Dandelion

Today's the day .....................  for weeds

Alan Titchmarsh, the Celebrity Gardener, is reported today to have urged the Judging Panel of the Chelsea Flower Show, not to award the top prize to a garden which embodies the principle of re-wilding, as they did last year.  He has accused the judges of pandering to the environmentalists and wants to see gardens with 'proper' plants.

My opinion of Alan Titchmarsh and his views on gardening are probably unprintable - so instead I bring you the wonder of nature that is the dandelion - and an extra of wild garlic.  Both of these 'weeds' are to be found in my garden, welcome parts of the wider eco-system and a privilege to have.

The English name dandelion is a corruption of the French dent de lion meaning "lion's tooth", referring to the coarsely toothed leaves but it has lots of different names in different countries. Here are just a few -

In Italy they are piscialletto or in Spain meacamas - these names refer to the strong diuretic effect of the plant's roots either roasted or raw.

In France, it is also known as laitue de chien (dog's lettuce) or salade de taupe (mole's salad).

In other languages, the plant is named after the white sap found in its stem, e.g. mælkebøtte (Danish for "milk pot").

In Finnish and Estonian, it is called voikukka and võilill, meaning "butter flower", referring to its buttery colour.

And (rather unimaginatively) in China it is called pú gong ying , meaning "flower that grows in public spaces by the riverside"...............................