Reseda odorata Seeds | Mignonette
LATIN NAME: Reseda odorata
COMMON NAME: Mignonette
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Mignonette, Reseda odorata is an upright, bushy, annual in the mignonette family. Mignonette is sweet, green spike of old cottage garden, and small, greenish flowers hold fine, evening scent. It is a plant of open, sunny, well-drained ground. Bees and other pollinators visit the flowers freely through the season. Put simply, this is a rewarding species for anyone willing to give it a suitable spot.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Reseda odorata, a representative of the mignonette family with clear practical value. The practical point for growers is that this plant has been observed in gardens for so long that its behaviour holds few surprises.
Uses & Benefits
Mignonette works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Mignonette is a fine, historic plant of cottage border and old garden. Long, dense racemes of small, greenish-yellow or white flowers with orange stamens open through summer, holding fine, evening scent that has filled old posies and windowsill pots for long centuries, drawing bees and the moths. It is a fine, historic plant of open, sunny, well-drained garden. It establishes readily and then requires nothing out of the ordinary.
Mignonette perfumes gardens with a honey-raspberry scent once cultivated for perfumery, and weld, its cousin, gave the finest yellow dye of the ancient world.
Growing from Seed
Mignonette is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Sow thinly on the surface of a loose, well-drained seed compost, cover lightly, water in gently and keep the tray in a sunny spot with even moisture. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Mignonette has real presence in the garden without demanding much in return. Mignonette settles in quickly once it finds its footing. Moisture matters most while plants are young; established plants cope with far more.
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