7 Dandelion Myths You Should Stop Believing
Are dandelions the pesky pests we believe they are? Or, are they beneficial for the garden and the surrounding ecosystems? The answer lies somewhere in between the two extremes. Join native plant gardener Jerad Bryant in tackling these seven dandelion myths.
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Dandelions are perennial forbs with leafy greens, thick taproots, and sunshine-yellow blooms. The blooms morph into fluffy, spherical seed heads. Each seed has a parachute-like appendage attached to it, allowing it to float into new locations, like your lawn or raised beds.
Your first impulse may be to pull these yellow-blooming weeds and be on with it. They take up space, invade garden beds, and suppress native plant seeds from developing. They also add diversity to lawns, feed local pollinators, and are edible and nutritious. They’re not “good” or “bad”—they’re dandelions!
The effect these perennials have on the environment is mixed, and whether or not you should pull them depends on more than one factor. Let’s get into it.
7 Dandelion Myths
The myths about dandelions are endless! Not only are there mythological stories about these historical plants, but there are also many half-truths about their behavior in the landscape. Dandelions are both the weeds of current-day society and the symbols of happiness and prosperity from the past.
Myth: Dandelions Can’t Help Pollinators
Most flowers have nectar, pollen, or both of these substances. They provide pollinators with proteins, fats, and sugars, allowing them to survive throughout the year. Some flowers have lots of beneficial nectar or pollen, while others have small amounts.
Dandelions have small amounts of nectar that both native and non-native bees can access. European honeybees love these flowers, but so too do native species like bumblebees, carpenter bees, and ground-dwelling bees.
Dandelions act as a snack, rather than a full dish. They open before other ephemerals in spring; they can help hungry bugs, but the critters will need other sources of nectar and pollen to sustain themselves. The best food sources for local pollinators are native flowering plants, including native dandelion species.
Myth: Dandelions Are Ugly
Are dandelions ugly? Ask yourself this question. It may help to pretend like you’ve never seen the plant before. After some reconsideration, you may find these plants cute, if not beautiful! Their understated beauty lies in their resilient, hardy nature and their golden-colored blooms.
Artists, photographers, and painters often frame dandelion leaves, flowers, and roots in their work. Many of them find the rugged, cut foliage charming, not ugly.
You may still say, “Well, I think they’re ugly!” This is fair, as everyone has a different version of beauty. I can’t tell you to love the dandelions, only that other people in the world find them captivating, alluring, and enchanting.
Myth: Dandelions Have No Use
This myth defies the history of the dandelion! European colonists brought the plant to North America from Europe as an edible perennial for gardens. It quickly escaped walled gardens and spread into disturbed regions. Nowadays, it is present in most countries worldwide.
All parts of the dandelion are edible. Use the greens as a cooked greens replacement for spinach or chard. The flowers are slightly sweet and crunchy, adding floral charm to salads, sandwiches, and charcuterie boards.
When dried, roasted, and ground, the roots make a tasty coffee substitute. Steep them in water, add milk and sugar, and drink your homegrown beverage. If you’d like to extend your coffee supply, you can add the ground roots alongside the ground coffee beans when you brew a fresh pot.
These plants are also helpful in the garden. They break up compacted dirt and bring nutrients from deep below ground to the upper portions of the soil where other plants can access them. They’re also indicative of calcium deficiencies, which helps you better estimate fertilizer requirements for the garden.
Myth: Dandelions Are Hard to Remove
Dandelion plants may be hard to pull, but they’re not hard to remove. There is a wealth of removal options that’ll work to destroy them.
Hand pulling is an option, though it often causes root pieces to break off in the ground. They’ll sprout new shoots if you can’t get them out of the dirt. The best time to hand-pull is in early spring when the soil is soft and the dandelions are small.
Instead of hand pulling, use a Hori knife or a trowel to dig them out. Stab the tool down along the plant’s side, and loosen the ground to remove the entire root system. Other tools, like the Cobra weeder or a three-prong cultivator, can also assist you in the removal process.
Instead of spending time and effort digging them, why not snuff the dandelions out? You can use a three-inch-thick layer of organic mulch to deprive the leaves of sunlight and cause the roots to die out. Simply place it on the young perennials in spring, and keep replenishing the mulch so it stays three inches thick.
Myth: Dandelions Invade Ecosystems
Many non-native species of dandelion are labeled as invasive weeds because of their foreign origin. Though they’re non-native, they’re not on the federal noxious weed list. Noxious weeds are regulated by law, and they are incredibly invasive and damaging to native ecosystems.
Dandelions are aggressive, but they’re not noxious. They tend to spread into disturbed, altered, or excavated sites with bare soil. They thrive on forgotten farmlands, ranges, and yards.
There are also native dandelion species that are incredibly beneficial for pollinators in their range. These species aren’t invasive, as native plants cannot be invasive. They may be unruly and aggressive, but not invasive.
Myth: Dandelions Can’t Grow in the Shade
Dandelion seedlings can grow in the shade! This myth is false, as these perennials thrive in a wide range of conditions. They’ll adapt themselves to fit the environment they’re in.
In the shade, dandelion leaves may look light green and large, like lettuce. They may also have white, fuzzy growth on them, as powdery mildew targets shaded dandelion foliage.
For the best results, cultivate this yellow-blooming perennial in full sun. It’ll thrive with three to eight hours of daily direct sunlight, resisting droughts, excessive heat, and poor soil conditions.
Myth: Dandelions Are Completely Harmless
I can’t say they’re harmless, as studies show dandelion pollen has interesting effects on local plants. In a study with two native plant species, Erysimum and Erythronium, biologists in Canada proved that dandelion pollen is allelopathic, meaning it may lower seed formation rates in local plant species.
This means that when a bee has dandelion pollen on its legs and it travels to a flower on a native plant, the pollen can reduce the likelihood of successful fertilization of the flower. The flower may form some seeds or none at all. With fewer seeds, the local species have lower chances of thriving in the area.
It’s hard to say whether the downfalls outweigh the benefits—the golden flowers bloom earlier than most plants, offering tasty nectar to hungry bugs. They have ample benefits for the garden, especially in monoculture lawns where no other flowers are present. More research is necessary to determine the effects the allelopathic pollen has on ecosystems.
Key Takeaways
- Dandelion plants aren’t bad or good, they’re just plants! We see them as weeds, while earlier civilizations saw them as edible greens.
- An early bloomer, the dandelion provides valuable nectar and pollen for hungry pollinators.
- While most dandelion plants you see are the European species Taraxacum officinale, there are native dandelion species in North America, like Taraxacum ceratophorum.
- Tough and rugged, the seedlings sprout in full sun, partial shade, and dappled sunlight.
- Studies suggest that dandelions have allelopathic effects on local species.
