Death-to-dandelions movement is a mystery to me
Cats: Uncategorized, culture|In my town they’ve banned lawn pesticides. And that’s a good thing IMHO.
But this ban has had a strange knock-on. It’s given rise to a whole movement of dandelion pluckers.
These people are like the Rambos of Suburbia, out there stalking down the little yellow enemy and ripping them out by their roots, sometimes with their bare hands.
You see them outside after supper on their seek-and-destroy missions. They are unstoppable, obsessive, merciless. You can almost hear them saying: Death to Dandelions.
I sometimes want to stop them and say: They’re dandelions; not the Taliban.
My question is why? What is the harm? Dandelions are lovely little flowers that add interest, dimension and texture to lawns. These are the things a landscape designers strive for, aren’t they?
Maybe if these Super Pluckers just stopped, took a seat on the front step and got some perspective, they might see flowers growing on the lawn - free flowers - instead of little yellow enemies.
And just think how much better their backs would feel.
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:16 am
BEAUTIFUL I LOVE IT! And by the way my mothers fellow bloggies, I am the 11 year old daughter
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 am
I think that what really fuels the anti dandelion frenzy is the fear of being looked at as a sloppy homeowner by your perfectly-lawned neighbors. While a lawn full of dandelions isn’t as bad as an old sofa in the yard or a car up on blocks, it’s in the same ballpark.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:13 pm
“Yet dandelions get the weed rap. What are weeds anyway, but plants with a PR problem.”
Absolutely, dandelion green salads for everyone.
“I knew this because my tongue would go numb.”
Shoot, pesticide, nuthin’…
…that’s the Canadian Dope Man.
BTW, as I type this? One of those cop TV reality shows is showing a car chase in Nova Scotia where an idiot took himself out by plowing into a police motorcycle.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
I love dandelions and I try to spread them to more places whenever I can.
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Allergies…..I figure the word “dander” came from something.
I saw this movie called Wilby Wonderful recently and liked it. It was on the free download section of Netflix. Is there really a Wilby island or some such place that it’s based on in Nova Scotia? You’re the only person I know who’s anywhere near there.
I figure Dale or Tanya Espanya wouldn’t give me a straight answer. You would photograph the place or something like that.
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Daughter, thank you. I wouldn’t have put this up, were it not for your encouragement. It’s growing on me, for sure.
Bubs, but I love the look of a ball park. No one has explained why Dandelions are ugly
WP, people in these parts make dandelion wine too.
And yes, that sort of high-speed car chase goes on all the time here. It’s just another day to us.
Chance, yes that’s Daniel McIvor’s movie. It’s set in Shelburne Nova Scotia which is a couple of hours drive from me. Haven’t seen it yet but MacIvor is brilliant.
This part of Nova Scotia is like going back to another time and place. Idyllic, if you like living in another time and place.
Funny we dont’ get Netflix here. Not yet anyway.
Do I take it you don’t like de dandelions, Chance?
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Dandelions are fine. Come to think of it, my part of California used to have lots of them along with buttercups, etc….but I don’t see them much these days.
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:53 am
I have nothing against dandelions either. But for some reason, every now and then I will get out the long weed fork and pop them out of the ground. It’s just sort of satisfying. And then I will leave them alone again for another month.
I have no idea why I do this.
And you must see Wilby Wonderful sometime. It immediately became one of my all-time favourites!
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:46 am
Rambos of Suburbia….haha!
I don’t like dandelions though, as I have allergies.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:49 am
Chance why no more dandelions in your part of California?
Barbara, yes I think there is that element of control-satisfaction there. Perhaps you should see counselling.;)
Allison, is it the dandelions that cause your reactions?
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I always thought it was a prairie thing. Here they seem to let the dandelions live a little more freely but on the prairies they were cursed and plucked with a vengeance. I can still remember being lectured on, “Make sure you get the roots.”
May 5th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Toccata, I don’t understand it. To me it’s a fashion, like Brazilian waxing. Whenever I see people plucking it makes me think they don’t have enough to do or worry about.
May 5th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Just to give you an idea of how deep this can go…I knew a guy in Plaster Rock, NB who was so obsessed with having a dandelion free lawn that he was irate that his neighbor wasn’t controlling his. He claimed that he was going to shit on his neighbors doorstep as a form of retaliation.
May 5th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Without dandelions in these parts we’d have dirt for our lawn. There’s a lady up the road who is on her hands and knees all day plucking them out of her perfectly manicured lawn. Her name is Madeleine. We call her Crazy Mad-Delion.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Dick, yes there are stories like that around here too. People have their priorities out of whack.
YAM Mad Delion, love it. Crazy coot.