Josh O'Connor's Favorite Flower of the Summer

O’Connor was recently interviewed by GQ on the flowers that he's growing this season. The star of the show is a delicate flower with fluffy leaves that hails from the buttercup family that he can't get enough of.

“My current passion is a plant called ‘Love-in-a-Mist,' which is probably the most beautiful name for a flower,” O’Connor told GQ. “They have these really firm stems, which are great for cutting… the base of [the plant] is almost like a wild fennel, but the flowers are… delicate, [and] explosive, like fireworks.”

Love-in-a-Mist comes in a variety of colors, from soft blue to pink or bright white. While they get their name from the haze of fluffy leaves that surround each flower, another common name you might know them by is Nigella. These flowers are quite hardy and will thrive in USDA planting zones 2–11. It's an annual, so plant it in early spring and enjoy its blooms in late spring or early summer. The plant thrives in cool-season conditions and may fade as summer heat intensifies.

More Beautiful Blooms in O'Connor's Garden

O’Connor also told GQ that he's growing peonies in his garden, which are now starting to bloom. Gardeners love these fluffy flowers for their layers upon layers of soft petals and long-lasting blooms. Hardy in USDA zones 3–9, bare-root peonies should be planted in the fall, so that their luxurious flowers can be enjoyed during spring or summer.

We're hedging a guess that O’Connor is growing herbaceous peonies rather than tree peonies, as the latter tend to bloom in early to late spring in the UK. But if you enjoy early blooms and plants that keep their branches rather than dying back each winter, tree peonies might be the right choice for you.

Besides peonies and Love-in-a-Mist, O’Connor has said in the past that he has grown coneflowers and roses in his Cotswold garden. His vegetable garden has been a host to zucchini and rhubarb, and he's also grown sage. He's confirmed that his fruit trees include figs and cherries.

The actor is quite the inspiration to gardeners around the globe—and those who hope to add a frog-filled pond to their backyards someday, of course.