Matthiola, Garden Stock, Brompton Stock, Gillyflower, Hoary Stock, Ten-Week Stock 'Vintage Rose'

I plant 'Vintage Rose' (Matthiola incana) at the first of March, not from seed, but as good size transplants I buy at my local nursery (...Read Moreusually in late February or early March). They are usually already blooming. They are cool weather plants. If plants are set out in cool soil before flower buds have formed, they may not flower. I choose transplants with flower buds already set. 60 percent of the plants in 6-packs will have double blooms and the others will have single blooms.

They like part sun, part filtered shade here (so it will keep going for a while when the summer heat comes). In cooler regions, they do well in full sun. They will produce seed and die when the intense summer heat arrives here. I treat them as an annual and haven't had any come up from seed. I have never attempted to grow it from seed, but I think they would probably have to be grown in a greenhouse or protected area with the seeds being planted in mid to late summer so the plants will be a nice size at the first of spring. They can also be grown in the fall when the weather cools down. Seed would have to be planted in the late winter and protected from intense summer heat in my area so that they will be ready to bloom in the fall. If grown from seed and you only want plants that have double blooms, prick out only the seedlings with yellowish-green cotyledons and discard the dark green ones (will produce single flowers).

The fragrance is lovely and they are suitable for growing in containers. They need good draining soil.

Note: I always remove the bottom leaves do that they do not touch the soil because they tend to get a fungus from the soil here. If I don't do this, the fungus spreads and kills the plants. I try not to let water get on the leaves when I water them.