Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd
Nigella 'Miss Jekyll Mixed' (Love-in-a-mist)
Nigella 'Miss Jekyll Mixed' (Love-in-a-mist)
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Nigella 'Miss Jekyll Mixed' Seeds
If you want to create a soft, impressionist painting in your garden, 'Miss Jekyll Mixed' is the seed to sow. This classic heritage mix produces semi-double flowers in a beautiful pastel palette of sky blue, deep violet-blue, pure white, and soft rose pink.
The flowers sit nestled in a ruff of fine, ferny foliage, creating the famous "mist" effect. But the show doesn't end when the petals fall. The centre of the flower swells into a magnificent, balloon-like seed pod striped with purple and green. These architectural pods stand tall through autumn and are one of the most sought-after elements for dried flower arranging.
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🌿 Understanding the Plant
Nigella is a Hardy Annual.
It completes its life cycle in one season but is a brilliant self-seeder.
The Cycle: If you leave the seed pods to dry on the plant, they will eventually split and shake their black seeds over the soil. You will likely find a fresh drift of multi-coloured Nigella seedlings popping up in the same spot next spring without lifting a finger!
Top Tip: They have a taproot and dislike being transplanted. It is always best to sow them directly where you want them to flower.
🌱 Growing Guide: How to Sow and Grow
Nigella is one of the easiest "scatter and grow" seeds.
Germination:
Sow directly outdoors in Autumn (Sept) for early flowers next year, or Spring (March-May) for summer blooms. Scatter seeds onto raked soil and cover lightly (3mm deep). Germination takes 14-21 days.
Where to Sow:
They love sun but will tolerate light shade. They flourish in gravel gardens or average garden soil. They don't need feeding—rich soil just produces more "mist" (leaves) and fewer "jewels" (flowers).
Care While Growing:
They are very low maintenance. You don't need to stake them. If you want the seed pods for drying, leave the flowers alone. If you want more flowers, deadhead regularly.
📋 Plant Specifications
| Latin Name | Nigella damascena |
| Common Name | Love-in-a-mist 'Miss Jekyll Mixed' |
| Hardiness | H3 (Hardy Annual) |
| Light Required | Full Sun / Part Shade ⛅ |
| Height | ↕️ 45cm - 50cm |
| Spread | ↔️ 25cm |
| Spacing | 🌱 20cm apart (or scatter) |
| Great for | 🍂 Dried Seed Pods 🐝 Bee Magnet 🏡 Cottage Gardens 🌾 Filling Gaps |
| Seed Count | Approx. 400 seeds per packet |
🤝 Perfect Garden Companions
The mixed pastels of 'Miss Jekyll' look beautiful when woven through taller, sturdier plants:
- 🌹 Shrub Roses: The classic underplanting. The soft blue and pink mist of Nigella looks incredible at the feet of roses, covering the bare soil and hiding the thorny stems.
- 🧡 Calendula 'Art Shades': The Cottage Mix. The apricot and cream of the Calendula provides a warm, solid contrast to the cool, airy blues of the Nigella mix. Both are easy hardy annuals that can be sown together.
📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar
Sow directly outdoors in autumn or spring. Flowers mid-summer.
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow Outdoors | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | |||||||
| Flowers | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | ||||||||
| Harvest Seeds | 🍂 | 🍂 |
⚠️ Edible Seeds
The seeds of Nigella are edible (known as Kalonji or Black Cumin). They have a nutty, peppery flavour and are delicious sprinkled on naan bread or in curries!
🏆 Officially Recognised Excellence
This is a top-tier plant for pollinators. Nigella damascena is listed on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list, providing a rich source of nectar for bees in mid-summer.
