Nigella is a decorative annual that has been catching my eye at this year’s flower shows. It’s one of many beguiling weapons England’s army of cottage gardeners deploy to (temporarily) gain the upper hand in the war they wage against bare soil in their flower borders.
Love-in-a-mist’s fine, feathery foliage fascinates me, so I applied a filter to accent both the spikiness and the mistiness. The flowers of this cultivar have a soft, antique, purple-pink colour and a lovely way of fading from dark to cream.
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My heart always turns first to the haunting folk names of plants despite my head knowing that the same name may be used for wildly different flowers around the world. Those who share my weakness for folk names might enjoy this post, where Arthur Lee Jacobson lists several more for Nigella damascena and describes the plant. (Though it’s hard to beat love-in-a-mist as an evocative name, my completely made up folk name is Lords a-leaping as the flowers’ centres look as if tiny legs are trying to get out in every direction.)
Today’s post was inspired by this atmospheric picture of Nigella seed heads shared by Sarah Longes.
Susan Rushton 
I love Nigella, we have lots of it here in France, self seeded it pops up all over the place in our garden, but it is always the same blue colour, I have never had any other colours at all here.
That sounds lovely.
Lords a leaping is better! My nigella is always very blue.
I wondered if there was a plant really called Lords a-leaping so I’ve just looked it up – it turns out there is a daylily, though I couldn’t find a picture of it.
Excellent photos, Susan. I like your folk name! My nigella self-sows in these colors, a mix I got years ago. The blue has been lost. I need to get a new packet to bring it back, although I enjoy the pinks equally well.
You’re bucking the trend – I wonder if you harvested the blue ones before they had chance to seed for one of your gorgeous flower arrangements?
Maybe? one never knows when they are mixed!
Love the effect you’ve achieved.
Thanks Beautywhizz.
What a pretty flower…I love all the various shades! Folk names are far more entertaining than Latin.
I wish I’d noted down the cultivar name – I was just thinking about the picture at the time.
“What’s in a name?” someone asked once. Great fun, it turns out!
I would have thought it might be a Shakespearean flower, like love-in-idleness, but it seems not.
You are such a talented writer and photographer
You’re very kind B
Very interesting information with gorgeous picture. Yes, Lords a Leaping – great!
I’m glad you like it.
Actually they look quite medieval. Lovely!
I know what you mean.
We always had blue Love in the Mist in my yard in California. I loved the lacy beauty of it.
I always like to see flowers with fine foliage used with heavier flowers such as roses – they seem to balance so well.