Dandelions - An Undervalued and Underrated Wildflower
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- In this video I look at the Dandelion and what benefits it has for wildlife and why we should not remove it from our lawns.
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#Dandelion #NoMowMay #Wildflowers #Meadow #Garden #Wildlife #Nature #Wild
My daughter loves dandelions. She plays with them. I'm not mowing them alongside clovers after watching your videos. Growing up in India, I used to love these wild flowers - I feel the earth smiles at us through them!
This comment made me smile a lot after a pretty hard week, thank you so much for this. As kids we used to make wishes when blowing the seed heads, not really understanding that we were helping them to thrive and spread :) Your last sentence will remain with me for a very long time and knowing that you and your daughter are benefitting from the videos has made such a difference to this long hard week :) Best wishes to you and your family, I hope you have a fantastic weekend - Joel
I feel so strongly about this! I love the look of hundreds of bright, pretty, yellow flowers and can't understand why people would want to get rid of things like dandelions and daisies. I get so frustrated with people who claim it looks 'messy', I just don't understand the thinking.
Agreed Greg! This is something we must discuss when we meet up as I couldn't agree more - this wildflower has been maligned for so long, just for existing and we have to admire it's stamina under all that bad press that it's had for years, but with no real justification or reason other than people have been conditioned to view it as an enemy of sorts... Off to Scotland on Sunday for 2 weeks but when I'm back we must arrange a date once I've checked the work schedule again - in the meantime, have a fab weekend - best wishes, Joel
People get rid of the dandelions in their garden and then rush off to the garden centre to pay good money for plants with yellow flowers. Duh!
@@hattiedraper1061 Great point! 🤣
Yes!! This needs to be said! Too many “carpet lawns” have been ruining our natural areas and decimating our bugs, bees, pollinators and all the animals that feed on them. We need these beautiful flowers and all the wildflowers that go with them. 💚
Couldn't have said it better Jessica, thank you :) Best wishes, Joel
Dandelions was a stable diet in Greece and it still is eaten by the old folk.
To be honest I was one that used to dig them out of the borders so it’s all down to the likes of you showing us the way 😉
But last 30 years I’ve never ever used grass feed that gets rid of wild flowers.
So keep spreading the word Joel 😊
Hey George :) Your comment truly has to be one of the best ones here - no offence meant to anyone else of course - but yours shows change and what change can mean, and the rewards change can bring - you're the perfect advert for this. Regarding old folk... one particularly dear old person said to me
"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies..."
And that's truer than ever right now 🙂
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thank you Joel.
I have discovered the smallest flower that I’ve ever seen in my lawn. Petals are around 5mm and stalks around 50mm tall. I’ll send you an image to see. It’s like a miniature sweet violet but white with a tint of blue/lilac flower petal 😊
@@george-1961 Please do send a photo! Your garden has had so many hidden treasures, so glad it's you that's discovering them :)
Boy, I cannot agree with you more! Dandelions, violets, wild strawberries, clover, and really countless other wildflowers! I’ve always loved Dandelions, and do not understand why people are in the pursuit of such a sterile lawn. I’m actually trying to encourage miss to grow in some areas of my yard. My neighbor thinks I’m crazy 😁. I’m in Maryland, U.S. and live in an older house, that was divided many years ago into two houses. I share a front yard with my neighbor and I ask him sometimes not to mow over some parts of the yard when certain wildflowers are blooming.
This was so good to read Sheila - I couldn't agree more of course :) I do wonder when dandelions became unfashionable or a sign of an unkempt yard - we value sunflowers that are yellow and so many other wildflowers of the same colour, yet dandelions... they provide so much nectar to insects that already desperately need our help, and we all know what will happen to us when the insects decline beyond saving - I am absolutely thrilled you're fighting for them :) Best wishes to you and yours and have a great weekend - Joel
Hi there, I'm in Maryland too, down the shore.
those plants are not native to your land though, the native bees do not like non-native plants
So sad to hear people's attitude towards, not only dandelions, but other flowers that show up on our lawns. I've been trying to educate friends and family about how important dandelions are as an early nectar source but some can't see them as any other than a weed. What is a weed? I tell them, nature doesn't make mistakes - all flowers, plants, insects serve a purpose. Flat green lawn does not. Thank you for this video!
I completely agree and I have tried to explain all of this to my mum, but she doesn't want to listen and keeps plucking the dandelion flower heads from our tiny, tiny little patch of grass at the bottom of our garden. Grr. I can't stop her doing it, but I think they are lovely, they look pretty, a flash of bright yellow like little suns, and they are not doing any harm. They even help improve the soil itself. I will share this video and hopefully more people will stop plucking them and mowing. Where I live, the council has stopped using pesticides and weedkillers around the town and the wildflowers are sprouting up all over in verges and gutters and pavements. Some people have complained, as they could be a tripping hazard to disabled people.
This sounds wonderful re the local council, and thank you for fighting for these much maligned wildflowers that don't deserve the bad-press they get. I am going to do another short video on these as, after research, I found out exactly why they're hated so much :/ Have a wonderful weekend, best wishes - Joel
I'm a weed guy .dandelion and stinging nettles are kinda my favourite wildflowers .I made a little wildlife pond last year and the only time I cut or pick dandelion and nettles is to either eat them make tea from them or I make liquid plant food from them to grow fruits and vegetables .btw dandelion is one of the few native flowers that have pollen and nectar. That makes it cool 😎
Absolutely it does Mark - so good to read this :) I expect you are rewarded for leaving these important wildflowers, well done! Best wishes, Joel
I always notice a lot of insects like the dandelions in my garden when they bloom but sadly they end up being mown down by the gardeners. Recently I asked to leave the borders of the garden alone because these nice wild flowers (one with small pink flowers and another type with large purple flowers) started spouting up. Hoping to maintain these wild flowering edges for wildlife since I've noticed some brown caterpillars in the tall grasses around them.
I see it as my job to counter gardens such as this by cramming my garden with as much wildlife attracting plants and trees as is possible to restore the balance...
Yes! You should see mine... although to be honest I can't remember the last time *I* had a good look at it! Off to Scotland tomorrow to build that bird-hide so I'm hoping the weather holds here and I can spend some time in the garden early morning. Hope you have a great weekend, so good to hear from you. Best wishes - Joel
Loads of Dandelions and Daises in my garden. Myself and my wife love seeing them 🥰 🥰 I will set my lawnmower a little higher still from now on 👍 My neighbours' garden is not only sterile from plants and flowers, but even grass 😮😲 This is no exaggeration: It's gravel from corner to corner and there are two areas, one to the back and one to the side. The area to the side was fruit trees and is now corner to corner gravel😢😥😭 Not a single plant even in a pot. She goes out everyday and picks up every leaf, and pulls up every seedling. She hates things growing so much that she doesn't like trees in neighbouring gardens overhanging the bounderies. She's so hateful of anything growing that she was witnessed pouring weed killer into our garden over the fence when the property was my late mother's. Now I'm there I've had serious words with her about her conduct and damage caused to my apple tree as a result, that's been there for decades. Horrible woman. She'll have a fit when she notices my wild flower meadow growing and my sunflowers growing along the boundaries 😬
Wonderful to read this Carl. Not sure if you know already but it's considered Criminal Damage in law, it's the same as you going out and randomly painting the neighbour's car, research it on the 'net when you get a chance and you'll see what I mean and be able to relay this to her, preferably in writing ;) I do believe that people that are so obsessed with how their "outside" looks are seriously lacking on their "inside" - good for you for standing up to her. Goat Willows grow exceeding well for cover along boundaries, by the way... ;) Have a wonderful weekend with your family Carl - best wishes, Joel
That field looked amazing, so beautiful.
