Dandelions are go!

So this is the kind of thing we get seriously excited about at Positive Potions. While most people consider the humble dandelion as garden enemy no.1 and an all-round menace to the idyll of a perfect lawn, we are actually growing dandelions from seeds in the Positive Potions beds. Last year we were scavengers, rooting up whatever dandelions we could find, throwing the leaves into salads, making teas and experimenting with the virtues of leaves over roots and vice versa. Now we’re getting rather more professional, with a big bed dedicated to this amazing super-herb. Of course, dandelions are famously promiscuous, so I am fully imagining that it will spread its power right around the garden, but we’re ok with that, as the more the better!

So for the uninitiated - before you’re tempted to weed out this precious botanical and throw it on the compost - think again, as here are the TOP TEN BENEFITS OF DANDELION: highly nutritious, it is loaded with vitamins and minerals; a super-charged immune-booster, it is also considered a powerful weapon against cancer cell formation; massively detoxifying, it can help with a range of complaints resulting from oxidative stress; a big player in the anti-inflammatory group of botanicals, useful for seeing off urinary issues; a great blood-sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol reducer; a super-charged digestion enhancer, to ease stomach complaints, with a mildly laxative effect; a supporter of healthy bones; a skin-purifier, brilliant at giving you back your glow and clearing up skin; a good liver-support; part of the bitter group of foods, promoting gut health, it also tastes delicious. Move over rocket salads - try dandelion instead and reap the benefits!

So a big thank you to Joe for getting this dandelion bed of marvels up and running. The only drawback with this one is that I’m tempted to eat rather too many of the leaves - yum. Is this a hashtag founders privilege moment? To chomp my way through the stock… Glad that dandelion is fast and liberal in its growth!

Meanwhile in the garden: Joe has been flat out with the late winter clear-up, and also with taking cuttings from ancient hybrid rhododendrons, elders, akebia and camellias that grow in and around the American Gardens at Bodorgan. After generations of being abandoned, it is always so amazing to discover lost but new-to-us varieties, hidden in the undergrowth. And as our garden policy is to be highly mindful of bio-security, we grow most things either from seed, or on from the cuttings we can take from the old, established varieties scattered about the gardens. And with our rocket-fuel compost heap, brood of helpful hens and deer, we are growing from the inside out into a haven of permaculture!