Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace is a hardy, vigorous, tall annual to 1.5 m, with clusters of greenish-white lacy flowers 10 - 15 cm in diameter. It is grown as a cottage garden plant and cut flower. The leaves are edible, with a flavour similar to cress. A very useful flowering plant as it attracts beneficial insects including lacewings, assassin bugs and predatory wasps; it can also be planted as part of an orchard understorey and on garden edges. Suitable for temperate and subtropical areas. Sow early Spring and again in Autumn in temperate areas. Sow April - September in subtropical areas; avoid frost periods. The best germination soil temperature is between 15 - 25°C. Germination will take 7 - 21 days. Sow the seed 2 - 5 mm deep direct into a garden bed, it dislikes being transplanted. Space the plants 30 cm apart.