During the spring and summer, weeding takes up a good amount of a gardener’s time. Weeds are everywhere; in amongst your vegetables, sprouting through gaps in paving, appearing in your lawn. Some of those unwanted plants are actually be very useful in their own right. Five particularly helpful weeds are chickweed, daisies, dandelions, nettles and groundsel. You might want to leave these be, at least in some places.
Chickweed is not just for chicks, although farm birds are very fond of it. The term usually refers to plants of the genus Stellaria. In the UK and the USA the common chickweed is specifically Stellaria media and very widespread,
You might want to remove it when it starts swamping your best flowers but don’t just throw it on the compost heap. Chickweed can be a delicious, vitamin C rich addition to salads. It can also be cooked and it tastes like spinach.
There are umpteen medical benefits claimed for chickweed, including relieving constipation and helping with obesity problems. As a tasty (possible) treatment for minor ailments chickweed is a much underrated useful weed.
Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are also found the world over and there are lots of things you can do with them. The leaves can be cooked, again tasting like spinach (‘spinach’ is the vegetable equivalent of ‘chicken’, many have this taste). Choose small young leaves, as older ones get tough and bitter.
Dandelion flowers attract useful pest munching insects like lacewings. A wine can be made from them if you find enough. The roots are sometimes made into a not very coffee like coffee alternative. They also make a mild diuretic.
If you chop up the thicker parts of a dandelion you’ll see a white sap oozing out. This can be used as a natural, if sticky, insect repellent.
Nettles (Urtica dioica) sting but they too are edible. Just cook them first – this eliminates the sting. You might not be surprised to discover they taste of spinach. Nettle soup is delicious and the leaves also make a nice tea. There are lots of possible medical benefits from nettles such as relief from arthritis.
There are many kinds of daisy but what most people picture when they hear the word is the common daisy (Bellis perennis). Your lawn may well be full of these as they do not mind mowing in the least. Daisies are really an asset to your lawn. The little flowers add interest and colour. They will attract hoards of useful insects and of course provide the materials for children to make daisy chains.
Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) is not as pretty. In fact it is a very nondescript looking weed. However it is very useful if you have pet rabbits or guinea pigs. They both love it and it is a handy free food. Many rabbit owners particularly recommend feeding groundsel when thei pets are moulting as it seems to help. Pet birds also eat it.
It should be pointed out that groundsel is not a healthy food for many other animals, including horses, cattle and us. A little probably won’t hurt but lots might make you feel ill. Keep it for your rabbits, guinea pigs and canaries.
Infuriating as weeds can be, they have their uses. You might feel less frustrated at the annual dandelion and nettle invasion if you think about all the tasty dishes you will be turning them into.
