Tag Archives: Dandelions

Hoverflies What Are They And Why Are They Important

If you’ve ever seen a bee with no stinger, and wondered why it’s still alive and flying, It’s because it’s probably a hoverfly. Hoverflies have the same markings as bees and some wasps, and even mimic certain behavioural patterns associated with bees. So what are hoverflies? and why are they so important? Hoverflies What Are They And Why Are They Important Video What Are Hoverflies? Hoverflies are a species of fly found everywhere in the world apart from Antarctica. They are of the family Syrphidae and are also known as syrphid flies and flower flies. Do Hoverflies Sting? Although they… → Read More

Companion Plants For Fruit Trees

In traditional orchards, fruit trees were grown in rows but as stand alone plants and relied on each others blooms to attract pollinators. As amatuer gardeners, we need all the help we can to get things pollinated. So here is a list of useful companion plants for fruit trees. Companion Plants For Fruit Trees The idea of companion planting is not a new concept, in fact there are records dating back 10,000 years of companion planting practises. It’s basically the principle of growing plants close together for the health and improvement of one or more of the plants. Many of… → Read More

companion plants for cherry trees

The idea of companion planting is to grow plants that compliment each other in some way. companion plants for cherry trees are mainly used to attract helpful pollinators like bees. Cherry trees blossom very early in spring, so it’s vital to get the flowers pollinated by early pollinators if you want those blossoms to become cherries. companion plants for cherry trees There are a few things to consider when growing cherry trees, not least of all, how wet the ground is. Cherries don’t tolerate standing water, so if your area is very wet and you have sodden soil maybe cherries… → Read More

Companion Planting Dandelions (no…really!)

This post might surprise a few of you gardeners out there. Companion planting dandelions ??? well it surprised me too. Companion Planting Dandelions Every body knows what a dandelion looks like and most of you will think of them as weeds. To be pulled up and destroyed as soon as they are spotted but on closer inspection dandelions are very useful little plants. Dandelions are great companion plants Allowing dandelions to grow near to early flowering fruits and vegetables will attract pollinators on the look out for nectar. Fruits and vegetables like :- Broad beans Early strawberries Apricots Plums Peaches… → Read More

Don’t dismiss the Dandelions

Dandelions

Don’t dismiss Dandelions as just another problem weed to get rid of. Like Comfrey ,Dandelions have long tap roots which allow them to absorb minerals that other shallow rooted plants can’t reach. All parts of the Dandelion are edible, flowers, leaves, and roots. Dandelions contain the following:- Vitamin A Vitamin B Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K Vitamin P Iron Potassium Zinc Calcium Lecithin Magnesium Niacin Phosphorus Boron Young Dandelion leaves can be used in salads and are quite sweet but older, fully grown leaves tend to be bitter and should be stripped from the central stem as the… → Read More