Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
Also known as
Blowball, Common Dandelion, Faceclock
Photo by chaz1 (All rights reserved)
Full Sun
Easy care
Moderate watering
Frost Hardy
H7
RHS hardiness
-20°C
Minimum temperature
Expected size
Height | Spread | |
|---|---|---|
30cm | Max | 30cm |
10cm | Min | 20cm |
Flowering
-
spring
-
summer
-
autumn
-
winter
This plant has no fragrance
More images of Dandelion
Dandelion Overview
Taraxacum officinale is a herbaceous, tap-rooted, perennial plant from the Asteraceae family. Easy to grow and easy to enjoy, the Dandelion with its toothed, green foliage and yellow flowers is a multipurpose plant that will grow almost anywhere, brighten up your garden, attract birds and insects of all kinds and prove to be useful in a variety of ways. The showy flowers, and indeed the whole plant has been and is still used in a variety of culinary and medicinal applications. This plant is often found in the wild in Northern Europe.
Common problems with Dandelion
Generally pest and and disease free.
How to harvest Dandelion
The leaves are best harvested when the plant is young and tender (and less bitter). You can harvest the greens throughout the growing season. Roots can be harvested in the fall of the second year of growth. Pull the entire root from the ground and avoid breakage.
How to propagate Dandelion
Seed
Sow seed in spring in a cold frame. Sow seed onto an all-purpose compost in deep pots, to accommodate the roots, or straight onto open soil.
Division
Divide in early spring as the plant comes into growth.
Cuttings
Bits of roots remaining in the soil will grow into a new plants.
Special features of Dandelion
Repels harmful insects
The milky latex has been used as a mosquito repellent.
Attracts useful insects
Insects such as butterflies, bees and moths enjoy visiting the bright yellow flowers.
Pot plant
Can be grown in a large container in order to prevent it from spreading, but also for aesthetic purposes. Provide sufficient drainage holes.
Attracts bees
Attracts butterflies
Other uses of Dandelion
Wildflower/meadow, culinary, medicinal, ingredient for wine.
Medicinal
Used in herbal medicine to treat infections, bile and liver problems, as a mild laxative, for increasing appetite, for improving digestion and as a diuretic.
Edible
The flowers are used to make dandelion wine and jam, the greens are used in salads, the roots have been used to make a coffee substitute.
Common Weeds
A weed is a plant in the wrong place, these are the most likely to appear where they are not wanted.
Explore all
