Blue Nigella, Nigella damascena
They’ll grow in light shade, but you’ll get more flowers if you put them somewhere that gets full sun.
Keep the soil well watered to help the seeds germinate and grow. Especially important if growing in pots.
Pinch off wilted flowers to encourage new ones to replace them. Better yet, use the flowers in floral arrangements.
Botanical name
Nigella damascena
Nickname
Blue nigella; Love-in-a-mist
Seed quantity
Around 200
Plant type
Flowering annual
Pet/Baby safe
Mildly toxic to humans if ingested
Sowing seeds is a brilliant way to grow loads of flowers for your outdoor space. With a little patience and dedication you could have blue nigella flowers brightening up your garden or balcony for months. Blue nigella is beloved in British gardens because as delicate as they look, they’re tough enough to survive a harsh winter.
To grow your flowers, sow the seeds about 5cm apart in potting trays and put them somewhere warm and bright. Keep the soil moist. When sprouts appear, transfer the plants to 8cm pots and wait for them to grow. It should take about 14 days for sprouts to appear, then you’ll have flowers within 90 days.
You can pick the mature flowers whenever you like, cutting them at the base of the stem. New flowers should appear until around September. If you leave some to disperse seed then you’ll get more flowers next year.
As a considerable bonus, they’re very attractive to bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
