Tip to a Weed Free Lawn

Want to know my secret to keeping the lawn dandelion-free?  I convinced my kids that I LOVE dandelions!

In truth, they are very pretty.  I do like the way that the polka-dot the green grass with their sunshiny blossoms.  And seeing giant clusters of them along a hill or a meadow can be as breathtaking as a field of any other blossom.

But yes, they are a weed, and a pristine lawn is healthier when it is weed free.

So, as the kids know I LOVE dandelions, they pick them for me by the hundreds.  Every day.  They fill up their baskets, their trucks, anything that will hold them, and greet me at the door with bundles of these flowers.  And I, being a supportive mother to my children and to my own scheme, shrill with delight at how many dandelions they picked for me!

Sometimes we put them in a vase or a cup.  Sometimes we cut off all the stems and put the blossoms in a glass bowl.

And since you tell your kids you LOVE dandelions so much, you’ll get a lot!  Be prepared to slow down on walks and bike rides to pick dandelions.  Get in on the fun, too. 

And there’s no harm in spending a relaxing moment making a dandelion garland necklace together. 

How to make a Dandelion Garland:

1.  Gather 12 dandelion flowers that are simlar in size with 3″ stems.  Make sure the stems are thick and hardy.
2.  With a fingernail, make a 1/2″ slit in the stem just under the flower.
3.  Take another flower and slip its stem into the slit of the first flower.
4.  Make a slit in the second flower and add the third flower as if making a chain.
5.  Continue until you have the desired length.

OR:  Need one that’s more Kid-Friendly:

1.  Tie one stem in a knot high up near the flower of another dandelion.
2.  Continue adding flowers and tying them together until the desired length.
 

You are right — we’re not really solving our lawn’s weed problem by picking hundreds of dandelion blossoms, because we are leaving the roots.  BUT we are picking the blossoms before the spread their seeds, and right now, that is good enough for me!