Nigella damascena is another self-sowing annual that I have in abundance, and in great variety, in my garden this year. I sowed seeds in early spring over a year ago, and left the plants over the winter to drop their seeds. This spring they've sprouted like mad.
I don't remember having this many different colors last year. I wonder if they are as promiscuous as columbine?
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| This light blue is most common |
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| There's also a very dark, midnight blue. |
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| There's a white one with a ring of blue in the center |
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| And there's a pretty, very girly pink |
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| This one has sowed itself into the gravel next to my Agave 'Blue Glow.' |
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| They work well as companions to my self-sown California poppies. |
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| The bees love them too! |
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| The seedpods are great in flower arrangements, and when dry, they split open at the top and hundreds of tiny black seeds spill out. |
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| They remind me of a jester wearing a tutu |
Nigella seeds are used in cooking, but those come from Nigella sativa. Some common names are Love-in-a-Mist, Devil-in-a-Bush, and Persian Jewels. I started growing them from seed many years ago, when I first started gardening. It amused me to have a plant with a name similar to my husband's, Nigel.
I grow Alyssum too, which is a bit like my own name, but they don't seem to come in so much variety. Hmmm...I wonder what the takeaway from that bit of info is.
