How to grow nigella

Fairies of the flower garden, Nigella is a great choice for beginners who want to give growing flowers from seed a go.

Quick to germinate, best planted in place (not seed raised) and not fussy about poor or sandy soil, Nigella - aka Love-In-A-Mist - is also a match made in heaven for the Australian climate.

And autumn is the absolute best time to plant. Like other hardy annuals, Nigella sown in autumn will germinate, and start growing whilst the last of the warm weather (and warm soil) is still here. Over winter, she will bulk up her roots, turning her into a powerhouse of floral joy in spring.

Sow seed direct (ie don’t seed raise) outside in a large pot or in the ground in a place that gets lots of direct sun - minimum 5 hours. Sow in drills and thin out after first set of true leaves appear. Although Nigella will do okay in light frost, she may struggle over winter in very cold Australian climates. In those areas (alpine or anywhere with extended frosty periods) she may do better sown in spring, or seed raised in seed cells a few weeks before the last frosts, and carefully planted out once up and growing. A spring planting will give you smaller plants, often with fewer blooms, but because she is just so pretty, is worth sowing whenever your climate allows.

Fantastic as a cut flower, Nigella is also great when left to develop her beautiful seed pods. The pods can also be used as a cut or dried flower. I like to let a few heads go over and ‘self seed’ around the garden.

Traditionally blue, although lots of other beautiful colours are available.