It really was Susan, so glad you noticed it too, just a sea of nectar :) Best wishes, Joel
There is a total disconnect between the general discourse on the importance of wildlife for our survival and the ingrained idea of a « clean » Nature. I have quite a few in my front and back yards, I set the lawnmower to 3 inches and they mostly get underneath. I also feed some leaves to my Guinea pig (with moderation), he absolutely loves them.
Wonderful Nadine, your words describe this perfectly and you and your Guinea pig are certainly seeing the rewards :) Thank you again for your kindness - best wishes to you and your family and I hope you have a wonderful weekend - Joel
I completely agree with you, but councils often fail us the most... sides of the roads, why they can’t plant wildflowers and trees in city centre. Honestly sometimes I feel like I should just get packages of wildflower seeds and just accidentally drop them 🙄
Totally agree re the planting in city centres, particularly native trees, they take no more maintenance than the standard-issue Photinia with heaps of wood-chip at the base... how unfortunate it would be if you had way too many accidents with wildflower seeds ;) I hope you and yours have a fab weekend, and thank you for your uplifting comment - Joel
Couldn’t agree more they’re a great little plant, I believe they are also good for de-compacting soil and bring up nutrient such as calcium from deep down in the soil 🐝
Hi Mark, yes they are - along with Yarrow and a few other wildflowers :) I believe people used to use dandelions under trees in orchards to help with this. I am so pleased there are so many advocates for this wonderful plant in the comments here. Have a wonderful weekend - best wishes, Joel
A field of dandelions...aww...I love dandelions 🥰🥰🥰. Could see so much dandelions turn to white, so beautiful 😍😍😍
I had a lawn 20 years ago. It was a totally solid mass of dandelions. A pure golden carpet followed by a pure silver carpet. The most beautiful sight you could see (except a field of flax in flower under a blue sky). The person who took the garden over replaced it with asphalt.
Oh Pat... I empathise with you. What an absolute waste of a beautiful site. Your description allows me to imagine this completely. I found this wonderful answer to a question on Quora about why dandelions are "hated" so much - see what Lily Bell has to say here:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
It's a perfect explanation :) I hope you're having a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton If it was an exotic, people would pay a fortune for it and build a part of their garden around showing it off.
@@pattheplanter Absolutely this!
I was so excited last week as we've just started getting regular goldfinches in the garden and they were eating the dandelion seeds. Such a wonderful sight.
Growing up (in the 90s) our neighbours would complain that our dandelions were spreading into their garden so we had to cut all the heads off before they set seed! The same neighbour is still there and still complaining with her 2mm lawn. 🙄
Yes! To the goldfinches, not the neighbours - I find it's usually the people with children that complain the most and yet they have no consideration for the hefty legacy they're leaving their children to mend... Well, I hope you have a great weekend and the dandelion clocks continue to spread ;) Best wishes to you and yours - Joel
lol, 2mm lawn, omg, wow, I hear you. Just let her keep complaining.
Our little Essex village doesn't mow the road verge at this time of year. We have dandelions, wild carrot, red dead nettle, archangel, cow parsley, long grass, goosegrass and nettles to name just a few.
I say..leave the clean cut stiped grass for the golf course! I am teaching my grandson who is 5..he said grandma your garden needs cutting...i explained about the weeds are actually wild flowers and our nature and wildlife needs it.🦋🐝🐜🐞..he listened with interest..hopefully schools may back up your thinking 🤞
I really enjoy waking up the dormant subsoil seed bank that has been waiting decades or longer or emerge - it is like eco-archaeology - after decades of modern agricultural solitary confinement. Remove the topsoil, smash up the subsoil and mix the layers and watch the emergence.
Love this! You probably know this already, so forgive me in advance but it reminds me why poppies covered those Flanders fields. They'd lain dormant for decades and then the shelling and fighting gave them all the disturbance they needed to erupt into fields of colour and become that symbol we all know so well. The same reason they're seen on the edge of farmed fields :) Thank you, hope you have a great weekend, best wishes - Joel
The name makes sense, in norwegian we call them Løvetann which exactly translates to Lions tooth.
My mum (aged 80) says every year "take the head off before it sets seed all over your lawn" so I was brought up picking the heads off or digging the dandelion root out ...now I believe there's no such thing as a weed, just a plant in the wrong place.
Hi Grace :) I think I now know the reason that they've been "hated" for so many years.... a wonderful answer here on this Quora page - see Lily Bell's response here:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
Best wishes, and thank you for not inheriting the dislike of them :) Joel
The Dandy Dandelion, I think of what are called 'wildflowers' as the originals. In Canada many originals have disappeared or greatly diminished in from their natural areas. The First Nations People here consider the Trees and plants as Our Relatives. Many are focused on putting them back the originals. I think of the Dandelion as a hardy Volunteer/ a foot soldier for this time holding land that has been laid barren with the hope of returning originals.(literally holding the ground) This Volunteer provides a much needed survival food source for insects, butterflies, bees and much more. Once while visiting a large concrete shrouded city I saw a dandelion valiantly growing in a crack in a sidewalk. Let's be that determined-Take Courage from the Dandelions example. For All You Do. Miigwetch/Thank-you
Also the triangle sign in the background.
Lol!
I think people weeding them out of their lawns isn't so bad when you consider how many can grow on the grass verges by roads.
I'm gladdened to hear from so many people that councils very recently have decided against mowing verges and other areas, and the difference is being seen already, these councils should be praised and therefore encouraged to keep refraining and of course saving money :) Best wishes, Joel
Im from Poland and unfortunatelly hype for green lawns is still very common here
Hi there! So sorry I could not reply sooner, I am just trying to catch up with everyone - it is the same here but people are going one step further with artificial grass now... awful! I hope you have a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
Maybe the Folk who are removing the Dandy heads are making wine ??
Hi Andy - I'd like to think so... but I actually think, after a bit of research, that I've found the deep-rooted problem here and why they've been "hated" for many years - I found this brilliant answer to my question on Quora - see the response from Lily Bell, it's a good read:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
Best wishes, and have a great weekend - Joel
People are conditioned to do certain things (brainwashed?) and follow the herd. If you had stopped the woman pulling out the dandelion from her lawn why she was doing it, she probably wouldn't have been able to say why. Especially in gardening, weirdly, there seems to be a pressure to conform. Unfortunately for my neighbours, my garden does not conform :)
Absolutely James - I've given this link I discovered to a few people now when looking into this further. I found this on Quora and the answer from Lily Bell at the top of the page explains this obsession and conforming wonderfully - I think you'll enjoy this:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
Hope you're having a good weekend - best wishes, Joel
Thank you for the the link Joel, she is spot on. The dandelion seems to be the go-to image for the weed killer manufacturers too, reinforcing in people's minds their dislike for the flower. What an irrational world we live in.
