Despite the recent “snowpocalypse” that hit the Little Rock area early this month, it looks like spring is finally here! At Leafscape, plants are our specialty. If you need indoor plants in Little Rock, real or artificial office plants in North Little Rock, or indoor landscaping in Conway, our dedicated Green Team has everything you need.

Not surprisingly, spring is our favorite time of year – the time when flowers bloom, plants grow and everything just starts to come alive. All of which begs the question: have you thanked a weed today?

That’s right – a weed! March 28th is Weed Appreciation Day. No, not what you’re thinking. Even though they can cause headaches in your garden, there’s a lot we owe to these pesky weeds. Here is one weed that you may remember from your childhood, and a few reasons why it may be better just to let those weeds live.

Lazy Dandelion Days

Oh dandelions – you remember, those bright yellow flowers filled with milk? Maybe you used them to make flower stem necklaces? Maybe you crushed their flowers to make a bright yellow dye for art projects? Or, depending on the season, maybe you used to lie on the lawn blowing the white puffballs at the sky to watch the seeds drift away? And here’s a little-known secret – you can even eat them. Take some dandelion greens, onions, basil and tomatoes and you have a pretty tasty little salad. Got some garlic and olive oil? Sautee those suckers. There’s plenty you can do with dandelions.

Some people hunt these plants down, ripping them from their garden and using harsh pesticides. Sure, a perfectly manicured lawn may look tidy, but variety is the spice of life, right?

Stay Healthy with Weeds

Did you know weeds can even help cure what ails ya’? Cut your hand while pulling all those helpless weeds in the yard? Mash up some yarrow and it will help stop bleeding and prevent infection. Poison ivy? Jewelweed can help sooth the irritation for poison ivy, oak, stinging nettles, bug bites and even ringworm. Daisies can help with your headaches and muscle pain. And, as we mentioned before, several weeds are not only edible, but also so chock-full of vitamins that they’re more nutritious than your average supermarket herbs.

Good for the Soil, Good for You

If you’re one of those science-y types – and there are several here at Leafscape – you could probably guess the chemical composition of the soil based on what type of weeds are growing. Wild mustard? There is probably a heavy level of phosphorous. Foxtail Barley? The saliency of the soil is high. Some weeds, like clovers, even improve the quality of the soil to help other plants grow. During the Dust Bowl, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered that trenches be dug so weeds could begin to bring life back to the soil.

See? Weeds aren’t so bad. In fact, the biggest problem is often not the weeds themselves but the harsh treatments we use to remove them. Herbicides are highly toxic, and they can soak into the soil and cause lasting damage. So don’t try so hard to get rid of weeds. Why would you want to have only one type of plant, anyway? Let your lawn have a little variety! Your kids and bare feet will thank you.

At Leafscape, we don’t offer weed rentals, but we do offer a large supply of plants for every type of indoor environment. Put a real, growing plant in your office and see the difference! If you need wedding or special event plants in Cabot, plants for your hotel in Hot Springs, or plants for your educational facility in Jacksonville we can help. Want to learn more about PLANTation and plants in Little Rock? Visit our About Us page or just give us a call at (888) 821-5770 today.