Guide to growing garden plants - Matthiola Stock
The Matthiola genus comprises bush plants that reach heights of between 30 and 75cm.
They can be either hardy annuals, biennials or perennials.
Flowering is from the end of spring through summer with thickly clustered flowers of red, purple, blue or white that sit atop a spike.
In addition to their attractive looking flowers Matthiola are also grown for their aroma.
Some of the common names for Matthiola include Stock, Evening stock, Brompton stock, Gillyflower and Night Scented stock.
How to grow Stock
When growing stock outdoors from seeds, then sow on the surface following the last frost of spring, alternatively in mild areas autumn sowing of stock will result in spring blooms the following year. Stock likes to grow in sunny areas of the garden that have good drainage and a slightly alkaline and moist soil.
You can start to grow Stock indoors first. The annual and perennial varieties of stock should be started about 7 or 8 weeks before the last frost of spring, whereas biennials stock should be started off in the summer. It takes around one to three weeks to germinate. The stock should be sown in vermiculite and watered from below; They should be grown in the light at a temperature of 12 to 18 degrees centigrade. Once ready transplant annual and perennial stock out in mid spring or autumn, and biennial stock in the autumn. They should be spaced from 15cm to 45cm apart depending upon the stock variety.
Caring for Stock - Matthiola plants
Once established in the garden, pinch the young stock (Matthiola) plant shoots back to encourage taller growth. It is best to have the plants close together to increase the amount of blooming. Matthiola plants are easy to look after, water regularly and feed once a month. If you require more plants then the perennials can be propagated by taking cuttings in the summer.