Have you ever considered Broadleaf Plantain, the flat-leaved weed that invades your lawn, a beneficial plant? It is, as are my favorite Dandelions.
In this episode, we chat about the benefits of both and I share Koleen Garland's hilarious childhood memory of making dandelion wine sure to entertain.
I hope you enjoy the story.
Related Stories and Helpful Links:
Benefits of Broadleaf Plantain & Dandelion "Weeds" – Blog Post
Great-Horned Owl meets Hawk -Blog Post
Ep.116 - Great Horned Owl meets Hawk
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I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in.
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Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast Page
Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,
Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
AskMaryStone.com
More about the Podcast and Column:
Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.
It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Ep 157 Benefits of Plantain and Dandelion Weeds
Sun, Apr 21, 2024 5:55PM • 11:14
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
broadleaf, plantain, dandelions, garden, plants, weeds, lawn, leaves, attic, sharing, story, stems, design, adore, brother, affair, dilemmas, day, yard, spoke, head, mary stone, garden, nature, inspiration
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone
Mary Stone 00:00
Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Mary Stone 00:26
Hello, there, it's Mary Stone on a, let's see, what would you call today -- a chilly, cloudy spring day. Looking out on the yard from the screen porch, I see leaves emerging that look like golden raindrops on the trees. It's so lovely. I have a sad story to update you about the great horned owl. Although the owl himself or herself I should say, is quite well. Her domicile was this tree that was standing dead and decayed. And it fell the other evening and we discovered an egg that broke by the tree with a young owl in formation. So, that poor thing is not going to make it, but we still hear the sounds of the great horned owl. So, hopefully, she finds a new abode. We spoke about Great Horned Owl Meets Hawk in Episode 116. I invite you to tune in. Anyway, I thank you for joining me, and I thank those who wrote back after last week's chat about Castor Beans and Jefferson's Monticello Lab for Plants. Linea shared a quote attributed to Jefferson. I may be an old man, but I am a young gardener. I wrote back. I love the Jefferson quote you shared, and indeed, gardeners are constantly learning and, therefore, remain forever young. Thank you for sharing the Garden of Eden story, too. See that, always learning happy gardening.
Mary Stone 01:55
Speaking of stories, I've got a delightful story from a writer friend about Dandelion Wine I look forward to sharing with you. But first, a story about the benefits of plantain and dandelion weeds. And I put weeds in parentheses, and you'll hear why. And it starts like this.
Mary Stone 02:12
Hello, fellow listeners and readers. Have you ever considered planting the flat leaved weed with spiky seed heads that invade your lawn a beneficial plant? It was news to me that plantain is a valuable herb. Though I've known for years that dandelions should be considered welcome lawn guests. My associate installer, who advocates environmentally friendly practices using native plants, asked me to design an herb garden tucked away in the corner of a home in Princeton, New Jersey. In the garden design, a substantial urn takes center stage with an angled pattern of two-by-two-foot blue stones, serving as a design element and function while tending to the plants. Espliared pear trees are along one wall and climbing roses adoring the other. When a roster of desired plants came, I was surprised that plantain, plantago major, was on the client's wish list. But what makes a weed, also known as a misplaced plant, is a matter of opinion.
Mary Stone 03:12
Plantain, also known as a band-aid plant, offers first aid remedies, and the trouble-free plant grows in all zones throughout the United States in full sun. You likely know by now my lawn philosophy is if it's green, it's good. But a pool of dozens of plantains with their large flat leaves have overrun our lawn in areas filled with violets, sunny dandelions, and native white clover I adore as do pollinators. The spiky thingies on plantain are the flowers which aren't beautiful, and they often don't get cut by the mower. So, after a fresh cut, the lawn looks messy. Kind of like the waxy stems of dandelions, though I adore their yellow flower faces decorating the yard, so I accept the spent stems as a minor inconvenience. Dandelions are full of nutrition, more so than kale and spinach, and the greens taste like arugula. Plus, they attract beneficial ladybugs who feed on pests such as aphids, mites, leafhoppers, and scales in mealybugs.
Mary Stone 04:14
So, back to the plantain plants. Their leaves have an astringent quality if you bruise a leaf to bring up the juices and place it on a wound or soothe diaper rashes. Or you can chew or mash leaves between two rocks to make it into a lump to treat a beasting or cut. In addition, they say plantain tea aids diarrhea and yeast infections and helps coughs. First, ensure the lawn is free from chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. And if you can't find enough in your yard, you can buy plants and seeds online. Imagine that. I'm laughing because I have plenty of them in my yard. I can just send you some.
