Nigella Plants

Characteristics

• Nigella plants are annuals that grow between 15 and 24 inches tall, with a spread up to 12 inches. In the spring and early summer, love-in-a-mist produces 1 1/2-inch, semi-double blooms in pink, blue and white. The thread-like leaves form a fluffy ruff around the blossoms, earning them their misty name. The seedpods grow up to 2 inches long, and their green color and purple or bronze stripes add interest to fresh or dried floral arrangements, as well as self-seeding your planting beds each year.

Growing Conditions

• Nigella will grow in poor or sandy soils, but it prefers well-drained, fertile and light soil. Devil-in-a-bush thrives in full sun to partial shade, with regular watering. Plant your seeds directly in the ground, about 1/8 inch deep, as soon as the soil is workable and the threat of frost has passed, because the long taproot of Nigella means that it does not transplant well. Germination occurs within about 2 weeks, and you should thin the seedlings to 8 to 10 inches apart at that time.

Varieties

• Nigella comes in a wide range of colors, with "Miss Jekyll," the most common, producing a soft blue, semi-double bloom. "Miss Jekyll Alba" blooms in pure white, while "Mulberry Rose" produces deep pink blossoms and "Oxford Blue" adds deep blue color to your garden, along with a dark-colored seedpod. If you can't choose just one color, consider the Persian Jewels mix, which includes all the shades of white, pink and blue.

Uses

• Nigella is a traditional cottage garden flower, used in massed plantings for spring and summer color. It also fills gaps in floral borders beautifully, the blossoms add color and texture to fresh and dried arrangements, along with their papery seedpods, and perfume and potpourri makers use the oil in their blends. For a particularly eye-catching display, plant Nigella with dusty miller (Senecio cineraria), curry plant (Helichrysum italicum ssp. serotinum), lamb's ear (Stachys byzanthus), silvermound artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana) or other silver-leaved plants.