Guide to growing garden plants - Hesperis Garden Rocket

Members of the Hesperis genus are woody hardy perennials that grow in height from 30cm to 1.2M.

They carry lilac, white or purple flower that carry a fragrant aroma in the nighttime.

They come into bloom in the summer.

Some of the common names for Hesperis include Garden Rocket, Sweet Rocket and Dames Violet.

How to grow Garden Rocket (Hesperis)

if you are planning to grow Hesperis from seed then they should be sown on the surface in the middle of summer. They can grow in sunny, partially shaded and even shaded area (hot locations) of the garden and like a soil that has good drainage, is moist and has a pH of between 5 and 8.

If you plan to first start growing Garden rocket and other Hesperis plants as seedlings indoors, then they should be started about two and a half months before due to be transplanted out after the last frost of spring. It usually takes about three to four weeks to germinate at a temperature of 21 to 29 degrees Centigrade. Once growing they should be spaced at about 30 to 40cm apart in the middle of spring.

Caring for garden rocket

If you require more plants then cuttings of Garden Rocket can be took. Indeed although Garden Rocket is a hardy perennial it is short lived so you may want to have new plants regularly. Members of Hesperis are easy to maintain; they require regular feeding and cutting back of the stems following flowering (this will produce more blooms).