So…I was over there nosin’ around Calendula and Concrete, and there was a discussion about whether Queen Anne’s Lace is a
flower or weed. I generally agree with the author and many of her posters, although a few that consider the perennial Queen Anne’s Lace a weed are a mystery to me…or not. Which of course led me as it nearly always does into pondering the question of values and perspective.
Everything we do and see reveals our nature, and truly we often reveal most easily that which we wish to remain hidden. Let us consider the virtue of Queen Anne’s Lace for a bit.
First, we have to be clear that the designation of a ‘weed’ is a human-made term used to describe a plant that is undesirable in a specific location. Now that we’re all in some type of agreement about the definition of a weed (some of the herd are milling around back there, but they’ll settle down in a minute or two), what of Queen Anne’s Lace? Set the stage, so to speak.
Queen Anne’s Lace is somewhat of a summer ephemeral. The term ‘ephemeral’ is often used with regards to spring blooming plants (Trilliums are a fine example) to describe a plant that comes out of dormancy for a brief period and then returns to dormancy, not to be seen until the following season. Queen Anne’s Lace follows this pattern (Bleeding Heart is another), so even if a person objected to this plant, it comes and goes over a quickish period.
Most perennials have two to three week periods of bloom, but their foliage remains for much of the growing season (thus, the need to select perennials as much for the quality of their foliage as their flowers, but that’s another article). Ephemerals go back into summer dormancy, completely…here today, gone tomorrow.
The question of values lies not in a consideration of whether Queen Anne’s Lace is a weed or not. Christa and that crew over at Calendula and Concrete did a fine job of exploring this question (click the link if you’d like a gander). But what of it? What does it say about us as gardeners?
At the basic level, Queen Anne’s Lace is a pest for some and a joy for others. Fair enough. But, I will say this…for those of you who consider Queen Anne’s Lace a weed, while I won’t go so far as to say you lack character, I will say that spending all of your time ripping it out of your gardens is not a perspective I can truly understand. I guess if Crape Myrtles were to take up residence among my perennials, I’d be out there with a chainsaw joining you in your view of unwanted visitors. So…the next time you go out to rid your garden of Queen Anne’s Lace…I urge you, go back inside, pour some tea, sit on the stoop in late afternoon, and ponder, does she really have to go?
Barrie
Queen Anne’s Lace - Remember Her?
Butterfly Weed
Spiderwort a.k.a Cow Slobber (Tradescantia) - Never (Ever) Grow This Plant
I had to see if I had any females yet…the world of Calendula and Concrete
The Great Roses: Queen Elizabeth
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As a postscript, my old hero Fred McGourty astutely pointed out in his writings that he’d rather not fill his garden with plants that he could see daily in others. Queen Anne’s Lace falls into the McGourty designation I reckon. It’s so ethereal along the roadside, I certainly get my fill just by strolling down the street or a country lane. This is enough for me, and I am
thankful for it at every turn. This is summer. This is our time.
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Purple clover, Queen Anne lace,
Crimson hair across your face,
You could make me cry if you don’t know.
Can’t remember what I was thinkin’ of
You might be spoilin’ me too much, love,
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.
b. dylan
One of my favorite songs that references the fine “weed” and I share the sentiment in barrie’s post regarding her value. Queen Anne’s Lace is superbly architectural and though one must enter it on the list as an exotic invasive in some areas, I have to admit I like it in the lonesome fields (yes, I do still live by some).
A plant known by many, it has lovely form and a name to match. One may have to keep such likes rather hidden, but now that you mention it I will stand up and admit my affection.
V
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[…] under On Perennials. Comment on this article | Bookmark on del.icio.us | Contact the author | Trackback Leave aReply […]
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[…] Spiderwort a.k.a Cow Slobber (Tradescantia) - Never (Ever) Grow This Plant By barrie It may seem heartless to pick on Spiderwort, but there is an illustrative point that follows…. A perennial’s value (or any plant’s value for that matter) increases exponentially if it has attractive foliage or character when not in flower (See Oakleaf Hydrangea for truly noble character). If we consider that most perennials only flower for a period of weeks, it becomes critical that their foliage has some redeeming qualities during the rest of the season. Plants that get tatty better be spectacular indeed when in flower, and truthfully, this doesn’t even win me in most cases. It’s one thing to be unassuming and fade gracefully (witness the grace of the ephemeral-like Queen Anne’s Lace) into the background; it’s another to be a horrendous mess. Spiderwort, sadly, is an ignoble disgrace once the admittedly charming blooms fade. […]
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[…] most beautiful along roadsides. Coinciding with the ripening of the blackberries in the mountains, Butterfly Weed is a tremendous plant for those gardeners that value native plants and/or who hope to attractButterfly Weed emerges late in spring, so be patient (and don’t disturb the soil). Butterfly Weed is one of our most drought tolerant plants, thus ideal for the xeric garden. Also, onceestablished Butterfly Weed can be tough to move, due to the tuberous nature of the root system (ie: Asclepias tuberosa). Hummingbirds will visit Butterfly Weed, presumable while their waiting for your Cardinal Flower to come into bloom. Additional information about Butterfly Weed. […]
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The picture is very likely not Daucus carotta/Queen Anne’s Lace at all, but rather it’s truly dangerous, and entirely native cousin Water Hemlock. The plant structure is wrong in that it is too congested at the top-D. carrota’s stems are much longer. The leaves are wrong too-the picture shows leaflets about 1″ long and up to half an inch wide. Reading them as serrated is a bit of a stretch, but I just removed one from a park along a river. The foliage will kill livestock in a particularly nasty way if they eat more than one thousandth of their body weight, and the hugely perennial roots contain an yellow oily substance that is much worse.
I do not find Queen Anne’s Lace at all ephemeral. While they do usually bloom themselves to death trying to make just as many seeds as they possibly can, the dead stalks stay upright through the following spring unless mowed, burned, or felled by a lot of very serious weather.
A truly astonishing one came up in a slope that we scraped out in building our present house in 2003. I knew what it was, but let it grow to see what would happen. It was so extraordinarily pleased with its situation that it rose majestically in 2004 to become a six foot high and six foot wide display of hundreds of flowers, and then tens of thousands of seeds. I am still removing the babies.
Some mutations display a maroon edge on the petals, but I would not encourage that kind either.
Another non-native Umbellifer that is closely related is Conium maculatum, the problematical but not so entirely Poison (or Wild)Hemlock. It is a worse pest than the carrot because it remodels sites it likes instead of loosing out to other plants in sucessional development. Unbellifer pollen is right up there after Ragweed on my personal summer allergen list.
We might note that Bishop’s Weed is another bad actor in this group.