'Miss Jekyll Rose' Love-in-a-Mist

Nigella damascena

Origin: Gertrude Jekyll (breeder), Surrey, England

Improvement status: Cultivar

Seeds per packet: ~90

Germination tested 11/2024: 89%

Life cycle: Annual

Gertrude Jekyll (1848-1932) was a famous and prolific British horticulturist who made a name for herself as a garden designer, writer, and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe, and the US, and wrote over 1000 articles for magazines including Country Life and The Garden. Her subtle and painterly style was influenced by both the Arts and Crafts movement and Impressionism, with a strong focus on color (her most famous of fourteen books is called "Colour in the Flower Garden"). Nearly a century after her death, her own garden at Munstead Wood in Surrey has been restored and was recently purchased by Britain's National Trust. So it's no surprise that this legend of British horticulture should have developed varieties of flowers that have stood the test of time. 'Miss Jekyll Rose' love-in-a-mist is one such variety. It is a particularly gorgeous love-in-a-mist with white-to-pink-to-plum-colored flowers, followed by ballon-like seed-pods. It makes a lovely addition to any flower garden. And, like other love-in-a-mists, the flavorful seeds can be used sparingly as a seasoning, particularly useful in cheeses and breads.

As a quick aside, there actually is a connection between Miss Gertrude Jekyll and the notorious Dr. Jekyll of Mr. Hyde fame: author Robert Louis Stevenson was a friend of Gertrude Jekyll's younger brother Walter (an Anglican priest), and borrowed the family name for his 1886 novella "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

Our seed comes from the great folks at Wild Garden Seeds in Philomath, Oregon.

GROWING TIPS: Direct-sow in early spring (or fall/winter).