Queen Anne’slace Flower

Queen Annne’slace “Daucus Carota”  flower is so common that you might assume t to be an American native, but it’s really from Afghanistan and was introduced to the Europe in colonial times. Meadows roadsides and overgrown fields are full of it lacy, flat umbels made up of many tiny white flowers and a solitary purple one right in the center. They bloom a long time, from June to August in most areas, which means you have them throughout the summer to lighten and soften bouquets of brighter, less delicate flowers. You may like the way the flowers look when they are fading and start to close up like little cups. They are the same species as our common garden carrot, and in fact if you pull one up you will see a carrot shaped, carrot smelling taproot, though its stringy and white instead of fat and orange. The plants are hardy.

Moreover Queen Anne’slace will grow in cultivated gardens, although if the soil is very fertile and stems may become leggy.  It will tolerate dry, infertile soil quite well but needs at least a half day of full sun. In spite of the fact that it chooses to live in meadows, it cannot compete with vigorous rooted perennials and grasses. It is best simply to naturalize a clump of it somewhere and keep the soil weeded and cultivated so that the plant will self sow abundantly. Like many members of umbelliferae, Queens Anne’slace does this well anywhere, but in cultivated ground it will do so best. On the other hand, if you don’t want it to self sow, deadhead the plants or just pick them. There’s always a place for another bouquet of Queen Anne’slace. Like other tap rooted plants they can’t be divided but seeds can be collected when dry and sown outdoors in late spring.