The Takeover (Dandelion and Wild Violet)

From day one as a gardener, my goal has always been to eliminate all but a small patch of my front and backyard lawns. As the garden grows, I plan to leave just enough green space for a small bistro-style patio set where I can enjoy a refreshing lemonade in summer's hottest days. Or maybe I'll get a chaise longue so I can put my feet up and read in the dappled shade of the beech tree and Japanese Maple. Whatever the final result of the ever-expanding garden, there won't be much use for a large lawn. It is destined to be replaced with a collection of shrubs, trees and perennials. I have made some good progress toward that goal, and the lawn that remains gets a minimal amount of care.

Dandelions run amok in my lawn

The dandelions have noticed my new laid-back approach, and it is quite obvious that they appreciate my lack of attention. 

Dandelions are edible

While I was once eager to wrench every dandelion taproot from the earth as soon as warmer spring weather allowed, now I simply let them be (at least for a while). I've adopted the "No Mow May" approach. By letting the lawn grow untouched through May, important food sources like dandelions can bloom. The bright yellow flowers help out hungry bees, butterflies and other pollinators. That's a good reason to park the mower.

Wild violets among the dandelions

The dandelions are not alone in their enjoyment of "No Mow May."  Wild violets are taking advantage of the circumstances, as well. Like dandelions, wild violets are an important food source for pollinators. Like dandelions, the petals and leaves of wild violets are edible. Like dandelions, wild violets have medicinal uses. Like dandelions, wild violets can't shake their reputation as an undesirable and aggressive weed. The similarities are striking. 

The complementary colours of dandelion
and wild violet

Also striking, is the colour combination of yellow and purple. Opposites on the colour wheel, these complementary colours work together to create a dramatic contrast. As a result, each dandelion flower appears brighter and more vivid when it is next to the blooms of wild violet, and vice versa. It is, in a way, an unspoken partnership. With so much in common, I began to wonder if these plants might recognize something in each other: their lowly standing in the garden, their unrecognized worth, their unparalleled capacity to reproduce, and their own beauty. The result was this poem.*

The Takeover (Dandelion and Wild Violet)

Dandelion met a wild violet

in a field of green uniformity

and sensed a kindred soul mate, riotous

uncontrolled against the conformity

Deeply aware of their common status

and problematic notoriety 

they conceived a partnership of balance

commencing the takeover quietly

Life unleashed under pappus parachutes,

through rhizomes and seed-scattering ruptures 

Futures borne on cool breezes and taproots

and radiant reciprocal colours

Grass subsumed, purple and yellow replete

The annex of the lawn at last complete

Pappus are the tufts of hair on dandelion seeds
that catch the wind, helping to disperse
the seeds on the breeze  

Happy Gardening!

*This poem is written as a sonnet. An English sonnet has fourteen lines made up of three quatrains and a couplet. It follows an abab cdcd efef gg rhyme pattern. There are ten syllables per line. When I revived my garden blog, I wondered if I would have anything left to say (my original garden blog was about five years worth of posts). In trying to express my garden observations in poems, I am looking at my garden in new ways and learning lots about poetry along the way.