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About Love-In-A-Mist

Nigella damascena, love-in-a-mist, is a enchanting annual native to southern Europe, North Africa, and southwestern Asia. Its delicate blue, white, or pink flowers are nestled within a filigree of thread-like bracts that create a misty, ethereal halo around each bloom — the source of its romantic common name. Growing 30 to 50 cm tall, the plant has feathery, finely divided foliage that adds a soft, airy texture to any planting. After flowering, it produces ornamental inflated seed pods with prominent horns that are prized in dried flower arrangements. Love-in-a-mist is one of the easiest annuals to grow from direct-sown seed, germinating in cool conditions and blooming about eight weeks later. It dislikes transplanting due to its delicate taproot. The plant self-sows reliably, often returning year after year once established. The black seeds (called 'black cumin' in some cultures, not to be confused with Nigella sativa) have a mild peppery flavor. It is virtually pest-free and thrives in full sun with average, well-drained soil.

• Pollinator-friendly
• Cut-flower
• Drought-tolerant

How to care for Love-In-A-Mist

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At a Glance

Bloom time

Fragrance

Toxicity

History

Nigella damascena is native to the Mediterranean basin, from southern Europe through North Africa and into southwest Asia. The species epithet "damascena" ("of Damascus") reflects its frequent occurrence in Syria and its early association with the Damascus region in European botanical literature. The plant has been cultivated in English cottage gardens since at least the Elizabethan era — John Gerard's 1597 Herball describes it. It produces delicate open blue, white, pink, or purple flowers 3-4 cm across, each surrounded by a distinctive halo of finely dissected thread-like bracts that give the plant its charming "love-in-a-mist" common name.

Following flowering the plant produces spectacular inflated horned star-shaped seed capsules about 2-3 cm across, which dry beautifully and are prized as elements of dried-flower arrangements — driving a continuing presence in cutting gardens and craft planting. The species reseeds freely from year to year and is a self-maintaining staple of many English and American cottage gardens once established. A related species, Nigella sativa (black cumin), is the source of the culinary "nigella seed" spice widely used in Middle Eastern, Indian, and North African cuisine — but N. damascena is not the culinary spice species and its seeds should not be consumed.

Popular ornamental cultivars include "Persian Jewels" (mixed colors), "Miss Jekyll" (pure blue — named for garden designer Gertrude Jekyll), and "Oxford Blue." Love-in-a-mist has been cultivated in European gardens since at least the 16th century, appearing in the great herbals of Gerard and Parkinson. The evocative common name refers to the misty nest of bracts surrounding each flower, as if the bloom were hidden in fog. In the Victorian language of flowers, it represented 'perplexity' — the feeling of being simultaneously attracted and puzzled by love. The genus name Nigella means 'little black one,' referring to the jet-black seeds. In some Mediterranean traditions, the seeds were scattered on bread before baking, similar to the use of its close relative Nigella sativa (true black cumin). The ornamental seed pods have made it a staple of the dried flower industry.

Symbolism & meaning

Related plants

More Nigella plants

• NigellaNigella sativa

Plants with similar care

• Chinese AbeliaAbelia chinensis
• Fragrant AbeliaAbelia mosanensis
• Large-Flowered AbeliaAbelia uniflora
• Glossy AbeliaAbelia x grandiflora

Frequently asked questions