PlantFiles: Love-in-a-Mist
Nigella damascena

Another presentation of the lovely seed pod that is very attractive in floral arrangements: cross-sectioned. Cutting the seed pod cleanly through the middle (perpendicular to the stem) reveals the beautiful symmetry of the chambers of the pod, decorated with the little black dots of the seeds.
This is a plant that keeps on giving visual pleasure in its many forms.

This is one of my favorite and most reliable plants in the garden. They self sow in sufficient numbers that voles cannot eat them all; they bloom Mayish after the seedlings winter over (Raleigh, NC Z7b/8a); and they remain ornamental all season long. They begin with blooms ranging in color from white to blue and with few pinks here and there and finish off with greatly interesting seed pods. Then, in late August, hundreds of seedlings begin poking up when the rest of the garden is thinking about winding down for the year. Highly recommend planting some!

Kathy

Very easy to grow. When left to self seed a new crop comes up all year long (on Central Coast, CA). The buds and flowers make beautiful cut flower arrangements. The flowers last up to 4 days in plain water. . .may last longer with use of florist tricks.

I let this plant self-seed all over my garden. They flower early and can be over and removed while other plants are still getting underway. The blue form starts a wishy-washy shade and darkens over the 2-3 days individual blooms last. I also grow them for the seed pods which can last for weeks. I've found the blue flower pods are rather non-descript, and so get removed except for the few plants I leave for seed. The white flowers have pods that are a rather attractive pinky grey colour which look quite impressive left in clumps in a perennial bed.

I've found that seeds planted in the spring as normally recommended produces small plants that grow small flowers. They do much better when the seed is scattered in the summer. They sprout, overwinter as seedlings, and then shoot up and look great in the spring. They're done flowering about the time the perennials are coming into it, so then you pull out all the spent Nigella and let the perennials take over. A nice ferny filler to let self-sow. You need to watch the flowers, though, if you like the doubles. I promptly pull out the ones that are singles to try to keep the doubles reseeding.

Grows in Heat Zones 12-2.

Love-in-a-mist is an annual that grows 1 to 1-1/2' tall. This plant has a branching habit. The most common colors are blue and white; but pink, red, and purple are also available. The foliage is lacey and fern-like giving the plant an airy feel. The flower is short-lived, but if seeds are sown every 2-3 weeks, you can extend this period through the summer. This plant is native to southern Europe and North Africa.

The seed pods are great for dried arrangements. To dry them, you need to cut the pods when they are still green and fresh looking. Wrap the stems with a piece of wire or string and hang upside down in a dry place until they are dry.

Two varieties are: 'Persian Jewels' and 'Miss Jekyll'