The Flower of Many Names

 I have recently been planting out my autumn sowing of Nigella Damascena seeds. Like sweet peas, you can get them going as the weather turns cool and overwinter the seedlings. That way, you get flowers earlier and for longer. But not to worry if you forget, because a March or April sowing will do and you will still get three plants for the price of one. They are quite hardy and can be sown directly where you want them to grow. 

First of all, you get the delicate flower petals – most usually in pale blue but you can also get white or pink varieties. These will drop to reveal a green globe surrounded by curving bracts – these are the decorative seed pods and are like having a second flower. Some species of Nigella do have edible seeds, but not this variety. The seeds are released when the pod has dried out, so once sown you should get them year after year, although I find that my stocks need renewing every once in a while, which is why I have decided to sow more for next year. Finally, the little globe dries out into an autumnal colour and this can be used for a winter foliage display indoors.  

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These fun little flowers make a lovely cottage garden style display, all smudged and tumbled around each other. But the most fun thing about them is the long list of common names that they have been known by over the centuries. Here is a list taken from the RHS website: 

Bird's nest 
Blue spiderflower 
Chase-the-devil 
Devil in the bush 
Garden fennel 
Jack in prison 
Jack in the green 
Katherine's flower 
Kiss-me-twice-before-I-rise 
Lady in the bower 
Love-in-a-puzzle 
Love-in-a-tangle 
St Catherine's flower 
Blue crown  

The origins of some of these names are obvious when you see the flower and pod – but I would like to know where the name “Kiss-me-twice-before-I-rise" comes from. Sadly the explanation seems lost in the mists of time. 

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