Thanks for your comments. I'm delighted that they have grown and not been eaten. I have ammi too this year and really hoping that will self seed too but will put down more. Milk parsley will go in next year.
Being biennial, all my wild carrot, sown last year, will bloom this year. I am wondering how long people's plants usually bloom? Are they like ammi that can bloom into the autumn? Also, what height do yours reach? I will space mine out better and am wondering how much space to leave. They should make for a good display - my first successful effort (from direct sowing). It has never worked before. Thanks.
I think ours go from June to August. But I do not cut them for flowers so not sure how long or how much more flower they would put on if I did.
Size in height we get anything from a few feet to around five feet. Spread umm. one to one and a half feet-ish. might have been two on the big ones. The big ones last year were where I had dug and improved the area the year before. They were quite stunning, I made a mental note to do better by them. The smaller ones were okay, they were in poorer soil and had not been fed.
I know I cut other biennials like Verbascum blattaria and Evening primroses get a cut or two when the seed stems get elongated and too many seeds. Keeps them flowering a bit longer. I don't know if doing the same with Daucus works.
Thanks @Rubytoo Good to know they tall with feeding. I am going for height. With ammi also. My ammi last year (first time ever successful, re better slug control) were, I think, over crowded and therefore tiny - a few feet only. I direct sowed and was so amazed they came up at all that I didn't thin them out. We live and learn. Still lovely. I will do better with Daucus this year.
Our wild carrot (growing mainly in the "meadow", but seedlings are now appearing all over the garden - and in the gravel drive...) flowers into September, which is very welcome. I agree with all the comments about its beauty, leaves, buds, flowers and seed heads. Plants generally 4-5ft in height, even unfed and competing with grass etc. Almost always self-supporting. Hope they perform well for you, @Fire . Edited to say: I don't think anything has ever eaten ours.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
It's interesting that they grow so tall for other people. The ones I've grown and those in the local landscape are much shorter. I don't know if it's mainly fertility or the fact we live in such a dry area but it's unusal to see them much over 2ft here. I looked at GW https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/daucus-carota/ which suggests it might usually be a bit shorter.
It is a very stunning plant though with the birds nest flowers which hold on into the winter.
@thevictorian, I wonder if it is to do with soil types, ours is heavy on clay and areas where we have shorter Daucus is where it has not been dug and got a bit compacted, variations on areas differing weather too I would guess.
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But I do not cut them for flowers so not sure how long or how much more flower they would put on if I did.
Size in height we get anything from a few feet to around five feet. Spread umm. one to one and a half feet-ish. might have been two on the big ones.
The big ones last year were where I had dug and improved the area the year before.
They were quite stunning, I made a mental note to do better by them.
The smaller ones were okay, they were in poorer soil and had not been fed.
I know I cut other biennials like Verbascum blattaria and Evening primroses get a cut or two when the seed stems get elongated and too many seeds. Keeps them flowering a bit longer.
I don't know if doing the same with Daucus works.
Edited to say: I don't think anything has ever eaten ours.
It is a very stunning plant though with the birds nest flowers which hold on into the winter.
Ours stand up pretty well too, and I also can't remember anything eating ours either.
Good Luck Fire, I am sure you will love them whatever height they get to