Coloured X-ray of dandelion flowers

© Arie van 't Riet/Science Photo Library

Coloured X-ray of dandelion flowers

This quote comes from the American poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and we think she’s on to something. Take the dandelion–which is pulled, tossed, and trampled by many a gardener. It’s packed with nutrients (the entire plant is edible) and serves as a good companion plant in the garden, where it attracts pollinators and adds minerals to the soil. So, as Ella writes in her poem ‘The Weed,’ ‘Go dig, and prune, and guide, and wait.’