How to Grow Reseda Plants

Guide to Growing Mignonette and Weld plants in the Garden

Reseda are hardy perennials and biennials that range in height from 30 to 90 cm.

Reseda are able to bloom from the start of summer until the first frost of winter.

They carry spiked clusters of yellow and white flowers atop long stems.

Weld picture

Common names for Reseda include Weld and Mignonette.

Reseda lutea
Reseda lutea - Wild Mignonette by Rictor Norton & David Allen; Creative Commons.

Reseda phyteuma
Reseda phyteuma by Manuel M. Ramos; Creative Commons.

Reseda Plant Growing and Care Guide

Common Names: Mignonette, Weld, Sweet Reseda, Dyer's Rocket.
Life Cycle: Hardy annual. Hardy biennial.
Height: 14 to 50 inches (40 to 130 cm).
Native: Mediterranean, Asia.
Growing Region: Zones 2 to 10.
Flowers: Summer until first frost.
Flower Details: Yellow, white, green, orange. Fragrant. Spikes.
Foliage: Rosette. Pinnate. Toothed
Sow Outside: Surface. Sow every three weeks from just before the last frost until the first month of summer. Spacing 6 to 16 inches (15 to 40 cm).
Sow Inside: Use peat pots. Germination time: one to three weeks in the light. Temperature 70°F (21°C). Seven or eight weeks before expected last frost. Transplant outdoors following the last frost.
Requirements: Partial shade. Soil pH 6 to 7.5 Rich soil. Pinch tips.

How to Grow Mignonette and other Reseda Plants in the Garden

It is best to sow Mignonette (and other Reseda plants) successively if you want a long flowering season. The seeds should be sown from the start of spring until the first half of summer about 3 weeks apart.

The Mignonette seeds should be sown on the surface. Ideally the Reseda plants should be grown in a partly shaded part of the garden that has a rich soil and a pH of 6 to 7. The spacing of Reseda is species dependent, plant smaller varieties about 15 to 20 cm apart, and larger Reseda members about 30 cm apart.

You can also start Mignonette off indoors. They should take about one to three weeks to germinate, and require a temperature of 21 degrees centigrade and light.