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Where do you stand on dandelions?

josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
in The potting shed
No pun intended.  In recent years, wildlife enthusiasts have been telling us we should tolerate dandelions for the sake of early and late bees and wasps.  I do think that if dandelions were rare and difficult to grow, we'd all want them, for their stunning colour, long flowering season and honey-sweet perfume. I've negotiate a compromise with mine, I tolerate them in the grass, but not in the borders or block-paved drive.  What do you think?
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  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    I love them



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Pauline 7Pauline 7 Posts: 2,246
    I put up with them, but take the heads off before they seed. can't eradicate them completely as neighbours either side don't do anything with theirs.
    West Yorkshire
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I think we would tolerate them more if they didn't spread quite so fast and didn't have a taproot that can reach Australia. I take mine out (although I'm a wildlife enthusiast) just like I take out periwinkle and  ox eye daisies and other plants set on world domination, starting from my garden. I can see that dandelions are important for pollinators. So, call me a literal Nimby.
  • SussexsunSussexsun Posts: 1,444
    I hate them and pull the heads off and dig them out at first sight.
    To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.

  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    I leave a little patch and then watch the goldfinches feast on them and spit out the bit they don't like! 
  • Mark56Mark56 Posts: 1,653
    In moderation yes, I don't mind them in the lawn or the wild areas just dig them up from the borders/stop them going to seed. Was it last year GW did a survey of the best plants for bees and the native Dandelion came up top with wildflowers? 
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Early bees are tucking into the pulmonaria which I leave  until the marjoram blooms . VB for the autumn. If they would prefer dandelions, they can take their custom elsewhere.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    edited April 2018
    I don’t tolerate them in the beds, I dead head the ones in grass, would rather they weren’t there.
    i have miles of area around for dandelions to grow, my garden’s for nicer wild flowers and other not so wild ones.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    I weed them out of beds but generally ignore them elsewhere. They're a lot less trouble than the docks, creeping thistle and couch grass. They get mowed on the rare occasions it's dry enough to get the mower out on the bits of grass I like to call 'lawn' (I doubt most people would recognise it as one - just a patch of slightly shorter grass, moss and clover than the surrounding areas). At the moment they are blooming happily out there and the bumbles are just as pleased to see them
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • PurplerainPurplerain Posts: 1,053
    No. I won't have them anywhere. They can parachute off somewhere else.
    SW Scotland
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