The beautiful Josephine, consort of Napoleon Bonaparte, was an ardent gardener. Her gardens at Malmaison, her country home near Paris, became famous.
She was eager to try out new seeds and plants from other lands, and the flowers she grew there became the vogue all over Europe.
The Sweetest Fragrant Mignonette Flower
Among flowers that attained popularity through Josephine’s interest was sweet-scented mignonette.
Josephine grew mignonette in pots indoors in her drawing room at Malmaison.
The plant soon became one of the most sought-after flowers in Europe.
It was considered the sweetest of all fragrant flowers.
Pot-grown plants were in universal demand to decorate the salons of the rich as well as the cottages of the lowly.
Interest in the bushy little North African annual soon traveled to America, and to this day, mignonette is considered an ideal sweet-scented filler for both annual and perennial flower beds, and a neat border plant.
The coolly fragrant flower spikes are excellent for cutting, giving an especially pleasing effect when arranged with flowers that have scant foliage such as pinks or carnations.
Since mignonette grows from just 8” to 18” inches tall, they make charming bushy pot plants.
Mignonette As A Good Indoor Plant
You may not have thought of them as indoor plants, but professional growers for the florist trade have used the sturdy fragrant flower spikes for years in pots for winter use.
Here are some tips to plant mignonette in pots:
- Grow it in a cool room.
- A finely sifted soil is important, minus any fertilizer.
- Sow seeds directly into the pot.
- Cover lightly with soil, and water with a fine spray.
- Keep pot in a cool, shaded place until seeds sprout. After the seeds germinate and develop a third leaf, thin out weak plants.
Both in pots and in flower beds outdoors, mignonette is injured by overwatering, but take care not to let the plants dry out.
Water on the foliage causes spotting.
Encourage Side Shoots To Develop
When the plants are 4” to 5” inches tall, pinch off top leaves so side shoots will develop.
When they have grown to 6” inches, they should be staked, tied, and again pinched back to encourage branching.
Large flower spikes are not wanted in pot-grown plants but instead a large number of smaller spikes.
Pinching makes the plants more symmetrical.
As flower spikes begin to form, give plants a feeding of liquid fertilizer.
As a garden flower, the mignonette is not showy, but its delicate scent makes it continuously popular.
Seeds should be sown outdoors directly into the bed where plants are to grow.
The plants do not transplant well.
Seeds can be sown in early spring for summer bloom. Thin plants to a foot apart.
Choose A Shaded Spot For Planting
Usually, mignonette does not like full sun, so choose a spot that is shaded from noontime on.
This is not necessary, however, with new varieties that have been developed to grow in full sun.
Many improved strains of mignonette have been developed.
Besides the old-fashioned greenish-yellow and white flower heads, new pink, deep red, and silvery-white varieties are now available.
Try growing mignonette in pots for indoor winter use.
Here are some tips:
- Sow seeds directly in the pot, as you would if sowing seeds out in your garden.
- Cut flower spikes blend nicely in low arrangements, and last well.