As I write this, there is a good snow cover though that probably won’t be so by the time you read this. The outside temperature is in the 40s, it is breezy and I can hear the melting going on through the wall to my study.
Alas, ‘tis the last time this spring I can look out at the lawn and pretend there are no dandelions in it. I am not gearing up to re-fight a war we all know we’ve lost.
Supposedly, the last dandelion-free place on Earth was Shackleton‘s gravesite in Antarctica, but apparently that is no longer true. It is such a good story that I am not going to check it. I don’t think I have to, as there are dandelions everywhere.
I do see a few orange flags sticking up in various places in our emerging lawn. These mark the areas where we tossed wildflower seeds just before the first snow hit. Hopefully, these seeds will germinate now and we’ll get to see some color other than the yellow dandelion.
When we first came up here some 50 years ago, Anchorage lawns were different. There weren’t nearly as many dandelions and if one appeared, it was hand-plucked out of your lawn; no spraying needed.
What was even more impressive were the Arctic poppies that grew in so many lawns. (What do I always say about dandelions? If they came in different colors, we’d want them in our lawns. Arctic poppies fit the bill with their multiple, delicate, pastel colors). Alas, these days you can hardly find Arctic poppies for sale, nonetheless in lawns.
Anyhow, back to the dandelions. Fifty years ago, there weren’t very many. I remember watching them move in. We lived on the bluff overlooking Kenai and I distinctly remember several days watching clouds of dandelion seeds parasailing across the inlet and settling into Anchorage. Curse you, Kenai Fjords! That’s when I knew we lost the war.
And, you don’t need to get me ranting again on the chemicals we used to kill those dandelions. Over the past 10 years at garden writers’ conference tours, those of us in the know won’t walk on a lawn that is dandelion free.
I’m quite sure I can find bags of Arctic poppy seeds for sale someplace on the internet and perhaps locally. Last year I purchased lots of what I thought was baby clover seed and spread it throughout the lawn. They grew into beautiful and thick green areas. (I’ve since learned that baby clover just means it is first-year clover. After that, it all grows to the same size.)
I am pretty sure we will see our first dandelions real soon, that is, if we don’t get more snow. The clover will be there too, hopefully getting ready to spread and choke out some dandies!
Jeff’s Alaska Garden Calendar:
Alaska Botanical Garden: I know there are a few stragglers out there who have not joined yet. You must. Consider membership the fee I charge for these columns!
Flower and vegetable starts: They are arriving. Remember, anything grown indoors has to be hardened off for about a week in order to acclimate to the wind and sun.
Comments are closed.