Confession time: I’ve never been particularly excited by dandelions. Oh sure, they may be cheerful and surprisingly useful to pollinators, but when one pops up in the garden, my first instinct is usually to glare at it. Very suspiciously.
Apparently, though, my heart is a fickle thing. Because as soon as I spotted a pretty pink version of the classic dandelion at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, I suddenly understood why designers were giving it so much attention (and why Audrey Hepburn’s “I believe in pink” line still gets quoted so much all these years later).
Crepis rubra, commonly known as red-flowered hawks’ beard or pink dandelion, has the familiar shape of a dandelion but swaps its usual golden-yellow flowers for (you guessed it!) delicate shades of pink. The result is much softer, and feels much more romantic-looking, resulting in a plant that feels surprisingly sophisticated in a garden setting.
Hate Dandelions? This Pretty Pink Version Is The New ‘It' Flower
The pink dandelion was one of the plants that caught my eye among the show gardens at Chelsea, and I wasn’t alone. There’s something about those simple, open flower heads that makes them instantly appealing – particularly when planted among grasses and other naturalistic planting.
Rather than looking like something you’d spend the summer trying to eradicate from your lawn, then, pink dandelions )available to buy from seed here) look like a deliberate design choice... and there are a few more benefits to growing these pretty blooms, too.
(Image credit: joerglondong / 500px / Getty Images)
Yes, much like the classic dandelion, Crepis rubra attracts bees and other pollinators, making it a lovely addition to a wildlife garden that looks good and does better for the world around it.
It’s also wonderfully unfussy, especially considering it has show garden status now. You can try growing it in any well-drained soil in full sun . It is also considered a drought-tolerant plant, making it naturally suited for low-water or neglected garden spots (aka all of them, considering our recent stint of hot weather) once its roots are established.
It's a reminder that sometimes the smallest twist on a familiar favorite can make us see it in a completely new way. And it's not the only bloom proving that pink has the power to transform even the most unexpected flowers.
Shop Pink Flower Seeds:
Sherwoods Seeds
Pink Dandelion Taraxacum
If you love the idea of a pink dandelion, this is the real thing. Unlike Crepis rubra, Taraxacum pseudoroseum belongs to the true dandelion genus and produces soft pink flowers with golden centers. It's a quirky choice for wildlife-friendly gardens and offers all the charm of a classic dandelion in a much prettier package.
Mountain Valley Seed Company
Scabiosa
Another favorite in naturalistic planting, scabiosa's delicate pink and purple blooms float above slender stems from summer into fall. Bees and butterflies adore them, and they're drought tolerant once established, making them a great companion to Crepis rubra.
Outsidepride
Purple Echinacea
If you want something with a little more height, pink and purple coneflowers bring the same relaxed meadow feel as a pink dandelion, and all while providing months of color and nectar for pollinators. They're also famously resilient, thriving in sunny, dry gardens.
I suppose the biggest takeaway from all of this is that a dandelion can look so much more appealing when you change the color. The pink and oh-so-romantic cousin has that effortlessly easy-breezy quality designers love, while the compact size makes them easy to imagine tucked anywhere in your own yard.
So, while I don’t think I’ll be rushing to welcome every dandelion that appears in my lawn (old habits; I am trying, though, to leave a patch for the bees!), these pretty in pink versions have convinced me that perhaps I was being a little too hard on the humble dandelion family after all.
And hey, if they're good enough for RHS Chelsea, they' re definitely good enough for me!
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