@@jamesadey8744 It all comes together when reading that post doesn't it? Wish I'd known about it and researched more before I'd actually found those dandelions and done the video - but I'm wondering about an update video just speaking about what she said (and crediting her of course) to allow this message to spread... particularly the use of the plant as an "advertisement" for the weed-killing brigade.... Off to Scotland in a moment, but I'll be thinking about this and hopefully have a chance to do a quick update on it :) Thanks James - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton The more I look into human behaviour, the less sense we seem to make. I'll look forward to seeing your update on the subject Joel. Best wishes.
Weeds- flowers that nobody wants 😢
How beautifully put Kasia, it really does say it in just four small words and is a great shame - but I am sure altogether we can help spread the word and cherish them where we are allowed :) Best wishes, and I hope you have a good weekend - Joel
I am in a constant battle with my parents about mowing the grass. They insist on cutting it every 2-4 weeks to “keep it looking neat and tidy” even when it is full of beautiful wildflowers. We have huge sections of the garden that are just grass and I see it as such a huge waste of space so I am attempting to persuade them to let me designate a section of no mowing where I can let it do it’s thing and maybe plant a few extra wildflowers and see if they still feel the same way in a few months
This is brilliant Tom, well done you on persevering :) I think I found the reason they've been "hated" by generations - see this link here and the answer by Lily Bell - it explains a lot:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
Keep up the fight Tom, and have a brilliant weekend - best wishes to you and yours, Joel
I always notice a lot of insects like the dandelions in my garden when they bloom but sadly they end up being mown down by the gardeners. Recently I asked to leave the borders of the garden alone because these nice wild flowers (one with small pink flowers and another type with large purple flowers) started spouting up. Hoping to maintain these wild flowering edges for wildlife since I've noticed some brown caterpillars in the tall grasses around them.
It's amazing what happens when we stop interfering isn't it :) I found this article yesterday, too late to mention in the video, but it Lily Bell gives a great answer as to why these poor dandelions are "hated" so much... I think you'll enjoy this:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
Have a great weekend, best wishes - Joel
The origin of the name is not a myth, they're called dent-de-lion in French, diente de leon in Spanish too so it's quite a widespread name, I read that it comes from the serrated edges of their leaves. They're also called pissenlits in French (piss the beds) because drinking dandelion tea can help you go to the toilet
Ah! THAT'S why I heard older (!) people say "don't play with them, you'll wet the bed!" as a kid - thank you for this :) Best wishes, and have a fab weekend - Joel
And in Norwegian too, Løvetann. Lions tooth 😊
This year I'm starting my fight with weeds. I want to replace a lot of grass with all kinds of flowering plants and natives.
That sounds wonderful :) You'll be rewarded for your efforts and very early in the Spring when you allow dandelions to provide that vital nectar for early emerging insects, who need so much help after their winter slumber. Best wishes, and have a great weekend - Joel
I love dandelions! It’s the first flower bumblebees look for after coming out of hibernation.
You can make dandelion jelly with them too. Lovely to see the bees on them!
Herb Robert , welsh poppies and violets too.
Absolutely couldn't agree more! Thank you for pointing out their importance so early on - what did dandelions ever do to "us" - they've never poisoned anyone, they've never destroyed anything.... I could go on 😀 Best wishes, and have a great weekend - Joel
I left my dandelions to flower and saw various bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies visit them so an important resource for early species.
Hey Keith, thank you for this great advert on behalf of the suffering Dandelions - when did they become so unpopular? What did they do or who told lies about them?.... ;) Best wishes - Joel
Absolutely spot on Joel. Since really getting into my garden/gardening/ flowers /ponds etc the past couple of years, I’ve thought the exact same thing. I’d been bought up to view certain things as weeds , but your statement , ‘ a wildflower in the wrong place’ is just perfect , and sums up my change of thinking the past 24 months. I’ve now opted to let everything grow , I see everything as a potential food source or habitat for some creature , so I let it be. This is another great video from you mate 😊👍🏻
Hey Craig - I am absolutely thrilled at the response this video has received. I completely understand about being brought up to think of certain flowers as "enemies" but without any justification or evidence for them being harmful, evil etc! ;) Your experience is such a good advertisement for this poor flower that plays such an important part - you have to admire it's stamina to just keep on going, no wonder it has formed so many seeds in those "clocks" in an effort to survive - best wishes to you and yours, thanks so much for your consistent support and encouragement, it means a lot - have a great weekend, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton definitely have to admire its persistence . I’ve also noticed a lack of daisies these days . They were everywhere when I was a kid . I was telling my youngest daughter about making Daisey chains, and a bit like you trying to find dandelions to film, could I find a patch of daisies locally to show her ??! It’s crazy these days . And don’t get me started on all the people getting plastic lawns these days. That is my massive pet hate at the moment !
You’re absolutely welcome regarding my support and comments Joel . I love it when I get a new notification from your channel and a new video to watch. I think you do such an amazing job, and your passion and hard work in this area has thankfully inspired so many people to do and think the same, me included . You have a great weekend too 😊
me to Craig!!!
I think that our Gravesend Kent Council must have seen this video last year. The grass banks surrounding our estate and a grassed area just up the pathway, haven't been cut since last year. Thousands of Dandelions everywhere and grass anything up to 3 feet high.
One benefit is that the Goldfinches seem to be paying the Dandelions a lot of attention.
That is fantastic to hear Eric, I do hope the council have been thanked by residents for holding-off and that they continue to do this. The goldfinches will adore these seed heads as you have rightly said. I really appreciate you letting me know this. Best wishes, and enjoy the weekend - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I don't think that it's left intentionally, just laziness on getting new maintenance contracts organized. Most people aren't happy about it.
Wow I see dandelions everywhere where I live but didn't realise just how vital they are to our ecosystem.
I discovered your channel a few days ago and already I am planning how to turn my garden into a wildlife utopia 🥰
Your comment has made my week! Thank you so much for this and for letting me know, I really appreciate your kind words and encouragement and I hope you find the channel useful. I am always here if you need any help or have any questions at all. Have a wonderful weekend, best wishes to you and yours - Joel
This year I bought pink dandelion seeds!
I'm so excited to see the flowers!
I'm in Central Texas, and we've had an extremely dry Winter & Spring (not the norm), so those seeds haven't even started yet.
(Don't tell anyone, but I kinda tossed the seeds into a park next to my house! )
My hose doesn't reach, so I may be doing some stealthy midnight watering with a watering can if they haven't popped up pretty soon!
Does anybody else out there participate in midnight gardening?
Or is it just me... 😳
Same here in southern England. It's bone dry, we desperately need rain. April showers?....I wish.
Good luck with your clandestine stealth plantings.
@@christianadams9114 I did notice last Summer there was a lack of rain for places in Britain. Sorry to hear it's happening again.
It's hard to imagine England without moisture!
I hope it's not a permanent change in the climate,
same with things over here...
THERES PINK DANDELIONS?!
