Love-in-a-Mist Red Jewels

What Love-in-a-Mist Red Jewels is

Love-in-a-Mist Red Jewels (Nigella damascena) is an annual flower of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Love-in-a-Mist Red Jewels is an annual plant with lovely flowers that reach up to 6 cm.

It reaches a height of about 40 cm.

After flowering finishes, equally attractive seed pods form.

Red Jewels has lacy, fern-like foliage that gives the plant an airy feel.

The flowers are great for cutting and also keep well, and the seed pods are very attractive in arrangements once dried.

To dry the flowers, cut the stem and hang it upside down in a cool place.

Nigella (“love-in-a-mist”) has airy flowers in delicate clouds of foliage, and its decorative seed pods are great for dried bouquets. The seeds of Nigella sativa (black cumin) are also a spice.

Key features

• Measured germination rate of the batch: 95%
• Seeds per packet: 425–575 pcs (1 g)
• Seed origin: Poland
• Sowing: April and May; direct
• Flowering: July and August
• Position: sunny spot

When to sow Love-in-a-Mist Red Jewels

Love-in-a-Mist Red Jewels seeds are sown in April and May. The plants flower in July and August. The months are a guide for a temperate climate — in warmer areas sow 1–2 weeks earlier, in cooler or upland areas, later.

How to sow and grow Love-in-a-Mist Red Jewels

• Sowing method: direct
• Depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Spacing: 15–20 cm
• Germination: 10–14 days at 15–20 °C
• Position: sunny spot

The plants prefer a sunny, open position. Water regularly, but avoid overwatering. Sow outdoors in spring. Sow once temperatures reach about 18°C. Sowing depth: 1 cm. The seeds germinate in about 21 days. Flowering: July–August. For earlier flowering next year, an early autumn sowing can be made in sheltered spots. Planted in autumn, the plants will put down a taproot and form a rosette of feathery leaves over winter. When temperatures warm up in spring, the flower stems emerge.

Sow directly in autumn or early spring; it dislikes transplanting. Self-seeds.

Flowering and uses

The pods are cut for drying when they turn brown.

Frequently asked questions

When should Love-in-a-Mist Red Jewels be sown?

The recommended sowing months are April and May. Sowing method: direct.

How many seeds are in the packet?

The packet contains 425–575 seeds, pack size 1 g.

What is the germination rate of the seeds?

The measured germination rate of this batch is 95%. The test was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions; in the field, emergence depends on soil, temperature and moisture.