Mary Stone 04:54
At times I take great pleasure and using the nifty screwdriver-like weed removal hand tool to pop up the suckers out of the ground. The only effective way to rid yourselves of plantain as they readily grow back. If a tidbit of a root remains, plucking it out is kind of like removing blackheads. Maybe it's just me, but I find it rewarding somehow. So now I'll think of it as a bountiful harvest. Garden Dilemmas. Ask Mary Stone.com.
Mary Stone 05:22
Speaking of dandelions, I am so excited to share a story from Koleen, a writer friend who lives in Canada, the gal who corrected me on Canada geese rather than the Canadian Geese we spoke about in episode 151 Rockin Alpine Gardens of Acceptance. So she wrote, you encouraged listeners to share stories with you, so I am taking you up on the challenge. I am on one of my two-hour afternoon writing escapades where my computer and I share space together. But my mind goes on a trip of its own, often down memory lane. You mentioned that you get along with weeds quite well, except for the ones that are stealing nutrition from my beloved kitchen garden. I agree. In fact, I now live in a city that refuses to mow its grand expanses of lawn down the sides of its larger streets when dandelions are in bloom. At first, residents of our 30,000-strong community rolled their eyes in disbelief. But there were enough environmentalists and gardeners that entertained the idea with enthusiasm that it caught on very quickly. I cherish the many times I've witnessed happy children blowing dandelion fluff, foretelling the future, or making chains from their milky stems. What a wonderful growing-up experience. I'm taking a pause here because I have such a memory of my mom blowing the seeds defiantly because she loves dandelions too.
Mary Stone 06:44
Colleen continued with her story. As a child of 10, my brother, five years my senior, decided that those yellow headed weeds should be put to good use. I have no idea where he got the plan living in our tea totaling alcohol-free family, but he decided to make dandelion wine. I expect that he got some kind of recipe or at least a general guideline from his creative school friends who, on occasion, would visit our 100-acre dairy farm, and we stopped at very little and having a good time on its expanses as opposed to their small town claustrophobic atmosphere. One Saturday, when both parents were away, the possibilities became more than my brother could handle. And now came the paraphernalia for making his treasured scheme. After the blooms were gathered and deposited in the bottom of a no longer use milk pail, he added warmed water and than eagerly poured in a generous amount of sugar and bread yeast. He then reverently covered the whole thing with two tea towels and left them to ferment.
Mary Stone 07:45
Our farmhouse was a huge split stone affair whose size boasted that the upstairs was never used. Around the upstairs was an attic under the eaves. It was here that the precious mixture was deposited for its time to cure and my brother's imagination. No one would ever guess that it was there, as I was threatened into absolute silence regarding the whole affair, and I must admit, I joyously went along for the ride. Through the few weeks, the spring weather got warmer, the cows went out to pasture, and leaves burst from the poplars that lined our farm laneway and the dandelions well, they opened into tufts and fluff and hitchhiked on the wind, and the mixture in the attic bubbled silently on—the next time our parents were away on a Saturday meant that the dandelion wine could be and therefore would be bottled. Bottles were not in short supply as my mother was well known for her homemade tomato juice and bottling it, so the empty bottles were cleaned and the precious liquid funneled into them. Then, they were corked with used corks that the friends had somehow come upon. I never asked how or where. The filled glass bottles sparkled with a product beautifully yellow and clear. My brother's grin was from ear to ear; what a success. The treasures were hidden in the attic, and no telltale remnants left for discovery. Spring left for summer, and hot days crept in. Our family always had early supper so milking could be done later.
Mary Stone 09:15
One day, halfway through the chicken dumplings, an incredible bang reverberated through the house. It sounded as if it came from the attic. My mother hesitated, looked at my father, shook her head, and then matter-of-factly stated, darn bats. My father calmly shook his head in agreement and reached for more dumplings, but I could swear I could see a twinkle in his eye. Before supper was over, two more explosions rocked the stability of the meal, and my mind went wild with expectations of the state of affairs in the attic. But I was never to find out. While the rest of the family went to the barn for milking, my father sent my brother to see the bat.
Mary Stone 09:56
Such a funny story, and I have to say I can feel being on the farm, and my mom lived on a farm, a dairy farm, as well. Never take a learning experience from a kid when there's no real harm done or no formidable danger in existence. Wonderful stories are made of them. And wonderful stories are shared. Thank you, Koleen, for sharing yours. It really was such a delightful story and I just love the way you write. And thank you, my faithful listeners, for visiting with me on the screen porch and I hope I get more stories. Wasn't that just so fun to listen to? I can't thank Koleen enough for sharing it, and I can't thank you enough for sharing our time together each week. I look forward to the next time. Have a great day.
Mary Stone 10:44
You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas.com and Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch. And always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.