@@AliaRohaluss_TheCat TOTALLY
@@gardengatesopen i want pink dandelions!! Why nobody told me there is pink dandelions, it must be so pretty!! Q A Q)
Our tortoise, Merlin is very happy to share the dandelions in our lawn with the bees all year 🙂 🐢🐝
Lucky Merlin :) I love that he shares, what a generous tortoise :) I'm so glad you're both rewarded for just simply letting these much-hated flowers do what they do best - thank you and I hope you both have a great weekend - Joel
Thank you, you too 🙂
Hi Joel, I so support you on this beautiful wildflower. My no mowed, leave it be areas of the garden are so full of dandelions and wildlife this year it's so worth leaving them alone. The bees loved them, now they're full of spiders and shield bugs. The finches and sparrows are loving the seeds heads [ I'd never seen them eating them before] and of course the grand children are telling the time with them! We're lucky to live in the sticks so don't get the council mowing the verges twice a week, it's a beautiful sight to see them by the roadsides. Have a great weekend, we're off on a hippo hunt!
Loved reading this comment :) This is exactly what people need to understand about these derided wildflowers, what's that saying about weeds just being flowers in the "wrong" place? I am absolutely thrilled you've seen the rewards of leaving them, it doesn't have to be a whole lawn of them, just letting them thrive where they can prove to be lifelines for so many insects. Happy Hippo hunting! I hope you have a grand weekend, enjoy every moment - best wishes to you all - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thanks Joel You too.
They are great for butterflies however when you habe a back garden that you and your dog lay on and roll on the stem and sap can cause allergic reactions, it’s worth picking the heads as they are edible and make a nice colourful add on to your salad. I moved into a property where there are a lot of buttercups that seem to have been planted and a lot of wild flowers, I don’t mind that but the ones that are on the lawn and growing up against other plants ie taking over the nutrition and light needs ect. Plus when they start to spread over the whole garden it’s understandable when people want then up. I make sure that lots of flowers are planted to take up the slack, lots of planters ect it’s the same for stinging nettles wen there in flower they provide ALOT for our bubble bees but they are also painful to those of us that need to keep ontop of the garden. I’ve been leaving the ones in flower as much as I can but it’s hard planting around them with out getting a sharp surprise I would say please don’t just have a cut lawn or fake grass,a large shrub is a great habitat for birds, flowers are great food source, even a compromise is grow your own tomatoes peas and potatoes have a lot of flowers same as strawberries, or planters, not got much space? Have your grass area and grow climbers around the edges? I think governments need to adopt green roofs for all old and new homes!85 would help out environment and species so much
Love the concern joel and believe me i have spent years trying to change peoples mindsets on what we call ' untidy gardening practices'. Bramble, ivy, bindweed, dandelions & daisy's are some of the most beneficial plants for nature out there, yet are despised. I have a client that has a wild area at the bottom of her huge garden, under an old apple tree, that she's asked to be cleared!! I have literally begged her to keep it for its obvious value. She didn't understand the lost opportunity for me to earn extra money as her gardener!! I simply reminded her that life is really not always about money. Convincing her to keep the wild patch was more rewarding to me. When i cut grass for people, i always ask if i can cut around the part of the lawn that has a patch of wildflowers growing in it. Most people are ok with this after a detailed explanation.🙂
Hey Dean :) I empathise completely, having spent circa 17 years trying to do this - it does get easier :) You've got a great ethos there and you should be able to convert many people with that attitude. I hope you're having a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
Yarrow , marjoram, plantain, ragwort.... I could go on........snowdrops, etc. !
All fantastic for pollinators :) I do wonder why our dandelions have suffered such a bad-press and when this began... something I'll certainly have to look into - best wishes and have a great weekend - Joel
I do think there is a case for a nice clean lawn, as long as it's surrounded by flowers!! This year I have left the lawn to the daisies, looks so pretty.
Absolutely! It's not so much about haranguing traditional gardeners or getting them to rip out gardens and start again, but just to think about adding planting and elements that benefit nature too, ensuring stepping-stones for so many creatures desperately in need. So glad to hear about the daisies in the lawn, something I miss seeing a lot :) Best wishes, Joel
Well said Joel, such a beautiful flower and the bees live them. So pleased to see loads of them recently on the banks of the river at Lachlan’s-On-Thames. Also saw my first Orange Tip butterfly this morning near by. Thanks Joel
Thank you Mark - I am absolutely thrilled about the Orange Tip sighting! That means they're in the area and next Spring with your cuckoo flower you'll be inundated with beautiful and grateful guests - I can't wait to see that wonderful patch of yours in person soon :) Enjoy the weekend and keep up that great channel of yours - best wishes, as always - Joel
Good video! I’m in Portland, Oregon USA. We are a horticultural society and have lots of wild gardens even in the city. I totally appreciate your efforts to create more wild meadows. Cheers mate! 👍🏾
Hey Arnaldo :) I'm so glad to hear of your society in Portland and that you advocate the often-hated wildflowers too - we're trying to work out exactly what dandelions did and to whom and when to make us "hate" them so much... Have a great weekend and when I'm US bound I'll be sure to detour to Portland :) Best wishes to you all - Joel
Just watched this again, I was just looking at mine and one of my neighbours garden and the dandy seed heads are blowing profusely in the wind these little beauties are the best at spreading themselves, humans please leave us alone, we are NOT the enemy, 🐝🐝🐝🕷🪳🕷love us ! END of rant🤭😂 Ty again Joel🎉
This year I bought pink dandelion seeds!
I'm so excited to see the flowers!
I'm in Central Texas, and we've had an extremely dry Winter & Spring (not the norm), so those seeds haven't even started yet.
(Don't tell anyone, but I kinda tossed the seeds into a park next to my house! )
My hose doesn't reach, so I may be doing some stealthy midnight watering with a watering can if they haven't popped up pretty soon!
Does anybody else out there participate in midnight gardening?
Or is it just me... 😳
Wow, didn't know pink dandelions existed! Would love to see these when they appear too :) Your "don't tell anyone" part made me double-up with laughter here - this is exactly what I needed at the end of a very busy week, which has nearly turned into midnight landscaping! Keep in touch and let me know how you get on - and I hope you and yours have a wonderful weekend - best wishes, Joel
No, you are not the only one! I Am in northern Illinois and threw a ton of wildflower seeds a couple of months ago into a city owned lot behind my home. It's just full of brambles and buckthorn right now. Haven't seen anything come up yet but we've had some nice rain in the last few weeks so I'm hopeful. There is a gentleman with a channel called "Canadian Permaculture Society" and he seed bombs empty lots all the time. I'd love to know if you actually do get pink dandelions 🌺! Good luck.
@@sbffsbrarbrr AWESOME!!!
It's the only good bombing there is!!!
Here's hoping for both of us being successful!! 🤞
I sprinkle a few Teasel seeds here and there, where gardens and common land areas are not looked after.
Ha! I just KNEW I wasn't the only one!! Thanks for speaking up, but mostly, keep up the seed tossing!!! Soooo awesome!!
