Flower warfare
Our seven year old asked, “Dad, can I have some pots to plant flowers in?”
“What kind of flowers are you planting?” I asked, quietly wondering where she found the seeds.
She pointed towards the pasture, now frosted with dandelions in full fluff, “The yellow ones that are white now.”
Trying not to sound too alarmed, I replied, “I don’t think those will do very well this year. I think they have to have a cold winter, and then they will work.” With the hundreds already growing in our pasture I really didn’t want to have the heart to tell her that these weeds definitely didn’t need our help. She seemed satisfied with this answer and sped off to other ventures.
I was still toying with the idea of letting her plant a couple of fluffed out dandelions when I walked through the garage later. An old coffee can on the workbench caught my eye.
It was almost completely full of dandelion fluff. To a gardener this can is about the equivalent of a garden grenade. I chuckled at her innocence, imagining how long it must have taken to fill that can.
Maybe, just maybe, I will let her plant some of them in a pot, so we can all see what it will do.
May 17th, 2010 at 8:06 am
Did you know that you can eat dandelions? If you let her plant some in a pot and they are herbicide free, you can put the flowers in salads and even dip them in batter and fry them up like pancakes. They are very good for the liver…among other things.
Just being helpful!
May 17th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Thanks Beth! The kids and I read some history books that had stories of people going through the public parks during the Depression and picking dandelion greens to make soups and salads. We have never tried them, but the cows definitely like them.
May 17th, 2010 at 8:42 am
One of my fondest memories as a 7 year old was when my Pap-pap let me taste the dandelion wine he had stored in his old tool shed at the end of the garden. My dad said that was the best batch ever.
Grandma used to cook the greens with bacon grease, almost like wilted lettuce. I sure didn’t like all the bending over to help pick them, but she was such a good cook.
I think the yellow flowers are pretty, but our neighbor looks over at the ‘meadow’ with great despair and carries a spray bottle every time he comes outside. Never would one of those seeds survive on his side of the street.
May 19th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Oh, she’s so sweet-harvesting the seeds for a better crop next year! Being non-hybid would make those heirloom seeds, wouldn’t it? ha ha ha
We have an apple tree in our yard that grew from a granny smith apple’s seed our 3 year old daughter planted in my flower pot. With the faith of a child she had no doubt it would grow. And it did! Nineteen years later (and many transplantations) it has a place of honor in the middle of the back yard. Unfortunately, it doesn’t bear the best of fruit but we can’t bear to get rid of it because she is still so proud of ‘her’ tree! And I am still touched by her faith in that tiny seed.
May 23rd, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Over here they say you can make a wish if you blow all the seeds from the dandelion in 1 blow.