You can also start them in flats and later transplant them into your flower border. These plants are tough and will survive in poor soil, but they prosper where the earth is loose, fertile, and well drained. Under ideal conditions, they can grow 4 feet tall. Plants that struggle due to droughts or poor soil may not do so well, reaching only 2 feet in height. When seedlings first appear, they look like small sprigs of parsley.
Plants usually flower their second year, but some act as annuals and bloom the first.
The species D. pusillus is an annual that is most often found around the Lower and Coastal South. It is a smaller version of Queen Anne's lace and the blooms aren't quite as showy. The delicate flowers of Queen Anne's lace are a common sight on the shoulders of most Southern roadways, yet few gardeners incorporate them into their plantings. The broad flower heads are made up of hundreds of tiny blooms that cluster atop long, narrow stems. Many consider Queen Anne's lace a weed, but it can be controlled in your garden by cutting off the seedpods before they dry and drop seeds.