Yet another unsung and beautiful superstar of nature Joel and also a plant much valued traditionally as a part of diet and medicine. I've noticed the dandelion so much more this spring thankfully as it appears that verges etc have not be continously mown here to within a centimetre of their lives as in previous years. People and "weeds" hey.....cant have those pesky flowers going over and setting seed. I'm at a loss also Joel but fundamentally the human race has lost its connection with nature (including in some cases those bodies tasked with managing and protecting our wild places, SSSI's etc) but their are beacons like you Joel leading by example thankfully. Paul 👍😊
Thank you Paul. I was quite pleased to see that my council had left verges outside of our houses... daisies, dandelions and other wildflowers just starting to emerge. Then two days ago I was disheartened to see that they'd been round and destroyed the lot! I also found out a bit more on why dandelions are "hated" so much and hope to do a short video on that while I'm up here in Scotland now. Hope you're doing well, sent an email yesterday :) Best wishes - Joel
I could not agree more with all the points you have mentioned with the systematic removal of wildflowers in the gardens and public gardens and farming areas with herbicides and 'weed killers'. And you are right in saying that the dandelion gets a bad rap as I was also told growing up that they were weeds in the grass. Luckily, things are starting to slowly shift worldwide towards more sustainable re-wilding practices especially with the efforts of dedicated people like yourself that tirelessly and passionately push this important message across👌! I remember as a kid having a ball with friends and picking up as many dandelion seed heads we could and blow these in the wind, something my grandkids would probably seldom experience nowadays. Have a great weekend, Joel. Take care.
Hey! Hope you get to see this but I think I found the reason they're "hated" - I found this brilliant answer on Quora - see the answer from Lily Bell:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
It's convinced me now :) Thank you, as always, for your support and encouragement and me too re blowing the dandelion "clocks" as they were known - hope you have a great weekend too, best wishes to you all - Joel
I live on the Olympic Peninsula of WA, USA. The favorite part of my property is a naturalized area full of Dandelions, Rose Campion, Columbine, Salal, & thimbleberry. It is covered in bees and butterflies, and it literally hums. I love your channel, and our climates are very similar. A weed is just a free flower :)
I love that description about a free flower Susan - so sorry I couldn't acknowledge you sooner but I am just trying to catch up with everyone :) Your garden sounds wonderful. I found out recently the reason that they're "hated" so much and am about to do another short video on the reasons... they will make a good argument for any "haters". Thank you so much for your support and kind words, they make a huge difference to me :) Best wishes, Joel
I believe it's about the outward image. Not so long ago I heard about some companies being persuaded to let the grass grow around their buildings in Denmark (Factories, storage buildings ect.) Wasn't long until they mowed it all again, despite the fact that it's unused area and mowing it is only an expense. Nevertheless, when asked why they went back to mowing, they replied "People started questioning if we went bankrupt and abandoned the buildings). So having long, unkept plant life around their buildings was giving people the impression that business was bad.
The same thing happened to the people letting their private gardens go wild. People assumed they were going through a divorce, lost a family member, got fired or in other ways became depressed and didn't have the energy to keep their 'perfect' garden.
Fortunately, I think it's worse with older generations than younger ones but I still meet people who don't use the term 'Wild' garden, but instead refer to it as a mess. A testimony to the lazy and unorganized nature of the owner.
Thank you so much for this Morten. This attitude of "unkempt" and messy certainly is worldwide, I looked into this a little further and hope to do a short update video about what I found and the reasoning for dandelions etc being "hated" in a lot of countries. I can completely understand with the companies where you are and people thinking that wild meant abandoned, it fits in with what I discovered too. I really appreciate this, best wishes to you and yours - Joel
hahaha Charlie (grand daughter, aged 18 months) and I have just watched "Come Outside" with Lynda Baron and the episode was "Dandelions" .
We have had endless fun learning to spread the seeds by blowing on the seed head.
Great fun!
Thanks Joel nice job as always!
Hi Deborah - so good to read this :) Wishing you a great weekend, Joel
Awww man dont get me started! When I was a child I remember there were fields and roadsides full of wildflowers/dandelions and now, 20 years or so later... theres just grass and they get mown 4 or more times a year. They even mow here when the grass is yellow and near death when it's really hot! We had a massive drop in birds and insects in our country. It seems like cities are starting to wake up and more is being done for nature, but we have a loooong way ahead and I do not believe we can restore it like it used to be because of global warming.
As for my own little garden, I have about 20 Dandelions here, and they flowered amazing again this spring. We even had honeybees on them this time!
Ive heard many subspecies of Dandelions are endangered and not mutch is known about them. Even more reason to let them just be! How can someone HATE these pretty flowers so mutch???
Thank you for posting this, I will share it on my fb account - we have to spread the word; without wildflowers, there can be no natural balance!
Hello! So sorry for the delay in acknowledging you, just trying to catch up with all the comments on the channel :) So good to read the second part of your message, I am so glad you are fighting for these wonderful wildflowers - I found out the most likely reason they're hated, and I am going to do another short video about it as it makes a lot of "sense" and a good argument for those that consider them not worthy of living - thank you again and have a wonderful weekend - Joel
I saw a neighbour the other day spraying and removing every little bit of live grass and dandelion between the pavements and gravel. I just don't know why people want such a bare space to look at. I have several dandelions in my gardens and another neighbour don't mow their lawn at all, so it is bursting with dandelions. Lately I noticed when traveling by car, that most counties don't mow as often anymore here. The road side edges were full with beautiful rapeseed flowers. I had one last year in the front garden and I'm dedicated to put my wild flower patch as full with native flowers as possible. Last year I sowed a lot of annual flowers in the left front bit of the garden. A lot of stuff is coming up again, even lemon balm is spontaneous growing there. It's amazing to see what comes up if you let nature be. It's a very sad thing when you Google a plant name, that automatically phrases like 'weed', 'how to get rid of it' are mentioned with these native species. It seems like there is an increase of hatred towards everything natural the last few years. It's sickening, but according to my Cottage Garden book the Victorians started this neat, tidy idea of gardening.
Wonderful to read this, as usual Titia :) I think I found the answer though about why dandelions are "hated" so much - I searched google and came across this brilliant answer on Quora - see Lily Bell's answer on this page - it makes so much sense!
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
Victorians did indeed like everything way too neat and tidy and in uniform rows. But there was a guy William Robinson who wrote "The Wild Garden" around that time, trying to encourage people to garden with nature in mind and use native planting :) I know you will enjoy reading it - best wishes and have a great weekend, Joel
I absolutely love these wildflowers and am letting them grow everywhere in my backyard! We even got some Bellis Perennis seeds to sow since I saw these at a nearby park and thought they looked lovely. Unfortunately Lesser Celandine is a bit invasive in our area right now so I'm having to remove them to help protect our nearby woods, but they're also lovely
This is wonderful to read Jessie, thank you :) It sounds like you're managing your green space really well, good for you and I expect you are already being rewarded in not only beautiful wildflowers but the creatures they attract too - best wishes to you and yours, Joel
Hi Joel,
I have noticed this weekend that a lot of her councils here in Ireland have not yet cut verges on many roads and motorways. I saw tons of dandelions and lots of seed heads everywhere. I also saw a lot of cowslips and birds-foot trefoil. Hopefully many councils are finally changing their policies. Keep up the good work!!
That's so good to hear Patrick :) When trying to look into this "hatred" over many years of this poor wildflower I found this excellent answer on Quora - first answer, from Lily Bell:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
It explains a lot! Hope you're having a good weekend - Joel
What a wonderful little flower that brings such vibrant color to our world. We do have "no mow may" here in Maryland. I'm going to take your advice and raise my mower blade as high as I can. Thanks for all you do to educate us. 😊
You are so very welcome, I really do appreciate your kind words and support and am glad you'll be raising that mower blade - I promise you'll be rewarded :) Best wishes, Joel
Here in Australia a lot of the people want perfect grass. We don’t have very many wildflower gardens. Loved seeing them in the UK in the middle of the roundabouts.
