You need to remove the root. And you need to do it before the flower turns into those helicopter seeds that spread everywhere.
Dandelions are back.
In gardens across Norway and Europe, people are down on their knees with dandelion tools in hand.
But insects need them, writes the Guardian, encouraging people to leave the dandelions alone.
Conservation biologist Anne Sverderup-Thygeson wholeheartedly agrees.
Annonse
"Yes, let the dandelions be!" she tells Science Norway.
"They're like little yellow suns in your lawn. The idea of 'weeds' only exists in our minds – we just need to shift our perspective," she says.
"It's time to challenge the image of the well-kept, neatly trimmed lawn as the pinnacle of garden care and green space management," biologist Anne Sverderup-Thygeson recently told Norwegian newspaper VG, in a piece about the No Mow May campaign.(Photo: Håkon Sparre / NMBU)
A little weeding is okay
The reason dandelions are so important is that there simply aren't many other flowers available for insects at the time when lawns and roadsides are covered in yellow.
"In spring and early summer, it's important to have something that blooms. There's very little pollen and nectar available for insects at those times," says Inger Auestad.
She is a botanist and ecologist at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.
"That's where dandelions come in. They're an early food source and really important for insects," she says.
So it’s good to leave some dandelions in place, Auestad recommends.
"Give the local insects a bit of dandelion to feed on," she says.
But it's also okay to do some weeding, she adds.
"I have a small garden, and it gets a bit chaotic when there's a lot of dandelions. If it bothers you to see them, you're not a terrible environmentalist for pulling a few. I do it myself," she reveals.
"And they're not that pretty once they've finished blooming. So let them bloom, and deal with them later. You're never going to wipe them out anyway," she says.
A green desert
A lush, green lawn, on the other hand, is not something Auestad or Sverderup-Thygeson are fans of.
"It might look pretty, but it offers little to no value for insects," Auestad points out.
"Instead of thinking every dandelion has to stay, the main thing is to avoid turning your garden into a green desert. Pollinators need flowers. So aim to have something blooming at all times," she says.
But it's important to choose the right flowers. Those with many petals often provide little food for insects, while open flowers like dandelions are rich in nectar and pollen.
Auestad is a strong supporter of using wild plants:
"You can plant a garden with insects in mind. But you can also just give nature a little more space – let harebells and oxeye daisies grow. That way, you're working with nature instead of against it."
In Inger Auestad's garden, parts of the lawn are allowed to grow wild, while other parts are mowed. She also pulls a few dandelions.(Photo: Kyrre Groven)
You can mow the lawn in May
The British organisation Plantlife has run a campaign for several years encouraging people not to mow their lawns in May called No Mow May.
Because what works in Britain does not always work here. The climate in the UK is milder and wetter than in Norway. Here, the advice is actually to mow the lawn in March or April, when the grass starts growing, and then let it bloom through May, writes Auestad.
"It can be a good idea to mow some areas early, before they start to flower. For me, living on the west coast of Norway, that might be sometime before May 17. This year spring came early, so I did the first mow in the second week of May, and now the oxeye daisies are standing tall, and the red clover is starting to peek through," she says.
Our gardens are important
Balance is key, says Auestad.
"If people think they absolutely can't mow the lawn before midsummer and then feel overwhelmed because their garden isn't enjoyable, that's just silly. Your garden should be a pleasant space for you and for your neighbours," she says.
The key, according to Auestad, is to avoid turning the entire garden into a lawn. Don’t cover everything with grass, and don’t mow constantly throughout the season. Instead, consider setting aside areas where the grass is left to grow, giving flowers a chance to bloom.
"If you keep mowing over and over, nothing will ever bloom. And gardens are incredibly important for biodiversity, especially in places where there’s little else in bloom," she says.
