If someone could invent a garden lawn that was always perfect, never needed mowing and was weed free there is a strong chance that they would be onto a winner.
Meanwhile, those of us with gardens must do the best we can with grass seed, mower and various kinds of weed killers, organic or, perish the thought, otherwise.
At this time of year, along with the grass other, less welcome things grow like daisies, buttercups and dandelions.
Which reminds me of a story of a man who had a beautiful lawn except that Dandelions persisted in growing to spoil the effect. He tried rooting them out but they kept coming back. He tried weedkiller but that only worked for a time.
Finally he wrote, in despair, to the Department of Agriculture (or DEFRA, as it would now be) and he told them all that he had tried to do to eradicate the Dandelion, ending his letter with the question: “What shall I do now?”
In due course he received their reply.“We suggest that you learn to love them.”
For those who want a perfect lawn that’s probably a hard thing to do but actually, the Dandelion is quite a lovely flower. It’s just that it is an unwelcome visitor to our garden. We don’t mind so much when it grows in the hedgerows or by a woodland path or on waste ground but we don’t want it in our gardens.
God, however, seems to have a different idea. He seems to love that sunshine flower we would perhaps prefer to eradicate. There’s no accounting for taste – especially divine taste and God does seem to love a lot of things that we might prefer to reject.
There’s a lesson there for us all to learn.
Meanwhile, I confess that I love Dandelions. They are always welcome in my garden. They brighten the early Spring and they are a wonder to behold.
Maybe if we didn’t take them for granted or, worse, wage war on them, we might appreciate the intricate sun flower in all its bright array.
The golden dandelion, with its intricate and gorgeous leaf formation will still be bringing bright joy to otherwise dull verges, hedgerows, fields, wastelands, and almost anywhere, whatever we feel about them
We should indeed learn to love them, though I am not expecting total agreement about that!
Meanwhile, here’s a little poem by Sister Donna Butler of the Sister of Providence
Unwelcomed
Save by children,
Dandelion,
I declare you
Patron flower
Of prophets.
Who would
believe such power
Lies within
the beauty
of your soft
Geometric fluff
Poised to take
a ride
on the wind
and land in
Uninvited places?
Mr G's Ponderings 