My Old Historic House: Jul 18, 2011

A Field of Queen Ann's Lace in the Missouri Country.

Seems to be endless.

A Close up of this beautiful flower.

Along Highway 79.

There are advantages and disadvantages to living in the country, miles from no where. Last time I went to the city, St.Louis, I remarked at how beautifully landscaped everything was, from McDonalds to Homegoods. Here we are lucky, if everybody mows there yards on time. I miss that landscaping beauty. But, Mother nature, more than makes up for this.Where in the city ,can one find,a field of wide open, blooming Queen Ann's Lace? I have a motto,"Nothing Becomes of Nothing, So, Make Something of Everything." I have this needle pointed and hanging in my kitchen. I try and live by it most of the time. When I am driving down the road, to the grocery store or on a buying trip, I always look at my surroundings. It makes the trip go faster, brings some beauty to my mind and I love finding things that make me smile. On my last trip to the city, I could not help but notice, how the Queen Ann's Lace had made the road sides and pasture come alive , and it looked to me, like Fields of Lace. I knew at that moment, I wanted to do a blog about it's beauty. So off I went this morning,at first light, to capture some of that wonderment. I planned a little ahead and stopped by my Antique shop and picked up a few things. I have a wonderful ceramic bust of a lady, who could be, Queen Ann? Who's to say? The other day I purchased a wonderful French folding screen and a Chinese Chippendale Bamboo Chair, both of which, have been living in my car for a few days,as it has been too hot to take them out. When I made it to the first Queen Ann spot, Out came the bust, not once, did I think of the chair and screen. After shoots at that destination, off I went to find the next patch. Off on a side road, where I could pull over easy and get out of the car ,and not worry about getting run down, people drive like wild crazy people here, I parked and when I opened the door to get out, I spotted the chair and screen, and I thought, why not? I guess one can pretend that they were placed there, waiting for the arrival of Queen Ann herself ,to come and view the beautiful lace.

My Motto.

Is this Queen Ann?

She Rules the Fields.

Queen Ann's Lace is the common name for the wild carrot. Other names it is often called is, birds nest, Bishops hat,and lace flower. It is a flowering plant in the family of, Apiaceae,native to temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North America. The domestic carrot is a cultivates sub-species When you pull up,the Queen Ann's Lace plant, it's roots smells like a carrot. .It is a biennial plant, meaning it blooms every other year.It grows up to 3 feet tall and blooms from June to August. The blooms are round and white when they first bloom and look like a lace doily.When the go to seed, they contract and become a concave and look like a birds nest. There is a tiny dot of a bloom in the very center ,that is red.
The root of the Queen Ann's lace is eatable when very young, but soon becomes woody. A tea spoon of crushed seeds has long been used as a form of birth control.Tea made from it's roots has been used to eliminate kidney stones and rid people and animals of worms. It's seed have also been used to remedy hangovers. The thick sap was often used as a cough remedy in earlier times..

I loved this old forgotten fence, look beyond it and see the entire field of Queen Ann's Lace.

Queen Ann's lace was introduced and naturalized in North America and it got this name, as the flower resembles lace.It was soon named ,after Queen Ann of England, who was a expert lace maker. The tiny red flower in the center of each flower, is used in nature, to attract insects. In theory, it is to represent blood, where Queen Ann pricked her finger with a needle.
The USDA has listed it as a noxious weed and it is considered a pest by farmers in there fields and pastures. It's seed have been said, to be able to lay dormant in the soil for 2 to5 years. And it grows almost anywhere, even in solid rocks. It is well tolerate to low moister or flooding. Large patches of it can be found in fence rolls, along the river or creek banks,. road sides and pastures.
Seed and plants are now available at some plant shops. It is hard to think, one has to buy it ,when it grows so wild in nature.But more and more people have introduced it, to there city gardens.
I love it, I look forward to seeing it bloom, more and more every year. It is a rite of passage, for the coming of summer. It is wonderful for cut flower arrangements. One thing you have to remember, cut it in the early morning, use a sharp knife or scissors, and put in warm, almost hot water, for several hours, before you actually want to use it. It tends to droop when first cut, the warm water, makes it drink and it will soon lift it's head up. Shake the bloom and if it drops a lot of flower dust, I would not pick that one, as it it is older and will not last as long. Like all cut flowers, when you take them out of the water to rearrange, cut the stems with a fresh cut each time, as they create a film across the stem when out of water, and to drink, they need a fresh cut. If done properly they can last for a week or more in a cut arrangement. They are perfect for a summer wedding and look beautiful with red roses. I like it much better than Baby's Breath.

We are ready for Queen Ann, to come set and view the beautiful lace.

Have a seat and just enjoy the beauty.

If you live in the city, try and take a ride in the country soon, as these beauties will soon be gone till another season. In the meantime, enjoy them here on my blog. Stop by any time for a tour,at My Old Historic House. I will leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will meet you with a jump and a kiss. Heck, I'll even cut a big bunch of Queen Ann's Lace, because you all are a comin by for a visit. ENJOY!