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A bunch of Mignonette Garden Mignonette
A bunch of Mignonette Garden Mignonette
A close up of Mignonette Garden Mignonette
A close up of Mignonette Garden Mignonette
Mignonette Garden Mignonette growing in the field

Mignonette ‘Garden Mignonette’

Reseda odorata

Features

  • Easy to grow
  • Foliage & Filler
  • Fragrant
  • Medium producer
  • Pollinator-friendly
  • Suitable for containers

Description

A rich history surrounds this relatively unknown flower. Legend has it that Napoleon sent mignonette seeds from Egypt to France for his darling Empress Josephine in the early 1800s. Long, wispy stems are capped with creamy white flowers that have delicate orange centers and smell like vanilla. Flowers fade, leaving behind lantern-like green pods. A great textural ingredient for bouquets and a favorite with pollinators, mignonette is suited for the border as well as containers.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 24 to 36 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 60 to 70 days
Plant spacing: 9 to 12 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Start seed indoors in trays 4 to 6 weeks before last frost; transplant out after all danger of frost has passed. Succession plant every 2 weeks for continual harvest.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest when the bottom one-third of the flowers on a spire open, or let them bloom and pick after the seedpods mature. Stems are delicate and must be picked with care. Expect a vase life of 5 to 7 days.

Details

Description

A rich history surrounds this relatively unknown flower. Legend has it that Napoleon sent mignonette seeds from Egypt to France for his darling Empress Josephine in the early 1800s. Long, wispy stems are capped with creamy white flowers that have delicate orange centers and smell like vanilla. Flowers fade, leaving behind lantern-like green pods. A great textural ingredient for bouquets and a favorite with pollinators, mignonette is suited for the border as well as containers.

Details

Plant type: hardy annual
Height: 24 to 36 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 60 to 70 days
Plant spacing: 9 to 12 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Start seed indoors in trays 4 to 6 weeks before last frost; transplant out after all danger of frost has passed. Succession plant every 2 weeks for continual harvest.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest when the bottom one-third of the flowers on a spire open, or let them bloom and pick after the seedpods mature. Stems are delicate and must be picked with care. Expect a vase life of 5 to 7 days.

Sources

How to Grow

How to Grow

How to Start Flowers from Seed
How to Start Flowers from Seed

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Fabulous Foliages and Fillers
Fabulous Foliages and Fillers

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Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals

Hardy annuals are some of the hardest-working, most productive plants in the late spring/early summer cutting garden. They are the first annuals to bloom in the spring, and their ability to withstand cold temperatures, thrive with minimal care, and produce abundantly for weeks from a single sowing make them an indispensable addition to the cut flower garden.
Grasses, Grains, and Pods
Grasses, Grains, and Pods

These unique textural elements add interest and depth to any arrangement with their rustic appeal, and they produce an abundance of cutting material from midsummer through autumn. In addition, many of these materials can be dried and used in autumn wreaths and arrangements, making them doubly valuable in the cutting garden.
How to Start Flowers from Seed
How to Start Flowers from Seed
Fabulous Foliages and Fillers
Fabulous Foliages and Fillers
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Easy-to-grow Hardy Annuals
Grasses, Grains, and Pods
Grasses, Grains, and Pods

Fall
Mini Course

In our upcoming free, three-part video series, you’ll learn how and when to dig up your dahlia tuber clumps, how to divide dahlias to multiply your stock, and how to successfully store dahlias for an abundance of blooms year after year