A Guide to Growing and Enjoying Love-in-a-Mist ‘Delft Blue’

With its delicate, star-shaped blooms and lacy foliage, love-in-a-mist ‘Delft Blue’ brings ethereal beauty to the garden. This annual thrives with minimal care and offers unique floral arrangements from spring through summer.

Overview of Love-in-a-Mist ‘Delft Blue’

Love-in-a-mist ‘Delft Blue’ (Nigella papillosa ‘Delft Blue’) is a hardy annual prized for its airy flowers and fern-like leaves. It produces 1 inch blooms continuously from late spring through summer. The flowers feature five purple-blue petals with a ring of frilly, leaf-like bracts.

One of the hardiest annuals, love-in-a-mist tolerates cold snaps and hot weather once established The long blooming season and delicate flowers make it ideal for informal cottage gardens, wildflower meadows, and cutting gardens. It also thrives in containers

Growing Conditions for Love-in-a-Mist

Love-in-a-mist performs best in full sun and average, well-drained soil. It can adapt to part shade and dry, sandy soil. Start seeds directly in the garden 2-4 weeks before the last spring frost. Or sow indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Soak seeds in water overnight or freeze for a few days before planting to speed germination.

Space plants 8-12 inches apart Love-in-a-mist has a taproot and dislikes being transplanted, so handle seedlings carefully. Water new plants regularly until established Then water during periods of drought. Remove spent blooms to encourage continuous flowering.

Care and Maintenance Tips

• Direct sow in spring 2-4 weeks before last frost
• Space plants 8-12 inches apart
• Prefers full sun
• Tolerates poor, dry soil
• Allow soil to dry between waterings once established
• Deadhead spent blooms for continual flowering
• May self-seed in optimum growing conditions

How to Use Love-in-a-Mist in the Garden

With its airy blooms and lacy foliage, love-in-a-mist ‘Delft Blue’ adds graceful texture to garden beds, borders, and containers. It has a mounded form reaching 1-3 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide. Mix it with cottage garden favorites like hollyhocks, yarrow, and coreopsis. Or use it to soften the edges of pathways and patios.

Try combining ‘Delft Blue’ with pastel flowering annuals like sweet alyssum, snapdragons, and torenia for a light, airy look. Love-in-a-mist also pairs nicely with feathery grasses. Allow some plants to self-seed each year for an effortless, naturalized look.

Using Love-in-a-Mist as a Cut Flower

The long vase life and continuous blooms of love-in-a-mist make it an excellent cut flower. Harvest stems when flowers are just beginning to open. Condition in warm water and store in the refrigerator until arranging.

The delicate blooms and lacy foliage add graceful texture to floral designs. Try mixing ‘Delft Blue’ with garden roses, astilbe, bells of Ireland, and baby’s breath in arrangements. Or dry the seed pods and closed flower buds for everlasting bouquets and wreaths.

The Ethereal Charm of Love-in-a-Mist ‘Delft Blue’

With minimal care, love-in-a-mist ‘Delft Blue’ offers months of delicate blooms and airy appeal in the garden. It thrives in a wide range of conditions and provides beautiful cut flowers. If you love cottage garden charm, make room for this hardy annual next spring.