Hi Jaque - so sorry for not acknowledging you sooner, just trying to catch up with everyone now :) They do tend to leave them on roundabouts these days, which is good - I just wish private owners wouldn't "hate" them for no reason, but I've found out the reason behind it all and hope to do another quick video shortly about it :) Wishing you a great weekend - best wishes - Joel
Well said! You are completely right about councils mowing verges too often, seen it happen many times near me. I am letting the dandelions grow along the edges of our block-paved drive, much easier than trying to remove them by hand, and prettier.
Hi Ruth - I am so thrilled that this video has proved so popular with people. To read the comments here and realise that I'm not so alone in wanting this sadly maligned important flower to have some "Knights in Shining Armour" has made me very happy indeed. Mind you... as I type this I can hear the neighbour's lawnmower being started up! So good to read your comment, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Best wishes, Joel
I’m doing no mow May….tho tbh I have moved to Asia and left a son at home in UK and can guarantee he will def not do anything in the garden this summer 🤣🤣…but last year I left large patches of the lawn unmown and the amount of bees feeding on the lawn was amazing. Great content Joel 💗
That made me laugh so much Lucy! So glad you're still able to see the channel and that it's reaching Asia too :) Thanks so much for your support and kind words, it makes a lot of difference to me :) Best wishes, Joel
Obviously I couldn't agree more it's our local councils that need to get behind leaving verges. I support Plantlife and do write to my council to try and get them to support this.
Plantlife do fabulous work here Tracey, as you know. And you do fabulous work by ensuring the council are aware of your feelings. They are there to serve us... no? I do understand that even today there would probably still be more people "against" dandelions on verges etc but change only comes from committed people :) Hope you're having a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
Last year I started leaving the dandelions alone and this year I am planning on really letting them be. They are very important, like you say, for the bees in the beginning of Spring etc. They are even edible for humans and very healthy for us. Keep up educating us. We really have to change our mindset and not continue on how we did things in the past. One of my favorite sayings " When you KNOW better, you DO better.
I fear getting the keen gardeners I know to tolerate, far less welcome, dandelions into their garden shrines will prove to be an uphill struggle Joel, but I wish you luck for sure. Your incomprehension over their behaviour in this video is amusing and a very useful corrective to mainstream attitudes to these windblown beauties.
I know exactly what you mean there Norman... when I first went to my mum-in-laws house (the garden in the video where the cuckoo was released) I nearly fell over backwards seeing all the many wildflowers that were in her very ancient lawn, it had never been turfed, ever. However, she was mowing it despite me showing the bird's foot trefoil and so many other species. Now though she leaves a fair few longer patches and has raised the mower cut, it's amazing the flowers that bloom lower down. In fact, I think I'll have to do a video on just her lawn soon! I hope you're having a great weekend - best wishes to you and yours, Joel
Thank you so much for this video! I love dandelions and can not understand the hate towards them! I've planted many plants for our garden but none get as much attention from the pollinators as our dandelions! I refuse to mow our lawn at this time of year and don't care what the neighbours think, they all have neat lawns which look so boring in my opinion, I love seeing new dandelions pop up in our lawn.
You are very welcome Roseanna - I am thinking about doing another short video on this much maligned flower as I think I know the reason for the "hatred" now - hopefully able to upload it soon :) I am so glad they have a kind of refuge with you - best wishes, Joel
I agree in general. I think pesticides and herbicides should be available only to professionals and used in cases of noxious weed areas. I’m a landscaper and have had to deal with several bad areas. But regarding lawns and the non-noxious dandelion: I have them in my yard. If I made no attempt to stop their spread, they would literally seed themselves to the point that they would outcompete the other plants and I would end up with a mat of dandelion. That is not a desired outcome…. I want to encourage diversity. Not easy to manage. I let some stay and in the spring I let them flower but pull off a lot of the seed heads. Really, this is a tough discussion. I have never wanted a pristine tidy lawn. But I also don’t want a patch of dandelion and dock. More on lawn-alternative ideas please!
Just yesterday I had to convince my landlord not to get a contractor round to spray the weeds in the front and back garden, I said we love the life they bring. She said she had never experienced this before, everyone is usually begging for weeding!
Brilliant to hear this Karl, well done you and I expect the landlord was quite relieved to save some funds on employing the contractor :) So many uplifting comments under this video, it really has made my weekend - best wishes, Joel
Germander Speedwell, Daisies, Dandelion, White Clover, Self Heal, Creeping Buttercup and Bugle. All fantastic for creating low height flowering lawns. Experimenting with various combinations creates fantastic displays, so I can't get my head around it either!
Thanks Christian, some great plants listed there and I expect you are rewarded ten-fold for the thought and effort you put in :) Best wishes, and have a great weekend - Joel
I agree with you so much! I have them in my yard and do not remove them. I'm the only one in the neighborhood who keeps them and keep the trees and bushes not trimmed. Here in the Netherlands, people like yards with big stone tiles and plants in pots.
Brilliant! Your garden sounds wonderful, I hope it will help spread the idea that wildness is kindness and changes the minds of your neighbours, slowly but surely :) Thank you so much - best wishes, Joel
I share this video. I totally agree with you. Do we not love to se butterflies and bees and such, I do !!! Hope people see the importance and beauty of insects life.
Thank you Monica - sorry I couldn't reply sooner but I am trying to catch up with everyone now :) Thank you so much for this and for sharing it - I am going to do another short video about the real reason that these particular wildflowers are "hated" so much... Have a great weekend! Joel
i have been leaving dandelions in my garden over the last couple of years, just remove the flower once it has gone over helps to keep it from spreading to much. supprised how many insects are using the dandelions.
Thank you for this Brian, this makes perfect sense, they sure do have a lot of viable seed heads, mind you as they have so many human predators that's probably why! ;) I hope you're having a great weekend, and thanks for being a great advert for this much maligned wildflower - best wishes, Joel
Dandelion flowers make good tea. The root makes a coffee substitute. The leaves can be eaten as part of a nice salad. This plant is so versatile but no one but the "Herb Enthusiasts" would care or know about these facts.
Thank you - I've certainly learned something today :) Best wishes, Joel
The German name for the Dandelion is "Löwenzahn", which literally means lions tooth :-)
I've learned so much since uploading this video, and there's another thing I've learned because of you Karin - thank you! I hope you're having a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
The idea of the "perfect" lawn has been pushed because it requires constant expensive interventions and there is money to be made in the environmental destruction. Contentment with the beauty of dandelions would seriously bent coorperate profits.
You're spot-on Tad - unfortunately and typically it was after I'd done the video that I thought to research more about why these poor long-suffering and maligned flowers were "hated" so much over so many years - ended up on Quora and found this response from Lily Bell - it certainly put it all into perspective for me and is in line with exactly what you've said:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
I think you'll enjoy this :) Best wishes, and thanks again Tad - Joel
Cleveland Ohio here. We still have dandelions in huge lawns, people are hearing you! You’re doing so much to help me learn.
This is SO good to hear Rick, thank you so much for letting me know - and I really appreciate your kind words and support, it makes a huge difference - best wishes to you and yours, and the thoughtful people of Ohio :)
Funny enough me and my Mrs are actually envious of our neighbor because she has loads of dandelions & daisies yet our garden has very few :( wish we could steal some of hers 😂
Never thought I'd hear "dandelion envy" but I'm glad :) You can always buy a few from us and plant into your lawn...
wildyourgarden.com/product/dandelion/
Hope you've both had a good weekend - best wishes, Joel
Our rescue Desert Turtles love eating Dandelions and Hibiscus flowers here in Arizona.
