Carrot

Year-round

Wild carrot, also called Queen Anne's Lace, is the European ancestor of the garden carrot, and it is not native to Ohio, though it has naturalized across the state for well over a century. It is a biennial, spending its first year as a ferny low rosette and its second year putting up a tall stalk topped with flat white flower clusters. Around Columbus it grows easily in full sun and average to dry soil without much fuss.

• Give it full sun and well drained soil, it handles the clay and sandy soils common around Columbus.
• It grows as a low rosette the first year, then sends up a tall white flower cluster the second year before the plant dies back.
• Wear gloves when handling it in strong sunlight, the sap can irritate skin.
• It self seeds easily, so expect volunteer seedlings nearby if you let flower heads mature and drop seed.
• Not on the ASPCA toxic plant list for dogs, cats, or horses.

Fall

Through September and October around Columbus, wild carrot's flower clusters close up into a cupped bird's nest shape as seeds mature, then open again to release seed before the first fall frost. First year rosettes that germinated over summer stay low and green into fall. No fertilizing or extra care is needed heading into winter.

• Cut back drying seed heads before they open fully if you want to limit how many seedlings show up next year.
• Leave a few seed heads standing if you want to feed birds like goldfinches through fall.
• New rosettes from this year's seed will stay low and green through fall and into winter.
• No need to fertilize or mulch, the plant is used to average Ohio soil.

Cutting back the drying, browning seed heads in fall keeps stalks from looking scraggly in the front bed before winter.

Winter

Columbus winters are cold enough that wild carrot's second year flowering stalks finish out and die back after setting seed, while first year rosettes from this year's germination stay low and mostly green through the cold months. There is nothing to actively do for this plant in winter, it does not need protection, water, or fertilizer. It is a good time to plan which rosettes to keep or thin before spring growth picks up.

• No watering or fertilizing needed over winter, the plant is resting as a low rosette or already finished for the year.
• Cut down old dead flower stalks from last season whenever it is convenient over winter.
• First year rosettes usually stay low and green through a Columbus winter without protection.
• Use the quiet season to decide which rosettes to keep for next year's bloom and which to thin.

Cutting down old dead flower stalks sometime over winter keeps bare brown stems from being the main thing visible in the front bed until spring growth starts.

Spring

In the Columbus area, wild carrot rosettes green up in March and April as the ground thaws, and any plants in their second year begin bolting upward in May ahead of early summer bloom. Spring is also the easiest time to double check identification, since young rosettes can be confused with poison hemlock, which is toxic. Thin crowded rosettes now if you want a tidier stand once the tall flower stalks come up.

• Check young rosettes carefully in spring, poison hemlock looks similar but is toxic to people and pets.
• Thin crowded rosettes now so the bed is not overcrowded once second year plants bolt.
• Wear gloves if you are pulling or handling plants, spring sun plus the sap can irritate skin.
• Well drained spots handle Columbus spring rain better than heavy wet clay.

Thinning rosettes in spring keeps the bed looking tended before the tall flower stalks show up later in the season.

Summer

By June, second year wild carrot plants are in full bloom around Columbus, with flat white flower clusters that keep coming into September. The flowers are a steady draw for bees and butterflies, and the foliage is a caterpillar host plant for black swallowtail butterflies. Established plants handle Columbus summer heat and dry spells without extra watering.

• No need for supplemental watering once plants are established, they tolerate Columbus dry spells well.
• Leave some flower heads up if you want to support black swallowtail caterpillars, which feed on the foliage.
• Deadhead spent flower clusters before they dry and open into seed if you want fewer volunteer seedlings next year.
• Watch for green and black striped caterpillars on the leaves, they are black swallowtail caterpillars and not a pest to remove.

Deadheading spent flower heads before they turn brown keeps the planting looking intentional instead of weedy from the street.