Saturday, May 14, 2011

Queen Anne's lace, Roscoe

I hated leaving behind one of my favorite weeds, when I left Vermont. I have even planted Elderberry in my yard because they resemble Queen Anne's lace when they flower.

 I found an herb seller who sold Queen Anne's lace plants and ordered 4, 2 each of 2 different varieties. I put them on the dock thinking the searing heat of a Florida summer would kill these delicate little New England babies. Ha! They flowered immediately and grew all summer. I still thought that our different winter would make them unlikely repeaters.

I dutifully collected the seeds, once they were dry, and scattered them about in 4 pots in the Fall. Well...this spring I'd say 80% of the seeds germinated and I have flowers all over the dock, even where I didn't plant them. Woo-hoo.

As an aside, the Queen Anne's lace is thought to be the original carrot. It's roots smell just like a carrot. They aren't very big or very tasty, but they are the parent of every carrot you eat. The legend is that they were named after Queen Anne, who was an accomplished tatter or lace maker. One of the varieties has a tiny red bud, right in the center, which represents a drop of her blood when she stuck herself with a needle.

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