Love In The Mist, Nigella damascena

Some cottage garden favorites just do not work for us. Towering foxgloves just rarely tower, but Love in the Mist that’s a happier story.

It’s true it doesn’t care for heat but still it loves spring here and adds a pretty airy charm to the early garden.  Its easy care as long as you remember Love in the Mist doesn’t like heat.  So the seeds are best planted in fall or early winter;  the plants establish themselves over the dreary months and then grow amazingly fast and start to bloom when warm days arrive.  The flowers are in shades of blue as well as pink and white  with fine foliage that is a treat in itself. When flowering is done, the seed pods form. 

Remember,self seeding annual, means you have to allow the seed pods to become mature but in this case it’s really an added bonus as the pods are intricate stripped balloons that add interest to the flower bed and can be saved for arrangements as well. Just be sure that some seeds fall to the ground. It’s the circle of life right there in your garden; the seeds will find their way and when winter comes they start to grow  and soon…

Susan

Pictures by Starla and Ann