Brompton Stock (Matthiola incana)
[math-ee-OH-lah in-KAY-nah]

Deciduous Perennial (usually grown as an annual near you) Upright, Branching in the Brassicaceae Family
An old-fashioned garden favorite grown for one thing above all: fragrance. Dense, ruffled flower spikes in a rainbow of colors perfume the cool spring and fall garden before most other annuals even think about blooming.

Matthiola incana, commonly called Stock, is a cool-season bedding and cut-flower plant grown for its dense, upright spikes of ruffled, intensely clove-scented flowers in white, cream, pink, rose, lavender, purple, and red. Though botanically a short-lived (biennial to tender perennial) species native to the Mediterranean, it performs here as an annual, thriving in the mild temperatures of spring and fall and declining once summer heat sets in. Breeders have produced everything from compact 6-8 inch bedding types to tall 2-3 foot long-stemmed cutting types.

Pros

  • Powerfully fragrant, especially in the evening
  • Wide range of colors and forms, bedding to cut-flower types
  • Thrives in cool spring/fall weather when little else blooms
  • Excellent, long-lasting cut flower

Cons

  • Fades quickly once summer heat arrives
  • Prone to downy mildew in humid, poorly ventilated spots
  • Many cultivars are short-lived, grown as a disposable annual
This plant may be mostly winter-hardy outdoors where you live, but it may need protection to survive extreme weather.
Highlights One of the most fragrant plants that can be grown from seed; its clove-like scent is especially strong in the evening, making it a classic choice near windows, doors, and seating areas. Breeding has gone two directions: compact, weather-tough bedding series (like Harmony) for garden display, and tall, long-stemmed series (like Katz) bred specifically for cutting.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 12 - 36 inches tall. 9 - 18 inches wide.
Growth Rate Fast
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 6a - 10b (Usually hardy to -10° F)
Tags Annual in Chicago, Attracts Pollinators, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Fragrant, Fragrant Flowers, Full Sun, Full Sun, Good for Bedding, Good for Spring Containers, Grown as Annuals, Medium, Medium, Non-Allergenic, Perennial, Showy Flowers, Tender Perennial
Bloom Period May to July
Flower Color White, Cream, Pink, Rose, Lavender, Purple, Or Red, By Cultivar
 

In The News
 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Pairs well with other cool-season bedding plants that share its spring/fall timing and fade with summer heat, such as pansies, violas, dianthus, and snapdragons.

Photos of This with...

Bluebird Nemesia, Voltage Yellow African Daisy
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!