia but it now calls the entire planet home!

*The dandelion was one of more than 2000 herbs that were used when the settlers came from England.