When you hear the word dandelions, what is the first thought that pops into your head? Is it "Oh these pesky weeds"? or is it "Joyful and healing?" I won't beat around the bush but for me, it is joyful and healing. The first time I learned that dandelions are unwelcome was when I immigrated to the US 30+ years ago. Until then I never thought of them as anything but another medicinal plant, that we used since my early childhood in France. It was common for us to go out into the fields and pick them. Mother told us to only pick the young ones, she used the leaves to make a salad.
Later I learned to break the stems and use the latex that comes oozing out, to remove warts. Of course, my grandmother told me about the coffee replacement that was made from dandelions root. That was well known during the war (WWII) where real coffee wasn't available. All in all, dandelions were at the top of my list of plants that are a gift from heaven.
That impression has never changed. Even after I learned that dandelions are considered a weed, mostly because the plant interferes with the idea of having an immaculate lawn and the relentless labor to keep it immaculate. Well, I never knew a thing about that. We had meadows and all sorts of flowers grow there. That is where my sense of beauty derives from. Wild nature, variety. A flat, green, short cropped, lawn? What is that for? OK golf courses, I get it. But does every house require a front lawn that has this boring grassy desert? I shout "Long live the weeds!" I do faintly remember some green grass areas in parks in Germany where my grandparents took me. It was usually forbidden to go on the grass, but not always. Swans and geese liked to roam on the short grass. That was a wonderful site.
Over the years I have painted many dandelions. Watercolors, oil paintings, large and small. All have sold but one. I'll include some links to the one that sold, because you can buy them as prints.
Before I forget it, did you know that dandelions are part of the sunflower family? You can eat the whole plant, maybe not the stems but the leaves, the blooms, the roots, it makes a great diuretic. Their roots go very deep, the Chinese call them earth nails, I think. ~Ginette from GinetteFineArt.com
