A Lacy Carrot

I'm referring to the wildflower, Queen Anne's Lace, which I excitedly purchased at my neighborhood garden center last weekend.  Each year I see their QAL display next to their fence so I took a chance and inquired as to whether they had any for sale. Yes!!!! was the answer. So I bought one.

Interestingly enough, this plant is also called Wild Carrot (Daucus carota). It has a long taproot, just like the carrot plant. Introduced from Europe, carrots today were originally cultivated from this plant.


Here are some pictures of the QAL growing at the garden center.  So lovely!

The plants can grow up to four feet tall.  The flowers are tiny and white with a dark, purplish center. And yes, the plants have fruit, which curl inward to build a "bird's nest" shape. That will be interesting to watch for.

A few days after planting. So far, so good!

Well of course I had to know how this flower got its name. Which Queen Anne is it named for:

Is it the FIRST Stuart Queen Anne, who at the age of fourteen became queen to King James?

Or was it the LAST Queen Anne, daughter of William and Mary, and last monarch in the Stuart line?

Legend has it that the queen was tatting using white lace and pricked her finger. The single drop of blood formed the purple center of some of the flowers.