Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) - UK Native, Lacy White Umbels for Sunny, Well-Drained Borders & Meadows - Super Plugs & 9cm Pots

A classic UK native biennial with finely cut foliage and filigree white umbels (“Queen Anne’s lace”) from early summer into autumn, often blushed with a tiny dark floret at the centre. Flowers float above stems 60-120 cm tall, then curl into the famous “bird’s-nest” seed heads that feed birds and look beautiful through winter. Thrives on sunny, lean, well-drained soil - perfect for dry borders, meadow plantings, path edges and the dry pond rim (it’s not aquatic). A top plant for hoverflies, solitary bees and beneficial wasps, which hunt aphids in nearby beds. Gently self-seeds to keep the display going.

Where it thrives
Light: Full sun (needs it for best bloom)
Soil/Zone: Free-draining mineral loam/sand/gravel; happiest on low-fertility, neutral-alkaline soils; dry pond rim/meadow edge; coastal-tolerant
Setting: Meadow drifts with Knapweed, Field Scabious, Oxeye Daisy, Wild Marjoram

Planting & care

• Plant peat-free plugs in spring/autumn 30-40 cm apart, or sow direct on raked, weed-free ground (don’t bury seed deeply)

• Do not over-feed - rich soil = floppy stems and fewer flowers

• Water to establish, then keep on the dry side; drought-tolerant once rooted

• Deadhead some to prolong bloom, leave some to set seed (for birds and next year’s plants)

• Thin volunteer seedlings in spring; stakes only in very windy sites

• Never use pesticides - this plant fuels natural pest control

Safety (important & honest):
Ornamental use only - do not ingest. If you’re very skin-sensitive, wear gloves (Umbellifer sap can occasionally irritate). Keep plant material and soil out of natural watercourses.

Truth-first wildlife note:
A nectar powerhouse for hoverflies, bees, beetles and parasitic wasps; seed heads feed small birds; hollow stems offer overwintering nooks for insects. As a UK native, it supports a wider web of wildlife than most look-alikes - just keep it sunny and unfed.

Joel says…
“Think lace on lean soil. Full sun, no fertiliser, let a few umbels seed - and you’ll have pollinators working overtime and free seedlings for next year.”