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Albion Black Pod Nigella
Nigella damascena
Also known as Love-in-a-Mist, this variety has lovely white flowers that turn into deep mahogany pods. Can be used as a cut flower or as a decorative seed pod. The foliage is a ferny light green. It is bee friendly and deer resistant.
Days to maturity: 65-70 for flowers; 80-85 for pods
Seeds per pack: 100
Germination rate: 95% on 10/24/2023
Planting / harvesting notes
Direct seeding is recommended: sow every 2-3 weeks in spring (when soil warms above 60 degrees). Lightly cover seeds with soil as they need sunlight for germination and thin to 2-9" apart. For transplanting: start seeds 4-6 weeks before the last frost and be careful not to disturb the roots too much while transplanting into the garden after the soil warms.
Seed keeping notes
Allow seed pods to fully dry to a crunchy stage. Carefully harvest most of the stem and place directly upside down in a clean, dry bucket. Many of the seeds will fall right out. To remove more seeds, whack the seed heads against the sides of the bucket. Use a sieve to remove the bigger chaff, and winnow off the light weight chaff carefully using your breath, a fan, or the wind.
