MinxterBLOOM

Last year, Love-in-a-mist, Nigella damascena, sprouted up in shades of mauve to white. I did not recall a blue blossom because as most gardeners would agree, we truly notice blue. Blue is really a gardening holy grail. Purple-toned blues abound, but the sky blue shade is not easy to achieve. Here are my blue notes! The small smudge of mauvey-purple is the first burst of Verbena-on-a-stick, or lollypop vervain, Verbena bonariensis. See a fuller explosion at Plant Delights, plantsman to the horticulturally-adept.

Nigella Lawson is the gorgeous food personality who several male friends imagine sharing a kitchen with. Food fact: Nigella seeds, also known as black cumin, sometimes adorn Armenian-style cheese twists.