Nigella, Love-in-a-Mist
Garden Mix
Nigella orientalis
 
‘Love-in-a-mist’ Garden mix style of delft blue, white & persian mulberry rose. Flower stage is fleeting but the seed pod adds funky texture fresh or dry.
 
For many years I struggled to grow nigella.  I would direct sow in the spring and realize come summer that they had eluded me yet again.  In my quest to grow I lazily scattered them around the garden knowing any dry spell would slow germination and birds would prey on them for early spring snacking.  Every year I persisted  until a few years ago one solitary plant appeared and I coveted it.  I let it do its thing in nature and reseed and now it pops up and I have a mixture of a few colors scattered throughout the garden.  I love it for its landscape qualities and once it got established and abundant I love picking it for fresh and dried arrangements.
 
In springtime at the farmers market when I put the delft blue into arrangements they sell out first.  I get the most inquiries about its unique characteristics and later in the season when it is dry we all laugh at how it looks like an alien comic book character from the 50s.