It is already Day Four of my Week of Flowers where I invite you to join me in posting a flowery photo or two every day, through to 7th December. This time of year we in the northern hemisphere crave colour and light. What better way than to sift through photos of the past year and share them. Please join me if you can, and leave a link in the comments below. 😃
Lychnis coronaria, ‘Angel’s Blush’
I sowed these Lychnis in 2020 and this summer they flowered for the first time. They are very pretty and rather unusual, with their two-tone flowers. I must admit, however, that I prefer the deep pink ones. In fact, I do seem to have an awful lot of pink in my garden…..
Echinacea Green Envy was in its second year this summer and I am therefore optimistic it will survive long-term, unlike some of the more recent hybrids I have tried to grow. The Nigella was grown from seed and will no doubt pop up again this year, but I do always buy extra seed, as a year without any Nigella/Love-in-a-mist in the garden would be sad indeed!
Do you grow Nigella?
Thanks for reading and joining me today. Have a great weekend!
☀️🌻☀️
Here are the links to the previous three days.
Day one: https://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com/2021/12/01/a-week-of-flowers-2021-day-one/
Day two: https://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com/2021/12/02/a-week-of-flowers-2021-day-two/#comment-54380
Day three: https://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com/2021/12/03/a-week-of-flowers-2021-day-three/#comment-54381
Words and Herbs 
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Lovely selection Cathy- never too much pink! I do indeed grow Nigella – we love it so much that we named our grey tabby cat after the flower (she shows no sign of being a celebrity chef, so it’s definitely the flower!). She has a whiskery, pretty little face, just like Nigella (although she mostly gets called ‘Ella’). The plant seeds overly happily here and is very combatitive. I’ve started putting heaps of stems after cutting back down in the wild (read ‘nettles’) part of the garden and we were amused and delighted to see that it can even manage to seed and flower in that mess! Here’s mine: https://gardendreamingatchatillon.wordpress.com/2021/12/04/a-week-of-flowers-day-4-2/
I remember one year when my Nigella just didn’t return. It was terrible! I missed it so much that I vowed to sow some every year to be on the safe side! Thank goodness it is easy to grow. 😃 Thanks for joining in again! 🤗
Once Nigella the cat didn’t return either, when she was little. We found her hours later asleep in the attic!!!! I love both kinds, feline and flowery!
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My Nigella pops up every year. I tried the edible variety this year but without success but this year was a strange year here for a lot of plants. Amelia
Hi Amelia. I grew the edible one a few years ago but it never returned. I am trying again next year as I want to extend my herb garden.
Yes I do grow nigella and it self-seeds enthusiastically all over the place, so enthusiastiacally that if I’m not careful it smothers other plants. It loves my dry chalky soil. I’m tempted to try Green Envy. I had Green Jewel for a while but it didn’t last long.
You must have the perfect conditions for Nigella then! I have Green Jewel too, but it isn’t doing well and doubt if it will survive another winter. Green Envy is a really strong one though and this was its second year. It seems to be luck with the newer Echinacea!
I love nigella and that white one is gorgeous, but they did better for me on south London chalk than on Brussels clay, so sadly they are absent from my garden. Sorry I haven’t yet joined in your flowery celebration, it’s been a busy week. Nice to see your highlights though!
Hi Sel. I didn’t realise you have clay soil. I am fortunate that it is very well-drained here, but I do occasionally come across a clump of clay if I dig deep. Have a relaxing weekend!
Love the lychnis–it’s one of the first plants I received from my garden mentor years ago and I’ve rarely been without it, but it is time for a refresh. I’ve planted white and the pink in the past and some of my flowers now have a bit of blush. Love your nigella and it seems to be popular–I must remember to get seeds. Thanks for hosting.
Thank you Susie. Nigella is a must-have! 😉 Lychnis is another plant that sets seeds in the wrong place, but I like the dots of colour it provides. 😃
I do have Nigella – a purple one – that self seeds reliably. They germinate in late summer for some reason so I know where they’ll be too thick next year and I can pull in advance. They’re tough…those seedlings are almost evergreen here!
