Damsel in the Green, Nigella damascena

Originally from the Mediterranean region, the damsel in the green was at home in almost every garden in earlier times. The versatile ornamental plant with the impressive flowers is one of the annual summer bloomers. You only need to know a little about the needs of Nigella damascena in order to successfully cultivate it in your own garden.

The plant with the characteristic bracts, which are arranged in a spider's web-like structure around the corolla, is only rarely found in domestic gardens. In the past, the Jungfer im Grünen could not be missing in any cottage garden. Nigella damascena is extremely robust, even snails avoid the annual summer flower. Whether it's a natural garden or a self-sufficient paradise: the buttercup plant can even cope with smaller areas. Even with planters, the ornamental flower is satisfied with the impressive blossoms.

location and soil

Around the turn of the century before last, the Jungfer im Grünen was one of the most popular cottage garden plants. Even today, the annual summer bloomer gives natural gardens an old-world charm. The flowers, which belong to the buttercup family, need a sunny to partially shaded location. If the places are too shady, the flowers will suffer visibly, which is why you should avoid these places. Depending on the variety, the spinsters can reach a height of between 20 and 70 centimeters. This opens up interesting possibilities for combining the different types of Nigella damascena.

The fast-growing cottage garden plant is extremely robust and thrives almost anywhere in the garden. Even a dry or lean substrate is tolerated by the maiden in the open. To promote health and flowering, however, the soil should ideally be deep and rich in humus. In the planter, it is sufficient if you enrich conventional potting soil with humus.

watering and fertilizing

"Gretchen im Busch" and "Damaszener Kümmel" as the young lady in the green is also often called, is one of the undemanding residents of a garden. The plants also survive longer periods of drought in summer. However, the heat wave often leaves its mark on the plants unless countermeasures are taken beforehand. Water the plants regularly. Whether you use rainwater or calcareous tap water, Nigella damascena doesn't really matter. Standing wetness is only temporarily accepted by the ornamental plants. Counteract waterlogging and the associated root rot in advance. The other plants in your garden will also benefit if you loosen the soil in the beds with fine pebbles. This counteracts compaction of the substrate so that water and air can get to the roots better.

Long-term or liquid fertilizers from specialist shops do not have to be used for the annual and herbaceous ornamental plant. You can meet the nutrient requirements of the black cumin plants by mixing the soil with compost in spring and late summer. Mulch the soil regularly while removing annoying weeds. In planters, you can feed the summer bloomers about every 4 to 6 weeks with conventional liquid fertilizer.

Plant

Nigella damascena is propagated exclusively by seed. If the plant feels comfortable at the selected location, it actively contributes to its reproduction. You may even have to restrict the spinster in its strong urge to spread. This is done by continuously removing the withered flowers. Only a little effort is required to cultivate the plant, which is originally native to the Mediterranean region, in your own garden. Sow directly in the bed from March. Late frosts can hardly harm the Gretchen im Busch, so you can do without a previous cultivation in the planter.

The buttercup plant belongs to the dark germs, the first shoot tips appear after a maximum of 20 days. However, ambient temperatures around 17°C can accelerate germination.

Prepare the bed before sowing:

• Free soil from root remains, weeds and stones.
• Mix substrate with hummus.
• sow seeds.
• Cover the seed with soil.
• Keep evenly moist.

Jungfer im Grünen is also suitable for planting in containers. For example, you can transform your large balcony or sunny terrace into a Mediterranean landscape. Whether in the garden or in the tub, combine the plants with other summer bloomers, such as delphiniums, daisies, lilies and dahlias. Nigella damascena only comes into its own in company. Planters can be prepared as follows:

• Choose a bucket that is large enough.
• A drainage made of porous material is laid at the bottom.
• Enrich the substrate with humus.
• Fill the jar with the prepared soil.
• sow seeds.
• Moisten the soil regularly.

Place the tub in its final outdoor location before the ornamental flowers germinate. The cottage garden plants are extremely robust and can easily withstand direct sunlight, even as young plants.

multiply

Harvest the seeds of the plant before they are blown out of their shells by the wind. Seed ripening begins around August. As soon as the seed pod turns brown, the seeds inside are ripe and can be collected. To prevent uncontrolled sowing, you should work quickly. Because on hot and sunny days, the capsules open and the seed spreads itself over a large area in the garden. Seeds that are still unripe should be left to ripen in a dry place.

Cut

A classic pruning or topiary does not take place with the summer flowering plants, which are only cultivated once a year. The plant cannot be stimulated to a second bloom by removing withered inflorescences. By cutting faded parts of the plant, however, the strong urge to multiply the ornamental plants can be stopped. If you have missed the right time and the seeds have already ripened, remove the plant parts with a glass. Put this over the seed capsule from below so that the seed that falls out cannot reach the ground. You can prepare the bed or flower pot for the spinsters in autumn. For spring sowing, the seeds must be kept in a dry, cool place.

The Maid in the Green is also suitable as a vase decoration. The decorative flower decoration is cut just before the flower opens. Use a sharp knife for this, because the cutting mechanism of scissors only squeezes the stems unnecessarily. Even when dried, Nigella damascena gives off an extremely effective appearance in the vase. The dried seed pods adorn every bouquet of dried flowers. The Jungfer im Grünen is cut before the seed coats open. Whether you cut the plant down to the ground or only use the top 15 centimeters is entirely up to you. Place the crop upright in a container with no water, the drying location should not be exposed to direct sunlight. With finely powdered silica gel, you can reasonably preserve the colors of the ornamental flowers.

hibernate

The plant, which originally comes from the Mediterranean region, is an annual and you can do without special winter protection. Flower ripening begins immediately after the last blossom. If you have no objection to self-sowing, the withered shoots are removed only in spring. However, if you want to control the spinster's urge to reproduce outdoors, cut off the withered flowers or the entire plant completely before the seeds ripen. In regions with mild winters, it is not uncommon for young Nigella to survive the cold season unscathed.

Conclusion

The buttercup is an extremely fascinating and hardy plant. Even if you only have a little time to invest in your garden, you will have no trouble growing and cultivating the damsel in the open. The plant can be planted very well with other summer flowering plants. Only the strong self-seeding can quickly become a problem in smaller ornamental gardens. If this is undesirable, you should separate the withered flowers before the seeds ripen.

Learn more about garden plants - care