Hi Judy - so sorry for the delay, just trying to catch up with everyone. So lovely to hear this, well done to you :) Hope you are having a good weekend - best wishes, as always - Joel
Great video, Joel, so true, dandelions are wonderful little flowers and they are so important for pollinators and wildlife, I love them!
Thank you - sorry I missed this, just trying to catch up with everyone - wishing you a brilliant weekend! Best wishes, as always - Joel
Far to many people still obsessed with a perfect lawn! Sooner have the dandelions, daisy's and clover in the lawn.
Me too Kevin, me too - so much more insect life and interest than a barren monotone lawn... :)
It takes time to educate people! Keep up the good work! No dandelions on my lawn but masses of Bugle.
Fantastic to hear you have Bugle - I expect you're rewarded with many grateful insects due to this :) Best wishes, and thanks for your support - Joel
A lot of people think a garden should resemble a mausoleum. It's the big power tool companies that have influenced people into having a tiny few plants and large space of sterile grass. I really believe it's the Americans that really have sold us this lifeless model house and garden. We're sadly influenced by businesses wanting to sell products, take for example the Full Irish or Full English, eating loads of meat for breakfast is not traditional to either Irish or English, but we've been instructed to believe there's nothing more traditional than eating lots of fried meat in the morning, this has come about because of the likes of Edward Bernays. If you want to blame anyone, blame those who've really profited from lawnmowers, power tools, and chemicals.
Brilliantly put John, absolutely sums it up. I really appreciate your comment - I hope you have a great weekend, best wishes to you and yours - Joel
Really enjoyed this Joel. I try to actively encourage dandelions and clover in my garden. They are excellent food sources for my tortoises as well as looking gorgeous with their yellow heads.
It's a pretty little flower and people do need to change their opinion 👍
So glad it cheered you a little Mick - lucky tortoises... and lucky insects :) I still am trying to fathom at what point in recent "history" these hated little wildflowers became such enemies to gardeners - was there a specific point, or did people follow like sheep and keep up with the Joneses etc? I need to look into this more... I hope your weekend is good Mick, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thanks Joel. If you can work it out, let me know. I think people just follow what others do. Daisy's, buttercups, dandelion, clover etc all add something extra in my opinion 🙂
@@micksmusicchannel Agreed! Wow, is that the time already?! I need to get some rest, but such a wonderful response on this video and am absolutely thrilled reading all these positive comments :) Best wishes, as always - Joel
I'll be honest - I didn't realise how important these were. I've just recently planted some cornflowers and have got some lovely wild yellow poppies. I'm definatley going to introduce more wild flowers and leave the dandelions and daisies in the lawn.
Great to hear this Simon - I am so pleased that you will give them a chance, and for the efforts you're putting in already :) It kept bugging me why so many people have been conditioned to "hate" these much-maligned, but so important, wildflowers and I came across this brilliant response to a question on Quora - see Lily Bell's response here:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
Made perfect sense to me once I'd read it :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Interesting - how historical status and todays lawn care industry have contributed to perpetuating such a negative view on dandelions. Thanks for sharing this Joel :)
@@simonleaf2765 You're welcome Simon, when I'm up in Scotland I'll be sure to find a patch or two and do a short video on the likely reason these dandelions have "suffered" over the years, I think if the message is spread about the reason it might make people think twice :)
I keep being told off for letting ‘weeds’ grow. I relent and now the lawn but I insist on at least a portion of the dirt garden be left to go wild. We get insects aplenty which also help with the trees we have too.
You're clearly being rewarded for sticking to your guns Tina - well done, I admire that :) I hope you have a reward-filled weekend! Best wishes, Joel
Our lawn always flowers in all the colours from purple to white and yellow and I wouldn't want to have it any other way! 💐
Wonderful! We need more people like you :) Sorry for the delay in acknowledging your comment, just trying to catch up with everyone - I hope you have a fab weekend - best wishes, Joel
Not sure why people hate them. Free salad greens and the flower is a beautiful yellow.
My exact thoughts Luis, I can't think of any harm they've ever been recorded as doing and like you say, they're perfectly edible and we don't tend to hate other yellow flowers.... Best wishes, have a great weekend - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton likewise!
It makes me mad when i see plastic turf, the low maintenance lawn. I will give up trying to remove dandelions from my garden, it was a losing battle anyway with the windblown seeds. I do like the leaves in salads.
Hey Elizabeth - thank you so much for this and I'm so pleased that you've given up the fight. Come next Spring I promise you will be both rewarded and surprised at the grateful pollinators who visit your lawn after a long winter slumber - you'll be providing vital food for them and in turn they'll have the strength to continue pollinating and helping US to survive :) Best wishes and have a great weekend - Joel
Thank you for the video mowing our lawn less often now can see the beauty in the dandelions .This may be one of the reasons for the decline in insects and birds.
Absolutely Graham, and thank you - so many early emerging insects rely on this oft-hated poor wildflower and yet it provides so much sustenance for those insects that do a perfect job in helping the human race to survive :) I hope you have a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
I love dandelions I let them grow for the pollinators and my tortoises love to eat them.
So good to hear this! So sorry I couldn't reply sooner, I am just trying to catch up with everyone now, but thank you so much and I hope you and the tortoise have a great weekend! :) Best wishes, Joel
I’ve got white clover 🍀 growing along the side wall in my back garden 🪴. It seems to be taken ages unlike last year. I’ve got to admit about getting rid of dandelions in my lawn. I should leave an area in my back garden to let the grass grow longer. It’s my hubby who cuts the grass. I don’t own my 🏡 so I could get into trouble if I let it get a bit wild. I don’t know 🤷🏻♀️. I do have plans for my garden but got a lot on just now. I fancy getting lavender for my front garden 🪴. Have a nice weekend 😊
Hey Janie - the bees will thank you for the clover :) Sorry I was unable to reply sooner, just trying to catch up with everyone now, but wishing you a great weekend! Best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Got peony 🌹 starting to open up below my front livingroom 🪟 & the right side of the front 🚪. A few other 🌸 but the weather has been awful. The council came & cut the grass at the grassy areas over the side fence, back fence plus around the area where my 🏡 is. So much for letting it grow so I can 👂🏻 & maybe see cricket 🦗 or other insects plus 🦋. So I’m gonna email a few councillors next week. It’s a disgrace 😠. Have a nice weekend 😊
I actively encourage the growth of Dandelions in our garden ( we now have loads!)
To be honest, it’s mainly for my giant tortoise because they are good for him & he loves them...... but now I’m more educated about insects, I don’t pick as many early in the season.
We now have a massive patch of them specially for the 🐢 but got loads more around the garden.
