# General > Gardening >  Dandelions

## bagpuss

Am I right in thinking there are rather more of these weeds than hitherto?

On my way to work, the verges on the roadside appear covered with the things, and those in my garden bear a striking resemblance to triffids!

Could this be a cunning plan by Homebase? Over the past few days i've spent over £40 on weed and feed and Roundup (don't want to kill the neighbour's cat- just the weeds) and about 10 hours of slog in the garden.

In the old days one got rid of them with salt. Digging them up's useless- you'd need the skills of a dentist to get those roots out.
So what do the orgers do? Answers on this thread please?

----------


## obiron

now that youve mentioned it i we have a good load of dandelions in the garden this year. only noticed cos i need to get cedric to cut the grass again.

----------


## Geo

I haven't noticed much diference in the garden but what is trying to take over is Ground Elder.

----------


## JAWS

Mine are thriving! What is so annoying is that cosset and care for your plants and you end up struggling to make them survive. 
Then millions of dandelions appear from nowhere and, with no help at all, make a massive takeover bid! 

It's just so unfair!  :Frown:

----------


## Ann

And what is wrong with dandelions? :Wink:  

They are beautiful flowers and if they hadn't been labelled weeds, we would be buying them for our gardens. They bring a bit of sunshine to our lives! 

I love the daisies too and the poppies, bluebells, primroses etc., all growing wild and adding colour to the countryside. ::

----------


## Ricco

> And what is wrong with dandelions? 
> 
> They are beautiful flowers and if they hadn't been labelled weeds, we would be buying them for our gardens. They bring a bit of sunshine to our lives! 
> 
> I love the daisies too and the poppies, bluebells, primroses etc., all growing wild and adding colour to the countryside.


Ann's right - it is these early native 'flowers' that provide that much needed energy boost for our butterflies and bees, especially bumblebees.  I know they are not really desirable in the garden but they are OK in the countryside.

My thought is that they are not only bigger and more numerous but also earlier than normal.  I was thinking that perhaps they are becoming resistant to weedkillers - plants do adapt as well.  Any scientific thought amongst the orgers?

----------


## Tugmistress

Since moving into this house about 3 years ago the only things that grow very well in this garden are dandelions nettles and docks lol. 
I decided to cheat and have an organic lawn mower or two now  :Wink:  ( a couple of rabbits) which are in a 4ft square pen during the day that gets moved around half the 'lawn'. the other half i have decided to leave 'wild' but also thrown about 15 packets of various flower seeds down to see what else can come up with only nature to help, i am hoping it may be a bit more colourful too this summer lol.
Back to the original point, yes i have noticed the dandelions in more abundance this year so far, and also some rather huge buttercups that i had to look at twice to see what they were!

----------


## Ricco

> Since moving into this house about 3 years ago the only things that grow very well in this garden are dandelions nettles and docks lol. 
> I decided to cheat and have an organic lawn mower or two now  ( a couple of rabbits) which are in a 4ft square pen during the day that gets moved around half the 'lawn'. the other half i have decided to leave 'wild' but also thrown about 15 packets of various flower seeds down to see what else can come up with only nature to help, i am hoping it may be a bit more colourful too this summer lol.
> Back to the original point, yes i have noticed the dandelions in more abundance this year so far, and also some rather huge buttercups that i had to look at twice to see what they were!


Hello, Tugmistress.  Yep, nature's solution is best.  I found guinea pigs were far more effective than rabbits - they leave the lawn like a bowling green.  Rabbits tend to chew, hop, chew, hop leaving some areas untouched.  The guinea pig bulldozes along like a Hoover - amazing!

----------


## Tugmistress

he he he,
i guess i can see me hunting out a guinea pig to add to the menagerie then with the excuse 'well it's a more effective lawn mower and will pick up the bits the rabbits left behind' lol ::

----------


## sjwahwah

dandelions are edible and medicinal why would you want to get rid of them?

----------


## coastown

why dont we gather all the dandelions, make dandelion wine and have a orger party

----------


## sjwahwah

that sounds a grand idea! cheers to that!

----------


## beetlecrusher

Hi

Has anyone got a solution for removing ground elder - it's taking over my garden like fury!! ::

----------


## sjwahwah

ground elder is edible and delicious!!!!

but if you want rid... mulch... put down cardboard..... then compost then straw or hedge clips.

----------


## beetlecrusher

Hey, thanks for that. That should liven up the old salad.  ::

----------


## nicnak

Besides being very good in salads, dandelions also make a lovely coffee but if you do want to get rid of the put a spike through the centre of the plant then pull it out and pour a small amount of salt down the hole the spike made this will kill the offending plant in a few days.

----------


## kwbrown111

You can actually buy dandelion seeds on EBay

----------


## Ricco

> why dont we gather all the dandelions, make dandelion wine and have a orger party  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp...68&pp=ZNfox000


Steady on the dandelion wine - its a diuretic.  I used to make a lot of wine at college (someone else made the beer) and found that half a bottle of the stuff will have you on the lav for hours!   :Grin:

----------


## Ricco

I have a lot of hazel runners sprouting up through the lawn.  They just sneer at the 'Feed and Weed' I put down.  As the roots go very deep I can't dig them all up.  Does anyone know of a good way to get rid of them.. short of dynamite?

----------


## janette

> Steady on the dandelion wine - its a diuretic.  I used to make a lot of wine at college (someone else made the beer) and found that half a bottle of the stuff will have you on the lav for hours!


Dandelions are known as 'pee the beds'

----------

