Love-in-a-Mist: The 3 Whimsical Nigella Varieties to Grow for Your Cut Flower Garden

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you shop through them at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my garden and the work I love!

The Wonderful Whimsical Nigella

If you want to add truly unique blooms to your cut flower garden, then you must add Nigella! It is commonly referred to as Love-In-A-Mist and is on my must grow list of Spring flower list!  Whenever I put it in a bouquet for someone, they immediately ask me what 'that' flower is?! It is always Nigella that sparks their attention!

Nigella is a wonderful cold hardy Spring cut flower to grow because it gives you 2 gifts! I call it a 'dual purpose' flower. You can cut the flowers in bloom for bouquets or you can let the flowers fade and pods will form. The pods make for excellent dried floral material!

In today's post, I am sharing 3 of my favorite Nigella varieties to grow. All of these are easy to grow from seed, self sow prolifically in the garden and I’ve linked my favorite sources below in case you want to add some to your garden.

'Delft Blue' Love-In-A-Mist | Nigella papillosa

Love-In-A-Mist 'Delft Blue' has white petals with a gorgeous purple watercolor effect of bluish-purple strokes. Every flower is truly a unique design!

Shop Seeds: Love-In-A-Mist 'Delft Blue'

'Miss Jekyll Blend Love-In-A-Mist | Nigella damascena

Love-In-A-Mist 'Miss Jekyll Blend' star like blooms have a beautiful range of blues blooming from light to dark shades.

Shop Seeds: Love-In-A-Mist 'Miss Jekyll Blend'

'African Bride' Love-In-A-Mist | Nigella hispanica

Love-In-A-Mist 'African Bride' is truly an eye catching flower with white petals and dark centers with a purple tone.

Shop Seeds: Love-In-A-Mist 'African Bride'

Nigella Pods

One of the fantastic features of growing Nigella is getting the pods. This process happens after the flower has faded on the plant and the pod formation begins. Use the pods in fresh floral arrangements or cut to hang dry. Nigella pods are one of the best dried flower materials you can grow and are the perfect touch in fall dried floral wreaths. 

One of the interesting things about growing the different colors of Nigella is you will get different pod colors as well. Some pods are green while others are more burgundy. It is definitely worth it to grow multiple colors of Nigella!

Nigella as a Cut Flower

Nigella makes a charming addition to any cut flower bouquet. Its delicate, airy blooms bring a soft, whimsical touch, and its whispy foliage adds beautiful texture. While the flowers are dainty and short-lived in the vase, they’re perfect for adding a romantic element to arrangements.

Bloom time will vary depending on where you live. For me in middle Tennessee, Nigella naturally blooms through May and produces pods by early to mid June. It is done flowering for the year after that. 

Nigella is one of the featured flowers in my popular E-book, Seed Starting Schedule for a Cut Flower Garden. It is on my must plant list in the fall for absolutely stunning Spring blooms!

Nigella in the Garden

Nigella, or Love-in-a-Mist, is a dreamy addition to any garden bed with its soft, fennel-like foliage and delicate, star-shaped blooms that seem to float above the plant. It’s easy to grow from seed (direct sows well!), thrives in cooler weather, and self-sows beautifully for future seasons.

Final Thoughts: Let Nigella show its beauty in your garden!

I can't imagine a Spring without Nigella in my gardens. It is one of those flowers that makes for great garden beauty and for use in cut flower arrangements. Here in Tennessee (Zone 7), I sow the seeds in the fall and it survives our winters uncovered like a champ. I call it a 'tough as nails' plant. Let it self sow and you will have many nigella plants popping up in the fall. It is really fun finding them after the summer garden has faded.......happy growing, flower friend! 

Shop Botanical Interests Seeds

Seed Shopping

Want to add Nigella to your seed collection? Shop through my special Botanical Interests link and you will get 5% off your orders! Discount Code: BLOOMINGJOY

I've enjoyed growing Botanical Interests seeds for years now and am excited to be an Ambassador for their seed products!

Want to save this blog to your pinterest board for later? Just save the photo below!

Looking for inspiration, garden tools, seed starting equipment and books for your garden? Checkout my Amazon Storefront where I have compiled a list of different helpful products!

My Amazon Storefront