I was driving down the road and thinking to myself what flower should I feature this month. Then I realized my choice for this month's feature flower was easy. Right there in the ditch was my answer, Queen Anne's Lace. Meaning self-reliance, fantasy, haven, and delicate femininity. Queen Anne's Lace seems to be growing everywhere right now, adding it's beauty to the landscape.

Common Name: Queen Anne's Lace, Wild Carrot
Botanical Name: Ammi Majus (am-ME MAY-jus), Daucus carota

Queen Anne's Lace also make a wonderful cut flower/filler. It is available all year long and is very inexpensive. With it's wispy, romantic, vintage look and you don't need a lot to make a statement. The overall shape reminds me of a firework when it explodes in the sky.  The round, flat heads are usually 3-6"  across consisting of hundred of small, white florets. The stem size can vary up to 36". Queen Anne's Lace can even be dried.

One fable associated with the name of this plant describes the occasion of Queen Anne of England pricking her finger while working on lace, staining the lace with blood. If you look closely, you'll notice that each large `flower' has many small white florets with a red/purple dot in the middle. Like carnations, if you put them in a glass with water with food coloring, the flower will change color.

Interesting Fact: Women have used the seeds from Daucus carota Queen Anne's Lace, as a contraceptive for centuries.

This week I leave you with the thought that you should plan for the unexpected, accidents can and do happen. The trick to keeping your cool is to have a backup plan. Below is a link to my blog from last summer but a great example of one such accident.

http://bloomingenvy.weebly.com/2/post/2011/06/blooming-envys-got-your-back.html

Are you ready for anything?

The last few days of this heat wave, that everyone here in Wisconsin has had the pleasure to sweat though, has left me thinking of the sun. So I put together some inspiration full of sunshine. Warm and cheerful and oh so romantic. Enjoy the pics and leave your thoughts about the sunshine below.

In honor of our country and the wonderful holiday we celebrate on the 4th of July, Independence Day, I would like to share some wonderful wedding inspiration. How fun would it be to tie the knot on the 4th and show your Patriotism. I found these super cool ideas at Bridal Guide. Click here to see for yourself. Let me know what you think below.