In short
Dandelions are one of the most useful plants in a herb garden. They feed bees in early spring, goldfinches in summer and the soil all year round, and in autumn their deep roots can be lifted and roasted into a caffeine-free coffee. Here is why I added them to my herb garden on purpose, and what I do with them now.
Most gardeners spend their springs trying to get rid of dandelions. I went the other way and planted them. It started with a simple question while I was planning the herb garden: which plant gives back the most for the least effort? The answer kept coming back to the humble dandelion.
Every part of it is useful. The young leaves go into spring salads, the flowers make a golden syrup, and the roots roast into a caffeine-free coffee in autumn. And it does all of that while feeding the garden's wildlife. Once the first plants were in, I was hooked: one cold April morning I counted eleven bumblebees on that one small patch, at a time when almost nothing else was in flower, and later that summer a pair of goldfinches spent a whole afternoon picking seeds from the clocks.
Three reasons I added dandelions
Dandelions flower just as queen bumblebees wake up, when nectar is scarce. Each flower head holds up to 200 tiny florets.
Goldfinches, linnets and sparrows feast on the seed clocks in early summer.
The long taproot breaks up compacted ground and draws nutrients up from deep below, returning them as the leaves die back.
What autumn dandelions are for
By October, the flowers are long gone and the plant has spent the summer storing energy in its root. This is when I go back with a fork. The roots come up long, pale and plump, and a quick scrub, a slow dry and a hot roast turns them into something wonderful: a dark, toasty, completely caffeine-free brew that tastes of cocoa and caramel. It has become one of my favourite autumn rituals, and the whole kitchen smells like a coffee roastery while it happens.
The recipe
Dandelion Root Coffee: How to Roast Your Own
Step-by-step instructions for digging, drying, roasting and brewing your own dandelion root coffee, plus four ways to drink it.
Read the full recipe🍂 My “lift some, leave some” rule
I only lift roots from about half my plants each autumn. The rest stay in the ground to flower next April for the bees, and any small piece of root left behind usually grows back anyway.
Growing dandelions on purpose
It still makes people laugh when I tell them I grow dandelions deliberately. But a few plants in a dedicated bed, a raised bed or a deep pot give you clean, unsprayed leaves, flowers and roots for the kitchen, without them seeding across the lawn. Snip off most of the flowers before they turn to clocks, leave a few for the goldfinches, and you have one of the hardest-working plants in the garden.
Grow your own
Dandelion – Wildlife-Friendly Cottage Garden Perennial
A hardy, UK-grown dandelion for borders, herb beds or a big pot. Plant it this autumn and it will be flowering for the bees next spring, with roots ready to lift the autumn after.
Shop Dandelion plantsDandelion questions
Are dandelions good for your garden?
Yes. Dandelions feed early bees and hoverflies, their seeds feed goldfinches, and their long taproots break up compacted soil and bring nutrients up from deep down. In a herb or wildlife garden they are a genuinely useful plant rather than a weed.
What can you do with dandelion roots in autumn?
Autumn is the best time to lift dandelion roots, when they are plump with stored energy. They can be scrubbed, dried and roasted to make a caffeine-free coffee alternative, or simply left in the ground to keep improving the soil.
How do you keep dandelions from taking over?
Snip off most of the flower heads before they turn into seed clocks, and grow your dandelions in a dedicated bed, raised bed or deep pot. That way you get all the benefits without them seeding across the lawn.
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