How to Grow and Care for Love-in-a-Mist Flowers

About Growing Love-in-a-Mist Flowers in Your Home Garden

Love-in-a-Mist plants, or Nigella, is an old-fashioned annual. It looks great in cottage gardens. The fine, delicate green foliage resembles Asparagus foliage. Love-in-a-Mist flowers bloom from spring to early summer, disappearing in summer’s heat. Don’t wait any longer to grow this attractive bloomer for the first time. This guide on “How to Grow Love-in-a-Mist” will help you to successfully grow them for the first time and every time.

Love-In-A-Mist plants make great bedding plants. They will also look good in planters and even hanging baskets. Try them in window boxes, too. Love-in-a-Mist flowers can be used as cut flowers. The seed pods are often used in floral arrangements.

Did you Know? Love-In-A-Mist is related to Buttercup flowers.

Historically, the seeds have had uses in both the kitchen and in medicine.

Flowers Bloom: Spring to early Summer.

Flower Colors: Colors include soft shades of white, blue, and pink

Plant Height: 8 inches to 2 feet tall.

Annual, nigella Damascena

Annual Love-in-a-Mist Plant Propagation

The plants are propagated by seeds. Start Love-In-A-Mist seeds indoors or out.

Garden Tip: Use heated germination mats to speed seed germination and increase the germination rate.

For outdoor starts, sow them a week or two before the last frost in your area. The ideal soil temperature for germination is 60° F. So, wait for the soil to warm up a little in the spring before planting them.

Final Plant Spacing: Space plants 8 inches apart.

Love-In-A-Mist plants are prolific re-seeders. Use a packet or two to start your plants, and they will come up for years.

Day to Germination: 10 – 21 days.

How to Grow Love-in-a-Mist Flower Plants

Love-In-A-Mist plants are very easy to grow. They like full sun but will tolerate partial shade. They prefer rich, loose soil that drains well. Add a general-purpose fertilizer when planting them, then once a month after that.

Once your Love-In-A-Mist plants are established, they should grow well with few problems.

Keep the soil moist to slightly dry. Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week.

Keep the plants well weeded.

Each year, the seeds will drop and re-seed the area. They are very prolific. The plants will multiply and spread fairly quickly. You may want to consider border edging to contain them.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.5.

Also, see:

Plant Problems – Identify the causes and find the cures.