There seems to be much more this year, along the roadsides. 😁
Fantastic Lynn, I never realised how many people had pet tortoises until I'd uploaded this video! :) I found this wonderful "answer" about why our poor dandelions have been "hated" for so many years, on Quora - do see the first reply from Lily Bell, it's certainly convinced me now:
www.quora.com/Why-dont-people-like-dandelions
Hope you're having a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton very interesting .....thanks Joel.....have a great week
Hey Joel,
18 year old here. I live in The Netherlands next to a nature reserve, and we managed to buy 4000m2. Im really inspired by you. Do you have any tips? It's a wet wild flower meadow
Hey there Jelle - I am so glad these videos reach the Netherlands too - so many wonderful people from all over the world in this channel community :) If you wanted to send me some photos of the area I will be happy to give some tips and advice, you can send an email with photos to hazelwoodlandscapes@hotmail.com - I hope you are having a good weekend :) Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Great, thank you. I will make some photo's.
This year is the first time I'm not pulling them out, I think I always pulled them out because I wasn't thinking about wildlife while making a nice garden 😱
I'm so pleased to read this! I am going to complete another video soon about why dandelions have been hated so long, but briefly it's due to wealthy landowners many many years ago being able to afford gardeners and people to hand-pull dandelions for a "perfect" green lawn. This status symbol of a bowling green lawn carried on, pesticide and weed killer manufacturers cottoned on to this and made a "perfect" lawn and garden achievable for all. I believe that's why on nearly every bottle of weed-killer, the poor dandelion flower features :/ You'll be rewarded for leaving them, and many insects will be grateful to you! Best wishes, Joel
I very happily have many dandelions in both the front and back garden and have told my dad he is not taking out any green plants that haven't had a chance to flower, kind of mystery wild seedlings which look so much better than just bare soil or grass. My fingers are crossed for other wild flowers to pop up in our grass which I can't remember when it was mown last but have been helping get a lot of bees to flowers in the past 2 weeks so every flower helps. Peonies are starting to open so will have many a happy pollinator in the next few days. Love these videos
Wonderful to read this :) Well done you! Let me know what appears, would love to know - thank you for your support and encouragement, I hope you and dad have a wonderful weekend - best wishes, Joel
Done a little research as I'm not well versed in plant identification. We have a lovely big patch of what I believe is Herb Robert, our fuschia bushes are starting to flower, peonies have bloomed very spectacularly as ever. The primroses and violas (I think) that parents bought have started to die off in some areas, lots of plants have yet to flower but they are growing well, some lovely purple flowers- three different kinds and not a clue what any of them are. I believe our clematis are well flowered- honeysuckle a good way off yet, huge dog rose bush (in memory of our dog) has some lovely blooms starting, Acer tree and I believe poplar tree are getting lots of bug attention. Many dandelions in flower and seed and to finish off we have a big clump of creeping buttercups coming into flower. Oh and an ivy that just won't quite so I'm hoping for that to flower for the cross moth... and chickweed, forgot about the cute chickweed. Sadly no sign of clovers or daisies, I love daisies but they don't seem to want to come up in our garden. Hope all are well and enjoying the blooms.
好棒好喜欢好漂亮好美丽好好👍👍👍👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹🏆💐💐💐🙏🙏🙏🎉🎉🎉
We haven't had any dandelions in our yard and this spring we were excited to see some blooming! We also have a berm that I have let grow and we mow in late August, its amazing to see what has come up and has now spread, native camas, shooting star, I'm on Vancouver Island Canada
Thank you Freya - I've learned something today :) You just made me "google" Shooting Star Canada and what beautiful plants they are! I am hoping to get to Canada next year and I absolutely cannot wait :) I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I'm so glad about the dandelions this year - best wishes, Joel
You can also use a few yourself eat or drink dandelion tea/ coffee, the whole plant is edible and packed with vitamins and minerals. ☺
I have heard this, but must admit I am yet to indulge - I won't forget that though :) Hope you're having a great weekend Anna - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton bike riding and planting my cabbage seedlings, great weekend thanks. Hope you're having a good weekend too ☺
I had a painful walk (old bones creak) yesterday and being a bit later in Sweden than you are I was delightd by the carpets of wood anenomes, but also violets, bugle and cowslips among many other things. Even though I'm quite stiff today, I will always have those beautiful plants in my memory. I was distressed at the end of last week to go to a local garden centre that didn't sell rooting powder but had shelves and shelves of stuff that was capable of keeping a garden respectable - I don't do respectable. Garden centres seem to cater for (I suppose because of customer pressure, ignorance and repectability) quick and easy gardens, the sort that doesn't want to know that beyond their well trimmed boundaries Nature exsists. You're doing a grand job in spreading the word - I hope more people find your channel and are influenced by it. I must admit that in the past I have been guilty of snatching the heads off dandelions, my excuse is that they make fantastic wine.
Hi William - apart from the creaking part, it was so lovely to read this and hear about your fantastic attitude :) I think I have found out the real reason dandelions are hated and hope to do a short update video on this, I am working up in Scotland at the moment and there are fields of them, so refreshing to see and I expect admired by the many people that don't wish to allow them in their own green space. Thank you so much for your kind words and support, it makes a huge difference to me - one day I hope to be in Sweden and enjoy a walk with you and to indulge in that wine :) Best wishes, Joel
I forget to mention, I don't know why, that on my walk yesterday I saw my first ever orange tip butterfly. 70+ years in the waiting but worth it.
@@williammallender8391 Absolutely thrilled for you! My favourite butterfly William, wish I could have been there to experience that with you :) Best wishes, Joel
Hi Joel, been so busy working at my allotment I’m on the catchup with all your videos! I was sitting in my local park in Edinburgh, Morningside recently which is a truly amazing wee park with a wee fruit tree orchard starting to grow and a wee herb garden and a great space to offer the local school kids a place to go for some of their lessons. I was reading my book and enjoying the morning sun when i heard and then saw a big massive bit of machinery (the size of a tractor) with a lawn mower attachment on the back of it that was mowing every single bit of the lawn that had been covered in dandelions, daisys etc and was buzzing with life!! I felt so helpless and couldn’t concentrate anymore on my book, so i just sat there thinking of all the implications it would have on wildlife. It was a windy day as well so i could smell the cut grass being blown about, and shortly after this my nose started clogging up and i started getting hay fever symptoms, and the whole next day i spent in bed. I dont usually get symptoms this bad from walking through parks or hills at this time of the year that aren’t mown. This made me wonder if maybe the cutting of grass can make it even more unbearable for hay fever sufferers, compared to plants that are left to flower and have their pollen naturally blown about. Cant seem to find anything on the web about this but this would (among the endless list of other reasons for not mowing the lawn) be another potential reason to not mow. I was wondering about your opinion on this :) hope all is well with you and if you ever come up to Scotland and you need a helping hand with something I’d love to help out!! Kind Regards, Stuart Graves-Morris :)
Hey Stuart! You might not quite believe it but I've just pulled up at Newburgh beach in Aberdeenshire to see the grey seal colony! I have been working in Aboyne, building a bird-hide. We should be finished by Weds next week hopefully and then I have a few consultations to do on the way back down to Essex. I think you might be right about the hayfever symptoms increasing when grass/wildflowers are cut.... I know that there are specific grass allergies due to the very fine pollen which is a powder-like substance. The pollen consists of microspores produced by male parts of the grass. Grass pollen is very similar to ragweed pollen - very lightweight and easily spreads which makes it much easier to breathe in and trigger allergy symptoms. Must dash and get some footage of these seals - I hope you have a great weekend, you can always drop me a line at hazelwoodlandscapes@hotmail.com - best wishes, Joel