Why does everyone hate Dandelions?

I heard that we should leave the early dandelions to flower because they are valuable to bees when there are few other plants flowering. I pulled off the heads just before they went to seed as I don’t want my entire garden full of them. A weed is a plant which intends to take over.

One of my friends has a large aviary with 24 canaries in it. They adore dandelions especially when the flower has finished and the seed head is formed but not yet open. The birds love to pull the seed heads to pieces so I try to give them a bag or two of treats in the spring.

Me too, though I love daisies on lawns. My lovely, late, older sister once went to a local hardwear shop to buy some grass seed as she wanted to remake a small lawn. The man behind the counter asked her what kind she wanted as they had several different types. “One that has daisies in it, please!” she said. She was no gardener, my sister, but was a truly lovely lady!

One advantage of dandelions and other weeds they must be deep rooted because when the grass turns to straw the weeds are still green

I used to try to remove them to stop them seeding everywhere but then I read that they are good for bees. We need to help our bees as much as we can so now I leave them be.

When we were young, we called Dandelion flowers, 'pee the beds.' And thought that would happen if you touched them. An unconscious bias perhaps.

Many years ago i would take the children in dandelion hunts. We had a tortoise and rabbits who loved them.

As Freya says the young leaves (or quickly blanched older ones) make a very tasty addition to a salad

It's catsear, the leaves look just like dandelion but on close inspection are furry

That’s Flatweed …not dandelion. Where are the leaves you find with dandelion!?

Cats'ears split into 2/3 heads. My front lawn is full of them. It's fun to walk through them but now I must strimmer them as they are turning into seed heads.

Witzend

I don’t exactly hate them,,but there are always so many coming up in beds here, that need weeding out. My weed puller-upper does make it easier, though.
Buttercups, OTOH - I love them!

This is another yellow-flowered weed/aka wild flower I really like - lots of it seeds itself in the garden every year, mostly against walls, but this lot obligingly establishes itself in 2 adjacent pots every year, and doesn’t mind if I forget to water them now and then.
Corydalis lutea, I think - it doesn’t seem to have a common name, not that I have found, anyway.

I've always loved corydalis, you can easily pull it up if it comes up in the wrong place.
There are lovely cultivated versions in various colours, the blue ones are particularly pretty, and I assume that they will grow wild in similar situations though I don't know if they self-seed so readily.

Granmarderby10

Rabbits like them🙃 ….just saying

So does my tortoise!

Georgesgran

Rabbits do - especially the stem and root which has a milky substance inside.
However, I hate yellow, so dandelions and buttercups just have to go. I don’t care if it’s a weed or not - if it’s yellow, it goes!

Me too, though I love daisies on lawns.

When I still lived with my parents I used to like dandelions and the tortoises loved them. They would happily munch through every part of the plant including the stems.

I also like dandelions, daisies in my grass and buttercups. I also have a patch of violas self seeded in the corner of my lawn and cannot bring myself to cut them when mowing the lawn, so they are spreading and look lovely. Flower weeds are not the issue, but the nasty spiky things that hurt if you stand on them or prickle when you try to pull them out.

I used to make dandelion wine and eat the petals and young leaves in salads as well as many other wild flowers.
Sad to see all these artificial lawns these days.

I find sunny dandelions pretty in our fields of wild flowers.

My 2 baby tortoises love them. I grow a pot of dandelions especially for them

Not everyone does hate them...

I like them, but appreciate that some people find them a nuisance.
They are such lovely flowers. This one in my garden was a perfect, cushioned puff of a bloom - the photo just doesn’t do it justice!

Our front lawn is full of dandelions. Been so dry we haventvwanted to cut it. The bees are very happy. Problem is the grass needs cutting now we've had some rain and it's Impossible to cut grass and not dandelions.

I don't hate dandelions. They make a grand addition to a salad and if you have a whole heap of fresh leaves you can cook them like spinach and serve warm with lemon juice and oilive oil.

I don’t exactly hate them,,but there are always so many coming up in beds here, that need weeding out. My weed puller-upper does make it easier, though.
Buttercups, OTOH - I love them!

This is another yellow-flowered weed/aka wild flower I really like - lots of it seeds itself in the garden every year, mostly against walls, but this lot obligingly establishes itself in 2 adjacent pots every year, and doesn’t mind if I forget to water them now and then.
Corydalis lutea, I think - it doesn’t seem to have a common name, not that I have found, anyway.

On a side note, here's one reason to love dandelions

youtu.be/wU4DgHHwVCc