Garden Planner Growing Information for Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace

Crop Rotation Group

Umbelliferae (Carrot and root family)

Queen Anne's Lace, also known as Wild Carrot, Bird’s Nest, Bishop’s Lace

Soil

Any reasonably moist site.

Position

Full sun to part shade.

Frost tolerant

Yes. Queen Anne’s lace seedlings that sprout in autumn stand through winter as small rosettes.

Feeding

None needed.

Companions

-

Spacing

Single Plants: 1' 3" (40cm) each way (minimum)
Rows: 1' 3" (40cm) with 1' 3" (40cm) row gap (minimum)

Sow and Plant

To grow Queen Anne’s lace as a biennial, sow seeds where you want the plants to grow in early autumn, while the soil is still warm. To grow Queen Anne’s lace as an annual, sow seeds where you want the plants to grow in mid spring. In wildflower meadows, Queen Anne’s lace blooms at the same time as black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia).
Our Garden Planning Tool can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.

Notes

Queen Anne’s lace is not the same plant as Ammi majus, bishop’s weed, which is a more refined plant more deserving of space in the garden. Although somewhat weedy, Queen Anne’s lace has been found to support numerous small beneficial insects.

Harvesting

Cut stems for use as cut flowers as soon as the clusters open. They shed abundant pollen. In meadow situations, allow plants to stand in until they shed seeds to increase populations. Clip out flowers if you want to limit reseeding.

Troubleshooting

Plants somewhat resemble poison hemlock, which is a much larger plant that blooms earlier in the season. Some people develop mild dermatitis from contact with Queen Anne’s lace foliage.