Same here Chris. Hard to believe as I thought they were annuals. I have a couple of pinky purple ones from a mixed packet a few years ago, but the blue and white ones seem to come back most. 😃
Love the Lychnis, I grew it previously may need to try again. I have Nigella for the first time this year, the seedlings are coming along (it is a winter plant here) so we will have to see what happens. I have never seen one except on blogs! https://theshrubqueen.com/2021/12/04/a-week-in-flowers-day-four-more-broms/
Oh, then good luck with the Nigella. It will be interesting to see how it does in your climate. 😃
I wish I could get Nigella to reseed. They are such pretty little flowers.
And the seedheads are pretty too. I always sow more each spring, as they don’t always come back as well as I would like. 😉
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I love Nigella but haven’t been able to grow it here. I might try again in a container and see if that works.
Well, I hope it works for you Jude. I can’t see why they shouldn’t do well in containers. Good luck. 😃
A Week of Flowers 2021, Day Four
Oh I am certainly crave light and colour at the moment Cathy so thanks for the chance to escape to brighter days. I love nigella but for some reason I forgot to sow any last year 😢 I think that was because I used to sow it direct at the allotment which of course I didn’t have last year. Obviously a lapse in my planning which I will definitely remedy this year. The seed heads are most attractive too. Will pop back later to catch up on your post from yesterday. My flowery post is here : https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-week-of-flowers-2021-days-3-4.html
It was so dark here today too, with icy snow and rain for most of the day! Flowers can really cheer us up though. 😃
Once again I am having trouble leaving comments on your blog Anna! So sorry. No idea what I am doing wrong. My comments just get swallowed up and never appear! I copied what I wrote and am pasting it here!
‘Beautiful aquilegias Anna. I haven’t many in my new garden and must remedy that. English bluebell woods have a special meaning for me and I do hope to see them again one day! Thank you for sharing this one.’
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Thanks so much for proposing this week of loveliness, Cathy. I love that ‘Angel’s Blush’ lychnis, but have not yet got my hands on it, just white or cerise. Now that I have a name for it, it maybe easier!
Here is my flower for day 4:- https://wp.me/pM8Y1-8tA
Good luck finding that Lychnis Allison, I think my seed came from Chiltern’s, but it was 2 years ago now…. I sowed in 2020 and they only flowered this year. So glad you could join in! 😃
I wish I could grow Echinacea! I collected seed from my Nigella this year and sowed it in my cutting garden about a month ago. In the last week I’ve noticed that I have masses of seedlings coming up so I think I’ll probably need to do a bit of thinning soon 😉 I’ve joined in again today for Day 4. My post is here: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-week-of-flowers-2021-day-4.html
That is good that you can grow Nigella Kris. Lovely for vases! 😉 I can’t sow until spring, but seedlings that set themselves often survive the winter, strangely enough!
That is a pretty Lychnis. I love all varieties, but mine died out years ago and I have yet to replace them. Their gray-green foliage is nice as well. I love E. ‘Green Envy,’ too. You are a ‘garden influencer’! I’ve got lots of good ideas from you over the years. 🙂
Oh thank you Eliza! I have been inspired by your garden too! 🤗 It is so good to be able to share ideas with other gardeners, even when they live miles apart. I have often thought how wonderful it would be if we all lived within visiting distance, but virtual visits are good too. 😃
It’s a long shot, but if I ever travel to Bavaria, I’m definitely looking you up. 🙂
And you would be more than welcome! xx
❤
Your beautiful photos are very special in this season of dormancy. I did notice this week, however, that my Echinacea are already showing signs of growth. They won’t be blooming any earlier her than anywhere else, but without snow to blanket them, they “recycle” a little faster!
That is interesting. My Echinacea are often very late reappearing and I always worry they haven’t made it through the winter. I think it isn’t necessarily the snow that slows them, but the frozen ground and cold soil temperatures until April or so….
Thanks once again, Cathy! https://gardeningnirvana.com/2021/12/04/a-week-of-flowering-cheer-white/
Thank you for joining in again Alys!