Dandy little guys

II'm not a tree hugger, but I do love and appreciate trees. Same with flowers. ALL flowers, except maybe the mile a minute things. They're just too pushy and arrogant.

My buddy Vickie and I can take a whole day shopping for flowers, no seriously, and have a great time. I always try to get them planted as quickly as possible, but it doesn't always work out because of weather or schedules or whatever. So, some of those flowers that I have paid good money for get impatient and will fake their own death so that I will get their feet stuck in the ground as soon as possible.

OR, sometimes I'll place them in a spot that just isn't to their liking. It may be a little too wet, or too dry, or too soft or too hard, or too hot or too cold. In fact, finding the perfect spot for the little Goldilockes can sometimes be a big pain.

And then, even if I do get that right, if I overfeed or heaven forbid, underfeed, then they get an attitude and will either wilt or turn a weird color, or get all stick-like.

And let's not forget the campaign like promises those little direction cards that are stuck in the pots promise us. They make this picture look like a gazillion blooms all close together will top off this beautiful foliage and will do everything but wash your windows. They'll draw hummingbirds, and they'll have fragrant blossoms that will bloom "all-summer long," that is if you get the watering formula down to perfection.

They'll create beautiful borders, (ha) with brilliant colors in plate size blooms. I buy into all these visions every single year. Every one!! Last year, the white lilac bush decided it was Michael Jackson and decided to change race. It's blooming all right, but it's purple! Beautiful yes, but not what it promised. Many of the flowers look like they are in Third-World famines as they can barely choke out a blossom they're so "undernourished. " (translation, I didn't feed them enough of that expensive plant food)

Our guaranteed red carpet border lillies transformed into an exchange program. We can replace the no-shows with anything we want, except I guess, red carpet border lillies. They don't want to BE with us.

Planted this beautiful clematis vine, healthy as all get out, ready to spring eternal and cover the special trellis we bought for it. The trellis is lonely. The clematis apparently had a fight with the site where it was planted and decided to deport itself. Somewhere. Else.

What about the plants that require full sun, yet still don't do well in perfect sunlight. What, sunscreen for plants, is that what they're demanding?

Okay, what's my point?

Out in just about every yard in York County, you can find FREE, beautiful, reliable, loyal, strong, healthy no-attitude flowers every year without fail. They do not whine about conditions, and they demand nothing. They just give, give, give. They get along very well with each other. They can handle little toddler fists squeezing the daylights out of them as they get handed over to mommies as prizes. Not picky about fertilizer, just about anything is good enough. No complaints about water conditions or lack of food. Don't need little Raybans in bright sunlight, in fact, shade is okay with them too.

And how do we treat these beautiful treasures? We poison them, we stab them, we dig them out by their roots, people curse at them, and townships get all up in their faces with regulations about not having them in their 'hoods.

Okay, who declared that the Dandelion was public lawn enemy number 1? Who decided that they are not flowers, but the "W" word? Who decided that they're non-deserving, not good enough for beauty contests? What law says that "kill we must?"

I say, let's give dandelions amnesty! The men in my family all think they're some kind of gladiators as they go out and attack the dreaded "D" word. Sometimes they'll attack with a mask and chemicals, they'll gird themselves with all kinds of industrial strength gloves. They'll go out with tools that could wipe out an entire. jungle.

I mean seriously. What is the big deal about wimpy lawns that can't handle competition from this unassuming flower?

They make beautiful "bouquets," they're free, you can make wine out of them, and my dad even eats dandelion. Admittedly, none from the yard, but you know, people actually grow them for food, and you've probably had some in a salad or two in your lifetime.

So what's not to like?

I would like to see discrimination against these guys wiped out in my lifetime. Who's with me?? The life you save could be your next glass of wine, or your next meal. Think about it!