How to Grow Reseda Plants

Guide to Growing Mignonette and Weld plants in the Garden

Reseda are hardy perennials and biennials. They can range in height from 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 feet).

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

Weld picture

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

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

Common names for Reseda include Weld and Mignonette.

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

Commonly Grown Reseda Species Photographs and Plant Identification

Reseda odorata

Reseda odorata
Reseda odorata (Garden Mignonette / Common Mignonette), photograph by Botanical Magazine; Public Domain.

Reseda alba

Reseda alba
Reseda alba (White Mignonette / White Upright Mignonette), photograph by Miltos Gikas; CC.

Reseda luteola

Reseda luteola
Reseda luteola (Weld / Dyer's Rocket / Woold / Yellow Weed), picture by Andreas Rockstein; CC.

Reseda Plant Growing and Care Guide

Common Names: Mignonette, Weld, Sweet Reseda, Dyer's Rocket.
Family: Resedaceae.
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. Sow out 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 (6 to 8 inches) apart, and larger Reseda members about 30 cm (1 foot) 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 (70°F) and light.

Caring for Mignonette - Reseda

Once growing it is important to pinch back the tips of juvenile Mignonette plants. This will encourage branching and lead to more Reseda flowers.

I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Reseda plants. You may also enjoy the following Partial Shade Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Japanese Iris, Geranium plant, Zinnia flowers, and Herniaria plants.