Nigella damascena White

The 'White with Green Capsule' Nigella is a variety of Damascus Nigella, which produces a beautiful white flowering for several months, carried by an elegant green foliage as delicate as lace. This flowering then evolves into decorative green fruits, in the form of capsules adorned with fine filaments. They remain decorative for a long time and lighten up all floral compositions, both in the garden and in bouquets. You can sow this selection in spring or autumn, in mild climates, by staggering the sowings by 15 days to spread out the flowering. A simple and easy to grow annual!

Nigella damascena is an annual plant of the Ranunculaceae family, which includes many ornamental plants, such as Anemones, Delphinium (Larkspur) and the large group of Clematis, climbing or perennial. Native to the Mediterranean basin (North Africa, Turkey, Middle East), it grows in uncultivated, rocky areas, along paths, in the most barren lands. It is an annual plant, whose lifespan does not exceed a few months, but it self-seeds spontaneously and generously. Very hardy and fast-growing, this plant spends the winter as a seedling to form a beautiful tuft of feathery foliage in spring, like that of fennel.
Standing 50 to 60cm (20 to 24in) tall and about 30cm (12in) wide, this white variety with green capsule stands out for the green colouration of its fruits. Flowering takes place from May to August, depending on the sowing date. With a diameter of 3 to 4 cm (1 to 2in), its pure white flowers have 5 petaloid sepals and 5 or 10 nectariferous petals, giving them a rather airy appearance. The centre is occupied by 5 long green pistils, often with a curved tip, surrounded by yellow-green stamens. A lace collar seems to support the corolla, giving an overall graphic and decorative appearance. This melliferous flowering delights bees and other pollinators throughout the summer. At the end of flowering, the pistils unite in a capsule that remains green, surrounded by the lace collar that enhances their ornamental interest. These fruits, as original as they are decorative, contain a large number of small black seeds that germinate very easily in light soil. By picking the stems that bear them before the capsules open, you can simply hang them upside down to dry and make beautiful dried bouquets.

The Damascus Nigella is a perfect plant for our increasingly hot and dry summers. Easy to grow by sowing it in well-drained soil, it blends perfectly with most other plants, in rockeries, slopes or perennial beds. Its slightly wild appearance will also be perfect in a natural garden, focusing on botanical species rather than horticultural varieties. The vaporous foliage of the Nigella, intricately worked like lace, goes perfectly with large-leaved perennials that it will lighten up. Sow it alongside Stachys byzantina 'Big Ears', nicknamed Bear's Ear because of its velvety grey leaves that will enhance its white flowers. It will also be perfectly at home at the base of a botanical rose such as Rosa rugosa 'Rubra', with its dark green foliage and single flowers in a fuchsia pink illuminated by a golden stamen heart. You can also quickly create a rustic and colourful setting by mixing it with cosmos, poppies or annual poppies.