How to Grow and Harvest Nigella Flowers & Pods
Nigella is a pretty, easy-to-grow annual flower that turns into beautiful pods that are perfect for dried bouquets and wreaths. The flowers are in shades of blue, pink, or white. The pods are pale green with burgundy stripes.
The flowers are very pretty and delicate but they don’t last long in the vase. I think the pod is the most desirable part to use.
Once you’ve grown them in your garden they will keep coming back because the seeds fall out of the pods easily. So plan on that. But they aren’t impossible to remove if you’re done with them.
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Nigella flowers and plants
The flowers have spidery seed pod precursors coming out of their center, giving the flowers a sea anemone look. Surrounding the petals are fine lacy leaves which are the “mist.” The original Nigella is blue, the newer varieties include pink, white, and different shades of blue.
That spidery pod precursor coming out of the flower center quickly forms a balloon-like pale green pod with burgundy stripes, with the “mist” still present and those sea anemone tentacles sticking straight up.
The change from pretty flowers to cool pods is quick so the nigella flowers need to be picked and used quickly.
And once the pod is ripe, or dry, the top opens a few slits and lets the seeds out when tipped. So it’s best to pick them before that happens… but it’s inevitable they will open before you get them. You can pick them earlier to keep the pods closed but you risk being too early and the pods shriveling. This dilemma leads me to just keep the nigella in a nigella bed.
Plants can get to 2-3 ft. tall. They’re very well branched, giving many stems to cut on each plant.
Soon after nigella flowers start to bloom there are blossoms and pods on the plants.
How to grow Nigella
Hardy Annual, sow in late fall to early spring; Full sun to part shade; Water: average
These are super easy to grow. They like to grow in cooler weather so it’s best to plant them in the fall, winter, or very early spring.
The funny thing is that every time I get them started in a new garden, the first year harvest is not that exuberant. I let them self-sow, which is easy because the pods just drip seeds everywhere as you harvest them. So the next year there are loads of plants, they grow bigger and better, and soon weeding them out is in order.
They like full sun to part shade, regular water, and good garden soil.
How to harvest Nigella flowers and pods
Catch the flowers early. The ones you don’t will be your pods. It’s best to cut the flowers at the base of a stem that branches. Pick the pods with their stems for easy insertion to dried arrangements and wreaths. No special drying techniques are necessary, you can cut the stems, place them upright in a vessel and walk away. When you’re about to use them in dried arrangements or wreaths, you may want to shake them upside down to get the seeds out.
Favorite varieties
My favorite is the straight blue Nigella damascena, often sold as Miss Jeckyll; Persian Jewels Mix has blue, pinks, red, white, and violet colors; Persian Jewels Indigo is deep and dark blue, and there’s more. These are all pretty, and are readily available from garden center seed displays and from seed suppliers (see below).
There are two other really interesting species of nigella flowers:
One is Nigella orientalis ‘Transformer’. It has a small yellow flower with very long prongs coming out of the center. It then becomes a long pod that matures to tan with prongs at the top, looking like a jester’s hat. The stem on this is straight and stiff. It’s a very nice addition to fresh and dried bouquets.
The other is Nigella hispanica ‘Curiosity’ which looks more like the blue Love-in-a-Mist, but it has pods resembling the jester hat-looking pods of the Nigella Transformer.
Sources for Nigella seeds
Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-Mist): if you can’t find them in your local nursery, these sources are good: like Johnny’s Seeds, Swallowtail Garden Seeds, and Renee’s Garden.
Nigella orientalis ‘Transformer’: Select Seeds
Nigella hispanica ‘Curiosity’: Diane’s Flower Seeds
Special Info on Nigella sativa: Black Cumin
The seeds for these Nigella flowers are edible, though not too flavorful. But there’s one more Nigella that’s actually grown for its tasty edible seeds. It’s black cumin, the seed of the Nigella sativa plant. Not a cumin at all, it’s just called that. It’s a seed that’s used in Middle Eastern cuisine, often used as a topping on breads, like how people in western regions use sesame or poppy seeds.
It’s also touted for medicinal value of the seeds. The flowers are blue and closely resemble Love-in-a-Mist. It grows in the warmer part of the year rather than the cooler part like Love-in-a-Mist.
I haven’t grown it yet, but it’s on my list for next year. You can find it at Territorial Seed Company and other seed companies.
Flowers and Topics You May Like
Calendula
One of the early blooming cut flowers to plant in fall, winter or spring depending on where you live.
Flowers to Plant in Fall, Winter, and Early Spring
Lean which cut flowers need cool weather to grow best.
Use a Good Digging Fork
This is the most essential tool for gardening! Don’t grow without a good one.
Persian Cress
The green sprays of stems with little green pods make a wonderful bouquet filler, fresh or dried.
