What is the Best Time of the Year to Plant the Nigella Damascena Flower

Sowing Seeds

• Damascena seeds grow best when sown directly into the ground. In all climates, select a planting site that gets full sun and has loamy soil with good drainage. Plant the seeds about 1/8 of an inch deep. Once established in the garden, Damascena flowers self-seed at the end of the season. The tiny seeds can be scattered over the garden bed and raked under the soil to protect them from birds and the drying effects of the sun until germination and initial growth begins.

Spring Planting

• Sow the first set of Damascena flower seeds in spring as soon as the ground thaws and is workable. Test the soil moisture in the spring by taking a handful and squeezing it in your hand. When the soil has dried out to the point of being crumbly under your touch, it is ready for planting. In early spring soil can be wet after winter's snow and rain. Spring planting time usually falls between March and May, depending on your climate.

Fall Planting

• A second planting in fall gives the gardener a head start on next spring's flowering annuals. Sow Nigella damascena seeds in a prepared garden bed between September and October after the heat of summer has passed and before the first frosts arrive. The seeds lay dormant under the soil through the winter months and emerge in spring for early blooming. Damascena flowers bloom between June and September with the fall planted seeds flowering first and spring planted seeds flowering later in the season.

Cool Summer Planting

• Damascena flowers thrive in cool weather. In climates where summers are cool and damp, plant Damascena seeds every three to four weeks from early spring into midsummer. Once midsummer comes, wait until the fall planting months to sow more seeds. Continuously sowing seeds through spring and summer creates a annual flower garden that is continuously filled with these small blue flowers set against their misty-green foliage backdrop.