Polly Pullar defends the much-maligned dandelion
Polly Pullar urges us to keep this humble wildflower in our gardens.
IT would be wonderful if, after you have read this feature on one of the most glorious of our native wildflowers, you decided that, rather than waging a war against it, you’d welcome it into your gardens.
After all, this wildflower appears every year, goes on flowering for an extended period, is a brilliant yellow that brightens up grey days, and does not demand any attention to flourish.
I am talking about the humble dandelion.
It is much maligned, and I am sure that many people will already have started the annual assault to remove it.
Unfortunately, numerous flowers fall into this category.
In the words of Ella Wheeler Wilcox, “A weed is but an unloved flower.”
So what is it that makes us so determined to remove them?
Why do we spend time, energy and money replacing flowers vital to a massive list of pollinators and birds with expensive ones bought from garden centres?
Flamboyant flowers such as roses and dahlias have little value for pollinators.
But the humble dandelion, with its numerous florets – up to
100 – is laden with both nectar and pollen, and is a vital food source for bees, butterflies and beetles.
Even once they have flowered, the delicate seed heads – the dandelion clocks so loved by children to blow away and tell the time or to make a wish – provide valuable food for birds such as goldfinches, too.
As we find ourselves in the depths of an ecological crisis, where our insect populations are crashing drastically, now more than ever we need to start nurturing the wild and encouraging wildflowers to bloom everywhere.
We need to start viewing our so-called weeds through different eyes.
Our frenetic mowing and strimming activities are lethal.
The idea for a tidy area of cropped grass around a property began in the 1600s.
Then, stately homes were surrounded by large parkland areas. These expansive parks were kept neat by sheep.
Closer to the big house, gardeners kept grass tidy with a scythe, and in some cases were employed to use hand shears or even scissors – what an arduous task!
From this was born the lawn as we know it, and the fashion quickly caught on.
It was not until 1830 that engineer Edwin Beard Budding invented the first version of a lawnmower, and we have been using mowers on our lawns ever since.
Many of my friends now have robot mowers that work away by themselves all day, maintaining grass as bare as a billiard table – as do as an increasing number of gardens open to the public.
Seeing such areas fills me with horror, because they are, in effect, desert.
During hot spells of summer weather, what remains of the overmanicured sward quickly turns brown and lifeless.
And there is certainly not a dandelion or other floral treasure in sight, and nothing to feed our beleaguered wildlife.
One problem is that if we leave our grass long and let wildflowers flourish everywhere, we believe it looks a mess.
We are conditioned to this tidy garden culture, and it’s a difficult mindset to shift.
Though we might comment rudely after seeing a very messy garden, the difference between this and a tidy one is simple.
Life!
As our countryside shrinks under more and more development, a vibrant wildlife garden is beyond price.
The name dandelion comes from the French dent de lion – “lion’s tooth” – referring to the plant’s serrated leaves.
Like the rest of the plant, the leaves are edible and, when picked young, can make a delicious addition to salads.
Those tenacious roots that we struggle to dig out can be ground to make a healthy coffee substitute, and the flowers are used to make dandelion wine.
All parts of the plant are used in traditional herbal medicine.
As well as being a strong diuretic, the dandelion has numerous other healthgiving properties: it can help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, and ease inflammatory problems.
It is used for many different ailments, but treatment should always be under a trained professional’s auspices.
I love the idea that, during the 1830s, wealthy members of the gentry grew dandelions in their large greenhouses so the leaves could be used for salads in winter.
They helped flush out impurities and cleared the kidneys – very beneficial for obese port-supping individuals!
Though the dandelion is incredibly prolific, and is currently in no danger of extinction, our attitudes towards it reveal much about what we are doing to dozens of other essential and increasingly rare wildflowers.
The charity Plantlife has been running a highly successful roadside verge campaign that was featured in the “Friend” some years ago.
Readers and members of the public rallied to the cause.
It seems that much progress has been made in changing the attitudes of councils and landowners about roadside verge management.
It’s crucial now that we all continue to give our support to this excellent work, as the way verges are cut is vital.
Since the 1930s, there has been a loss of 97% of traditional meadows.
In lots of cases, roadside verges remain the last stronghold for many floral species.
Of course, safety comes first, and these wildlife-rich habitats must be cut where they infringe on visibility for road-users.
However, this is not an issue in most cases.
It’s astonishing to think that just one mile of flower-rich verge can produce 20 kg of sugar annually – enough to feed millions of pollinators.
And dandelions contribute massively to this, and are often the dominant feature bringing a splash of vibrant cheer to us all.
Verges reflect the habitat of a particular area, and every different habitat requires careful management.
Some flowers are exceedingly rare and on the brink of extinction, such as the Deptford pink, tower mustard and spiked rampion.
And even the treasures we remember from childhood, such as the charming ragged robin and melancholy thistle, are, heartbreakingly, brutally cut in their prime and under threat.
Councils and local authorities are financially squeezed, and cutbacks in the workforce are commonplace, so less actual but more specific management can be a win-win situation.
Cutting late in the season and then removing the grass ensures the flowers continue to thrive.
Wildflowers grow best in low nutrient levels, but when grass cuttings are left to rot down, they enrich the ground, allowing dominant grasses to thrive with the subsequent loss of the weaker floral species.
We can help protect our flowers by writing to our local council and asking them to leave verges to bloom.
You can find all the details of how you can contribute and who to contact on Plantlife’s excellent website.
They also have a free download on verge management, which makes a fascinating read.