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DIGGING DEEP
Don’t ditch the dandelions!
W
ith things warming up and extra light afforded us during this time of year, our plants and flowers should be blooming. But they aren’t the only things that benefit from the long, warm days – weeds make the most of it too, and seem to spring up just as soon as your back is turned! While a cleverly cultivated outdoor space is a beautiful thing, it is also worth remembering that weeds are simply plants in the wrong area. Take the cheery dandelion, for example. They are flowering fantastically just now, and are a valuable, early food source for bumblebees and solitary bees, hover flies, day flying moths and butterflies who make the most of their nectar and pollen. If they aren’t interfering with your best garden displays, would you consider letting the dandelion stay? Their bright yellow flowers are visible from March through to October, but this time of year is when they are at their most abundant. They are easily adaptable and can grow anywhere – from fields and roadsides through to your carefully maintained garden, and their seeds are plentiful; a flower can have as many as 400, although on average around 180 are released from each head. If left to its own devices, dandelion plants have been found to survive between 10 and 13 years, which is quite something – though not if you are a gardener being driven mad by this persistent player which keeps on trucking despite best efforts to remove it. Before having a lovely lawn became a thing, dandelions were a favourite blossom – and grass was often moved out so the dandelions could flourish! These masters of survival have long been revered for their first aid properties and 100s of years ago they were used to treat a variety of ailments; from warts to the plague. And it seems that our ancestors really were onto something: That little plant that you show such disdain for, happens to be rich in vitamins A and C, and also boasts a whole load of other goodness. In her book Eating on the Wild Side, author Jo Robinson said that compared to spinach, dandelion leaves have eight times more antioxidants and two times more calcium. They are also said to be a good source of iron, magnesium and potassium. 34
Today, dandelion tea is readily available to purchase and the leaves act as a diuretic and help aid digestion, and while the recipes have changed with time, just what do you suppose dandelion and burdock is all about?! The drink has been taken in this country since the Middle Ages, and while it’s a readily available carbonated treat today, in bygone times it was a type of mead. As a youngster, my rabbit would love it when I’d return home having spied and collected some spectacularly sized dandelion leaves, which would be washed and presented before Currants devoured them with glee. My bunny and our pollinators clearly know a good thing when they see one. Whether you love it or hate it, the resilient dandelion is certainly a fascinating plant with a long and rich history, and try as you might, this persistent garden dweller is going nowhere anytime soon. When you spray nasty pesticides or chop one down, you also cut down a food source for Bertie Bee, which is food for thought...
Dandelions provide an early food source for bumblebees and solitary bees
Top Tip... Greenhouses can overheat at this time of year, and need adequate humidity and shade to ensure plants are happy and leaves aren’t being damaged. If it’s a gloriously hot day, and a balmy night, feel free to leave the doors to your greenhouse open throughout. When it comes to humidity (necessary to prevent heat damage during hot spells), damping down usually dry, hard areas like pathways in greenhouses is a brilliant and simple way to avoid problems.
How does your garden grow? June is a wonderful time of year with gardens at their most exuberant, and we have warm days and long summer evenings in which to enjoy the scents of the flowers and the sounds of birds and insects. A very lovely shrub which flowers in May and early June is Rubus Tridel ‘Benenden’ - which is a medium-sized deciduous shrub with arching stems, tolerant of most soil conditions and generally disease and trouble free. When in bloom, the stems are studded with large, white saucer shaped flowers, similar to a single rose, and approximately 3” in diameter. Although related to roses and blackberries, it is completely thornless which makes pruning when needed a painless operation. This is best undertaken just after flowering. Reduce the stems by about one-third, cutting just above a strong new shoot, and removing one or two old stems at the base to gradually reinvigorate the plant. As with many shrubs, it makes a spectacular frame for one of the spring-flowering clematis, for example varieties of C.alpina or C macropetala, but not C. montana as this is too vigorous. The clematis will flower in April and May and, although not needing to be pruned, will not suffer if it is trimmed back a bit when pruning the Rubus. The colours of these varieties vary from white and primrose through to pink and blue and, depending on whether it has been an early spring, the flowering times may overlap but they would all complement the Rubus. It’s an ideal time to take softwood cuttings – and don’t forget to keep dead-heading to prolong the flowering season of many plants! Anne Slape and Margaret Pateman > Denton & District Gardening Club is a small, friendly club which meets on a Monday evening every month. New members and visitors are always welcome. For more information please contact Margaret at m.pateman@yahoo.co.uk or 01604 890875.
June 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire
