A yellow dandelion flower in a lawn

Dandelion

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Thursday, 7 March 2019 at 3:00 pm

The benefits of dandelions in your garden and how to remove them if necessary.

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Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) can spread quickly via seed to colonise freshly cultivated soil and are able to survive in compacted soil in lawns. The deep tap root allows them to survive and re-grow when the top of the plant is cut off. Seed can blow in from surrounding gardens, fields and waste-ground. They are found in established flowerbeds, cracks in paving, garden walls and lawns.

Clump of leaves grow from a single or multiple point. Leaves and flower stalks ooze a milky substance when snapped. Bright yellow-orange flowers are followed by a fluffy seedhead or dandelion 'clock'. Dandelions are a superb source of early nectar for pollinating insects, so if they can be left they are beneficial to wildlife.

Organic removal

Remove the whole tap root by digging down into the soil with a knife or spike-like daisy grubber. Stop plants from setting seed by removing flowers before they produce fluffy seeds.

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