When I was in Ireland, I noticed that people allowed dandelions, clover and other weeds in their lawns. Even in the upscale suburb where I was staying (a resort area — all the houses had fancy cars out front), the lawns had dandelions in them.
Dandelions are the happy faces of spring. I love them, and I don’t see why they have to be viewed as a blight. What could be more pleasing than the contrast of bright yellow and spring green after a long winter?
These pictures are from the Saggart Parish cemetery, in county Saggart on the west side of Dublin. They’re for all the dandelion-haters out there.
This entry is about
Previous Journals
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What a difference a week makes
Tiny Farm garden and Onion, Evergreen Bunching Sprouting
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Pea, Blizzard Snow (greens #2) Sprouting and Plot #79 garden
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Plot #79 garden
Later Journals
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More seed planting, a bit of a harvest
Tiny Farm garden
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Lettuce 'Really Red Deer Tongue' Sprouting and Microgreens tray #1 garden
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Cress, garden Sprouting, Orach, volunteer Harvesting, and Corn Salad Harvesting
Comments
twbigdogsgirl wrote:
You know, you are right. It is a pain to try and get rid of the weeds. I guess if we really want to be “green” we will just embrace the “weeds” as they are called. After all, one person’s weeds is another flowers.
Posted on 02 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
Flora wrote:
This has always been how I have managed my lawn, much to the chagrin of some of my neighbours. I let anything that grows underneath my lawnmower blades grow (and I set my blades very high just to make sure more grows). Honestly I stopped watering the backyard last year because I couldn’t be bothered to waste precious water and time on something that wasn’t garden and while most of the regular grass suffered some from it I still had one of the greenest yards on the block. All of the dandelions and clover did just fine in the heat and dry. Besides, as you meniotned, dandelions are simply too happy looking to pull out for no reason at all…
Posted on 02 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
kelly wrote:
That is so cool, I love the photos! I let my yard grow all sorts of weeds too. Fortunately my neighbours don’t seem to mind too much (although if they did I still wouldn’t do anything different). Dandelions, orange hawkweed (which I LOVE!), clover… attracts pollinators like you wouldn’t believe!
Posted on 02 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
tash wrote:
that is so cool. I think a lawn looks unhealthy with only one species of plant in it. Some people seem to think that having dandlions and other flowers in your yard is like leaving your trash all over it. :roll:
Posted on 02 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
urbandogsgarden wrote:
I’d like to print out this journal, enlarge it to about 3′ × 5′ and put it in my front lawn with the headline “This is a healthy lawn in Ireland.” My lawn looks exactly like this and I am purposely seeding clover (2 lbs worth). Today my next door neighbor shouted over the fence: “My son can come over later and put weed and feed on your lawn.”
Ack. No thank you.
Posted on 02 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
Katxena wrote:
At least your neighbor asked!! :) This is really more dandelions than the lawns in people’s yards had, but there were still a lot of dandelions and other weeds. Probably about half this many. What was most interesting was that the lawns were generally nice lawn grass — it wasn’t like crab grass or anything — and they looked well cared for. But they clearly weren’t being purists about getting all the weeds out.
Posted on 02 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
Om wrote:
I love dandelions in my lawn, along with clover, plantain, and many other herbs that I harvest and make a living from. I offer to dig them out of my neighbors’ lawns on the condition they haven’t used any herbicides ever. Once I begin explaining to them all the little dandelion does, and they tell others, I have seen our dandelion populations boom. It also helps they know there is that crazy lady down the block who will weed your lawn for free if you don’t spray it. Hehe.
Posted on 02 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
KatPowers wrote:
While we were getting shoes on so we could dig in the yard this weekend, a man came to the door. He said he wanted to cut the lawn for us, for a fee, and he’d “get rid of those dandelions out there.” Well, my 4 year old who answered the door and regularly makes me yellow bouquets, was quite peeved. When I asked him who was at the door talking to daddy, he said “some guy selling something we don’t need.”
Posted on 04 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
amyohair wrote:
I clip their heads and freeze them until I have enough to make dandelion wine! Subtle and unusual flavor, not hard to make.
Posted on 04 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
redloon wrote:
Lovely photos! I was admiring all of the cheery dandelions in a nearby park just this weekend…
Posted on 04 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
Armorel wrote:
We have dandelions in our lawn too … along with thousands of daisies. My husband swears that the daisies duck down as the lawnmower blades pass over them and then pop up again to blow a raspberry as he moves on :-)
Posted on 05 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
TropicanaRoses wrote:
Wow! There are a lot of chuckles in this thread.
@Flora- I have one such neighbor. We live in the country, and most of the people are mid income families who don’t really care if grass or weeds grow in their yards. The neighbor across the road is constantly out spraying it with something. Luckily, they are across the street. They are very nice, but very nosy. If I want to know something about a neighbor, they can usually tell me. I think they are a bit peeved that their only next door neighbor, and us across the street don’t weed and feed, and have as yet to mow our yards.
@ Katxena- I had almost forgotten that you had that weird neighbor! :)
@KatPowers- Love the story! I have little ones too, and they are always saying interesting things like that. Isn’t it fun? :D
Posted on 06 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
FarmetteReport wrote:
Folia – where we’re secure enough to embrace our dandelions! ;-)
Posted on 07 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
smokensqueal wrote:
I knew someone that use to use dandelions for some sort of honey type spread. I didn’t like it. As far as my yard I like it green and I like the color to be in places that I put it but at the same time I don’t go spraying chemicals to stop them. I just give the kids a little $$$ incentive to pick them which they like to do anyway. As far as clover goes I don’t mind that as long as it’s away from where the kids and wife frequent. They are a bit allergic to bee stings. :(
Posted on 07 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
KirstyH wrote:
I’ve always thought that if dandelions were really hard to grow, they’d be a much prized garden plant that would be bred into lots of different shades and shapes and garden writers would regularly rave about their beautiful colour and their stunning seed heads.
Posted on 08 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
Aughty wrote:
Welcome to USA the home of the big whopper, big cars and green lawn$$$.
Posted on 09 May 09 (about 4 years ago)
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