Bloom of the Day: Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus Carota)

  Who knew?  The roadside and garden-variety Daucus Carota is known as the wild carrot in England as well. The picture I took for the large photo is not quite open.  This one is in full bloom when the bloom lies flat, looking like a circlet of lace waving gracefully on a long stem. 

 Research shows that the small red center gets its name from Queen Anne who pricked her finger while making lace, leaving a droplet of blood on her handiwork.

 It could have been that she was cultivating it as a method of birthcontrol by ingesting the seeds, or, she could have been setting a plot to kill off an errant lover by poisoning him.  The plant is also very similar to hemlock so while it could appear as a perfectly innocent garden plant, like Digitalis or Foxglove, it could be cultivated for entirely different reasons!

 In our home gardens it is a lovely and delicate addition but, the wild variety is very prolific.  They start out in about May and have a full bloom cycle of about a month in "High July".  Often I let them be until they start taking over and then yank them out, making way for some of the other plants around them.

 It is about time to do a big cut back in my garden.  The day lillies and oriental lillies are gone.  I have already cut off the stems and the brown foilage is looking a little ratty so, I will have a young lady come to help me chop and bag it all up, tidy the place up a bit.  She is energetic and wants to learn the difference between flowers and weeds.  Sometimes, hard to tell.  If in doubt, I let it be just to see what happens.  Friend or foe?  Depends on your choice at the time!

  I will be hanging out with country friends today and then on the road for my work next week.  Life is my office now; no more cubicle so I will see what is blooming in Chattanooga, TN and have something posted next week.

  Until then, cultivate friends, nurture them and overlook their fertilizer!