Love-in-a-mist
Love-in-a-mist: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Love-in-a-mist, Nigella damascena, is an ornamental annual in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is valued for flowers surrounded by a ring of finely divided bracts and for the capsules that follow them. Together these features give the plant a light appearance, almost wrapped in a veil of foliage. It suits flower borders and informal cottage gardens, with interest extending beyond the flowering stage itself.The upright, branched stems carry green leaves divided into very fine segments. Their narrow divisions create an airy texture, contrasting with plants that have large, broad leaves. Around the flowers, the bracts resemble the foliage and strengthen the impression of lace. Plant outline and dimensions vary with the variety and growing conditions. Its habit remains that of a herbaceous annual, rather than a perennial crown returning with new growth every year.Flowers can be blue, white or pink, with shades differing between selections. Single and more double forms…
