Beauty in more ways than one…

Not surprisingly, the flower called Queen Anne’s Lace originated in Europe and was given its name for the lacy nature of the flower head. It was very popular during the reign of who other than……. Queen Anne.

According to legend, Queen Anne was tatting white lace. (Tatting is the all-but-lost art of making lace by hand.) The beautiful white lace she was tatting became the white lacy flowers of the wild carrot plant. She pricked her finger and one drop of blood oozed out. This became the central dark red or purple sterile floret that is present on some, but not all, Queen Anne’s Lace flowers.

Legends disagree as to which Queen Anne was tatting such lovely lace. Some say it was Anne (1574 – 1619), the first Stuart Queen Anne, who was brought over from Denmark at fourteen years of age to be a Queen to King James of Scotland. Others argue it was Anne (1665 – 1714), the daughter of William and Mary, and the last monarch in the Stuart line. Both Annes died in their forties.

Queen Anne’s Lace was brought to North America by early European settlers as a medicinal herb. Also known as Wild Carrot, this wildflower is easy to grow, and is prolific in spreading its seeds by the wind. It can be found growing wild along roadsides and in fields almost anywhere in the U.S. ~ The Gardener’s Network