Description
Nigella nai-JEH-luh
Nigella earns the common name “love-in-a-mist” because of the tangle of ferny, fennel-like foliage that forms a mist around the flowers. Once you see Nigella in bloom, you will always recognize it by its unique swirl of airy bracts and delicate foliage. The foliage of the Nigella plant is ferny, the flowers are fluffy, and the seed pods are intriguing. Best known for the vivid blue blossom varieties, love-in-a-mist also has cultivars that bloom in purples, pinks, and white. Plant these adaptable flowers in the spring or even in the fall. The plants grow to nearly two feet tall and bloom for several weeks, starting in the late spring. Nigella is a short-lived plant and probably won’t make it through an entire growing season. When they reseed on their own, you’ll have blooms through fall. Love-in-a-mist is toxic to humans.
