Affectionately known as 'Love in the Mist', Nigella is easy to grow in your garden though a much more delicate stem to keep as a cut flower. Remove any excess foliage on the stem which can rot quickly when damp.

Nigella comes in varieties of white, pink and blue and lends itself well to meadow style jar arrangements, small country garden posies and wedding bouquets.

Once the petals have dropped, keep the stem as the seed pod is beautiful when dried and looks great with plum autumn colours when summer has passed. Multi-functional, Nigella seeds are also used as a spice in Indian and Middle Eastern food. For such a small delicate bloom, it certainly can go a long way.