- A plant that can be annual or perennial
- First, a rosette forms
- Followed by the flower and the seeds - already in the first year
Dandelion - maybe you also know it under the names cow flower, dandelion or buttercup? This much-named and well-known wild plant causes many gardeners in this country to frown because it is difficult to combat. Does it die after a year or is it perennial?
Although frost cannot harm the dandelion, it often only thrives once or twice a year
A plant that can be annual or perennial
The dandelion can be annual, biennial, but also triennial. Then the plant dies. The lifespan depends, among other things, on the location, but also on the composition of the soil. The type of dandelion is also important.
Frost - no problem
Frost is not a problem for the dandelions in our latitudes. The leaves are dying. But the long and strong taproot is well armed. It survives in the ground and sprout new leaves in spring.
Only if you have grown a dandelion in a pot should you protect the plant over the winter, for example by placing it against the protective wall of the house and wrapping the root area with fleece so that the root does not freeze.
First, a rosette forms
In spring the leaves sprout from the up to 1 m long (in rare exceptional cases up to 2 m) taproot. They even survive in mild winters. They stand together in a rosette, which characterizes the appearance of the dandelion in the early spring.
The leaves can often be seen from March when it is warm enough. The individual leaves are elongated and strongly toothed. Only when the flowering period begins does a stalk, up to 60 cm high, shoot up on which the flower is enthroned.
Followed by the flower and the seeds - already in the first year
The dandelion develops its flowers in the first year of life:
- Flowering time: April to May
- often followed by a rebloom
- Seeds emerge a few weeks later
- Seeds remain germinable for a long time
- Germination and propagation within a year
tips
When removing the plant, it is not enough to remove the flowers or seeds. The root would survive and sprout again. To really get rid of the dandelion, get rid of the long taproot!