Dandelions for Sale

On one of my many trips of late to J-mart (think Home Depot in Japan and you'll have an idea) and local nurseries for the garden, I spotted these little guys for sale as I took my usual stroll through the plant section. (I can never resist at least a walk-through the flowers and vegetables, and invariably I come away with more than a few unplanned seedling and seed purchases.) Next to the broccoli, peas, and cabbages was a good-sized section of dandelions.

That's right - dandelions. The bane of most American gardeners and lawn fanatics they are sold here in Japan as an edible green. I almost bought some just because the sight of them made me smile and laugh out loud. They are certainly an edible wild plant, but most folks just want to dig them up to and eradicate them. A recent Wild Ones Forum ruminated on our childhood habit of blowing the seeds everywhere, and now having to dig them from restored meadows and other plantings. Despite the frustration of the member who started the discussion, this also made me smile. I used to love doing that!

Burn the Front Lawn

Eventually we plan to do a controlled burn of our yard. At our house we've chosen a non-traditional front lawn. Much to the chagrin of our neighbors, and some family and friends we don't mow the whole south section and only trails through the backyard. The north side we mowed until this year.

This past Friday we came home, and without missing a beat changed our shoes, grabbed the matches, a couple rakes, and headed out. The humidity was a bit too high, and the grass was a bit too wet still. The fire mostly ran over the top, but it was still highly satisfying.

Controversial as this can seem, we love it. Trails wend their way through the large space to the south of our house, making a previously dull space have a little flavor of adventure. Bees, butterflies, snakes, and neighbor cats in heat all enjoy it. Our space is also too large for a push-mower, and with the high price of fuel as well as the fact that engines on mowers aren't regulated for emissions, we thought it best to minimize our impact. Our ultimate dream is to turn the bulk of it into garden - vegetable and perennial beds that are a mix of natives and non-natives like hollyhocks that I find irresistible - that we'll enjoy for years to come.