Central Virginia Organic Gardener

"And 'tis my faith that every flower enjoys the air it breathes." - William Wordsworth, 1798

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Nigella



"Love in the Mist"
How could ignore that cute common name for Nigella damascena? N. damascena is pretty little white, pink, lavender or blue-flowered annual with an interesting, feathery flower and leafy bracts that forms a cool seed pod (see above). Nigella self-sows easily, but is also easy to remove and eradicate if you decide you do not like it or want it where it has self-sowed. In fall, I take the dry seed heads and just tip them over and scatter the seeds where I want them to grow. The seed pod is also used in dried flower arrangements. So easy and pretty! (Another common name is "Devil in the Bush!"- but not for me!)(P.S. this is not the same Nigella with seeds used in cooking).
Happy Gardening!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. First time I have seen these dainty little blooms. Thank you.

Judy Thomas said...

It really is a pretty little plant, feathery foliage, nice blossoms, neat seed pod, self-sows, but easy to remove- a real winner!