Love in a Mist, Nigella damascena, is a charming
Victorian garden annual. I love the blooms that
are in watercolor shades of blue, white, rose,
red and violet. The first time I saw it was when
my mother grew it in her garden for drying.
The blooms are pretty, plus the seedpods are
very interesting as well. They are shaped a little
like a dainty balloon and can be dried for crafting.
I used them on woodland wreaths and straw
hats I decorated for gifts. The flowers can be
used as cut flowers, or pressed for crafting.
The plants are ferny looking-similar to fennel-
which is why it's been called fennel flower as
well as love-in-a-mist. They will grow to about
2 foot tall. The seeds can be sown outside as
soon as the soil can be worked. Plant in fertile,
well-drained soil where they will receives at least
6 hours of sun. The flowers bloom about three
months after they are planted. Thin to 8-10
inches between plants. It will reseed the next
year. Seed where you want the plants to stay
because they don't transplant easily.
A note on another nigella, n. sativa, which is
used as an herb-the seeds are spicy and can
be used in cooking. It's often confused with
n. damascena, which also has the edible seeds
but is really not used for this purpose as far as
I can tell. They have been used medicinally in
some cultures, but n. sativa is the plant used
as "black cumin" if you are interested in this.
Nigella damascena was popular in 16th Century
gardens. It's an old fashioned garden annual that
is very easy to grow and a charming addition to
any garden! Try planting them with strawflowers,
bachelor buttons, bell's of Ireland and globe
amaranth for a wonderful everlasting garden.
Click Here for Love in a Mist Seeds.
About the author:
Brenda Hyde is a wife and mom to three living in the Midwest
United States. She is also editor of OldFashionedLiving.com.
