I will almost certainly come to regret this

I have a strong fondness for Queen Anne's Lace. It's mostly considered a weed, growing wild along roadsides and ditches. It's this roadside habit, however, that makes me love it so. It makes me think of hot summer days and driving to Door County to spend the day at the beach. It makes me think of blue skies and sweet-smelling fields and lazy days with nothing to do but soak up the sun.

I love all of those tough little roadside plants-- Queen Anne's Lace, hawkweed, chicory, daylillies, even bindweed--for being tenacious enough to grow where they can. I love them for being beautiful in a ragged and overlooked way.

So when I saw some Queen Anne's Lace growing in my neighbor's yard a few years ago, I snagged a dried flower head and threw the seeds into one of my flower beds. It's a kind of ordinary bed--full of ferns and daylilies and now QAL--things that are tough and strong and survive (or even thrive) without much attention. And I'm glad to have them there.