Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Love-in-a-mist bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Love-in-a-mist, Devil-in-a-bush, Ragged lady (Nigella damascena).

More about love-in-a-mist

About Love-in-a-mist

Nigella damascena · also called Love-in-a-mist, Devil-in-a-bush · flowering

Love-in-a-mist is a delicate, self-seeding hardy annual beloved for its sky-blue, white, or pink flowers nestled in a feathery ruff of finely cut green bracts, followed by ornamental, balloon-like seed pods. Direct-sown in autumn or spring, it naturalises effortlessly in cottage and cutting gardens, providing several weeks of flower followed by long-lasting decorative seedheads.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Short flowering season: Nigella damascena flowers for only 3–5 weeks before setting seed, particularly in warm weather. Make successional sowings every 3–4 weeks from early spring through early summer for a longer display, or rely on self-seeding for naturalisation.

The reasons love-in-a-mist isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming love-in-a-mist traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding love-in-a-mist a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get love-in-a-mist to flower

Maximise sun. Give love-in-a-mist the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for love-in-a-mist and get the feeding right with the love-in-a-mist fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Love-in-a-mist flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full love-in-a-mist care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Love-in-a-mist blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my love-in-a-mist flower?

Love-in-a-mist blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make love-in-a-mist bloom?

Give love-in-a-mist the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does love-in-a-mist normally bloom?