Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve started a new habit ― I look out of the window, see that it’s sunny outside, take a picture, and send it to a friend with a ”!!”.

I know it’s annoying! It’s just that I can’t believe that my ray-bathed street is the same one that looked so slate grey and austere a matter of days ago. And there are blossoms on the trees and flowers on the ground too… Unthinkable!

Of course, where there’s growth, there are weeds. We’ve written before about how spring is no time to let unwanted garden guests ― especially perennial weeds ― lie.

But according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), there’s one “weed” we should consider leaving in the ground this March.

Per the RHS, uprooting dandelions in March can help to keep your raised beds and veggie patches clear ― but you shouldn’t banish all of them.

They advise we “keep a few dandelions in your garden to support early bees, particularly pantaloon bees”.

Pantaloon bees are a species whose females have large, hairy legs.

They’re rare in parts of the UK and mostly feed on “weedy” yellow flowers, like ragwort, cat’s ear, common fleabane and ― yup ― dandelions.

It’s not just bees, either. The flowers provide a crucial early source of food for hoverflies, butterflies, other kinds of bees and beetles.

Their seeds provide much-needed feed to birds like goldfinches and sparrows too.

There’s no need to whip out weedkiller, which can accidentally harm animals and other parts of your lawn, the RHS says.

Instead, manually uprooting the plants with your hands or a garden fork ― ideally when they’re young and their roots are shallow ― is the best way to handle them.

Once they’ve been lifted out of the ground, mulch the soil to prevent further growth.