How To Grow Love In A Mist - Nigella

Every spring many gardeners have a number of old time annual flower favorites that keep getting rediscovered by gardeners of all ages.  One of them is the Nigella damascena (also known as Love-in-a-mist, Nigella, and Devil in a Bush).

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Nigella Damascena - Love in a Mist Although primarily a summer plant, which easily self-seeds, this year a second crop of plants has grown, providing flowers well into the Autumn. Source: Christine Matthews, Geograph Project, Creative Commons via Wikimedia Commons

Beautiful lacy bracts surrounding the smaller flower sport shades of blue, lavender, white, and pink – depending upon the variety give them their popularity.  Other colors that show up with these annual flowers are mauve, and deep purple.  They are a sought after, often heirloom favorite since Victorian days and before.  Native to Southern Europe and popular in English cottage gardens since Elizabethan times they are a favorite for those who like to dry flowers and paint floral pictures.

How to Grow Love In A Mist

Love-in-a-mist, devil in the bush - Source: Wildfeuer, GNU, Creative Commons via Wikimedia Commons

  • The seeds need to germinate for ten to fourteen days once soil temperatures are above sixty degrees F/16 degrees C.
  • If you live where winters are mild, sow the seeds in the fall.
  • Indoors: germinate seeds four to six weeks before last frost directly into containers.  Keep in mind that they do not like to have their roots disturbed.
  • Sow more seeds every two to three weeks for continuous flower production.
  • Full sun
  • Well drained soil
  • Space at least six inches apart
  • Harvest when the flower buds are fully colored or pods have started to develop.

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