dandelions...

 dandelions, though a weed are such cheery plants.. i admire their success at self seeding and i adore their beautiful clocks. a weed really is only a plant in the 'wrong' place  isn't it?

dandelions are loved by the  bees collecting nectar and their fresh young leaves can be used in salads or stir fried . my lovely friend pipany collects the flowers to make into wine. she has kindly shared her recipe on her website.  

please go and look at her charming creations too...you are sure to linger there awhile... and as for her blog.. it is beautifully written and evocative and has me dreaming of a life in Cornwall by the sea.

...i have many dandelions in flower on my lawn...i use the word lawn loosley as it implies a perfectly manicured area of grass... our lawn is functional...it is overgrown just now and due for a cut but i really don't mind it being 'shaggy' for a while longer. last week i picked some flower stems and put them in a glass jar on my garden table... they made some lovely shadows on the linen tablecloth. 

i am interested to hear your thoughts on dandelions...do you love them or lothe them and have you found any good uses for these prolific plants?

Comments

[Louise]

I'm anti-dandelion I'm afraid - despite your photos showing them at their best. But, they can be made into wine?? in that case I may well change my point of view.

[French Knots]

My lawn and flower beds are full of them, my son picks them and puts them in a vase for me.
A cheerful flower but I prefer all the dasies in my lawn.

[driftwood]

I love to grown them, they make a nice contrast to the immaculate manicured lawns of all our neighbours xxx

[Sal]

The Dandelions have been beautiful this year..and there seem to be plenty of them in my garden!
Have a wonderful weekend ;-)

[Sarah]

I love them... but then again I've never had to be responsible for caring for a yard. Ask me again in a few years when we move to our own home. My story will probably have changed.

[Pipany]

Oh, I didn't expect that Ginny! Thank you so much for the lovely mention and all the links too. You are such a sweetie and I can't wait till you come down later this year xx

[Tracy]

Lovely dandelion bouquet there, Ginny... I'm a dandelion fan, they are happy little flowers. My husband on the other hand sees them as garden battle to be own and is forever all summer long fretting over there being too many in our garden while in the neihboring garden there's none--LOL! Dandelion wine I've not had before, but would love to try...mmm...Happy weekend ((HUGS))

[kelly]

we don't seem to have many...but they are indeed sweet + cheerful i agree. my brother has just adopted a tortoise and he says she goes crazy for dandelions! x

[cathleen]

Beautiful photos...as usual for you...you're so good at taking simple little things and making them art. I have to admit to a new appreciation for dandelions due to my grandgirlie's total love of them...her little dandelion bouquets to her grammie brighten my day.

[juliab]

I was just looking at my dandelions this morning. I LIKE danelions too! They are cheery and bright. I am very excited about the prospect of making wine from them (nearly wrote 'for them' lol!!) ..

[Kitty]

I took some photos of dandelions and daisies just last weekend - they are both such beautiful flowers. I think almost all plants have beauty, even those horrors such as bindweed and ground elder have some redeeming features! x

[the homely year]

Hi, I love dandilions when they grow everywhere else apart from the garden. They remind me of childhood. Don't children just love to pick them and blow the clocks. Your photos are wonderful...that one of the shadows is beautiful...it should be on a birthday card or poster!
Margaret and Noreen

[caireen]

That's so funny - I have been looking at dandelions with a different light over the last 2 weeks...last year I was ripping them out in fistfuls and this year I just think they look so cheerful and golden. N likes them, so think I will catch them just before they 'clock' and take the heads off. I read about a man who cured himself of cancer through using dandelion root, and wonder if their prolificness is symbolic. Watched the Martha Carney programme on Bees on i-player last night - have you seen it. This morning saw honey bees on the dandelions in my garden, and glad I have left them - bees need diversity, not just the plants we like! (sorry long ranty comment!) xxx

[Sue]

Hi Ginny, thanks for your comment on my blog. I'm still not sure of the best course of action.

I'm not a big dandelion fan... but they are survivors, you've got to hand them that!

x

[raina]

Such pretty photos. I used to make wreaths for my hair out of dandelions when I was little. I still have a soft spot for them - how can anyone call them a weed.

[simone]

I featured a dandelion seed head on my Mutant Trees blog recently. I was struck at the beauty of the shadow it made. As dandelion is known as a weed I have a strong urge to pull them all up but they really are quite beautiful flowers. Hardy, vibrant yellow and stunning when in bloom and when gone to seed too. Maybe we should celebrate the dandelion more. It has many uses, is known as a diuretic and known as a wet-the-bed by my Mum!x

[carolyn]

I love them and both my husband and I were delighted when they began to "bejewel" the lawn.

[Louise]

A case of 'a place for everything and everything in its place' - dandelions do not suit my garden, they look most unsightly coming through the cracks of the paving. They seem to be doing really well this year much to my annoyance! I do love your shadow photo though. x