Home & Garden: This plant is a real dandy

It’s spring, and I throw up my hands in despair when I see those ubiquitous, sunshiny flowers with serrated leaves dotting my yard. I can’t decide whether the stubborn dandelion is a weed or a wildflower. Friend or foe?

Dandelions are members of the Taraxacum genus which translates to “bitter herb.” Dandelion leaves, roots, flowers and stems are chock full of medicinal properties that our ancestors used to cure a number of ailments. This “sunny herb” wasn’t a complete cure-all, but it was used routinely for diarrhea, scurvy, rickets, anaemia, liver disease and hangovers. One dandelion plant contains more Vitamin C than a tomato, more Vitamin A than spinach, as well as significant amounts of potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron, all of which contribute to overall human health.

Dandelion tea and supplements aid in digestion, while their peppery leaves – similar to arugula – can be used in quiches, pesto, and on pizza. A tasty honey- like jelly can be made from the flowerheads.

Beyond their medicinal and culinary benefits, dandelions are useful in other ways. They are used to make dyes, and the stems and leaves contain latex that is harvested for making adhesives.

When I was a child, my grandpa paid me five cents a basket to collect dandelion heads for liqueur and wine making. I remember bringing my mother dandelion bouquets for display on the kitchen table. It was delightful to blow the fluffy white parachute seeds or ‘pappas’ to the four winds and watch as they travelled to places unseen.

Dandelions are nutritious for humans; less so for insects. However, they do provide a source of nectar which helps insects survive in early spring after our long winters. Dandelions help attract beneficial insects that will pollinate our gardens. Finches, sparrows, grosbeaks, pine siskins and redpolls all enjoy feeding on dandelion seeds.

Dandelions have some positive traits, but we must acknowledge that they are also invasive. Each plant can produce about 15-20,000 seeds over the course of a growing season. They are adaptable to various soil conditions and grow quickly. Removing the carrot- like taproots is always a challenge. So how do we control these cheery invaders?

Personally, I reject chemical methods as they can cause greater ecological harm. After I throw up my hands, I throw down my garden knife, and get to work, manually removing this yellow nuisance from my yard. At minimum, lopping off flower heads prevents seed spread. Repeated, targeted use of natural methods like boiling water or vinegar work well as spot treatments. Hand-pulling is much easier after watering or a rainfall. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix and reducing dandelion populations requires patience spread over a few seasons.

Consider this: If you let your grass grow three or four inches tall, it shades out the sun- loving dandelions. Whether you consider dandelions as friend or foe, leave a few for early springtime feeding.

This series of gardening articles is brought to you by the Simcoe County Master Gardeners, member of the Master Gardeners of Ontario. For more information, visit www.simcoecountymg.ca.