Botanical name: Daucus carota
Folk names: Queen Anne’s lace, bird’s nest.

Type: Biennial

Wildlife: Hoverflies and other insects take advantage of its ‘platform’ to collect nectar.

Decorative merit: Creamy white, frothy flowerheads on tall, branching stems with divided, fern-like leaves. Grows up to 60cm. Its tiny white flowers have one red flower in the middle and the inverted seed-heads resemble a bird’s nest.

Flowers: June to August

Where: Sun. Free-draining soil, gravel / dry beds, coastal gardens and wildflower patches where it can add height and then winter interest with its seedheads.

Folklore: In the 1600s, its leaves were used to decorate ladies’ head-dresses. Its central red flower was said to be where Queen Anne’s ladies pricked their finger.  Seeds have been used medicinally and the plant for dye.

Donate seeds to Exeter Seed Bank