Common Stock Matthiola Incana
A High Performing Annual Investment for the Fall Garden
From the Brassica family that brings ornamental kale, cabbage and mustard to the fall garden, comes the Cinderella of the cabbage patch plants. Common stock, Matthiola incana, is a spicy fragrant cool-season flowering annual. The genus name honors Italian doctor and naturalist, Mattioli. The species name, incana, is Latin for grey and refers to the grayish-green leaf color.
Native along the Mediterranean from Spain to Turkey, stocks were extremely popular in European gardens in the 16th and17th centuries. In Elizabethan times stock was often called gillyflower due to its fragrant resemblance to carnations. Stocks were stalwarts in Victorian cottage gardens. Thomas Jefferson, who introduced many new plants to American soil, acquired stock for his Monticello garden in 1771. Seed from Jefferson’s white stock is still available today.
What attributes endear stock to the southern gardener’s portfolio?
Cultivation
The plants are cold hardy annuals. They bloom best in temperatures under 75º F and tolerate light frost. In mild winter climates of the south and southwestern U.S., they bloom from October through March. In extended periods of below freezing temperatures, plants need protective covering. As annuals they fill gaps left by parting perennials.
Stocks are easy to grow in sunny locations in well-drained soil with a pH from 5.5 to 6.5. Plants benefit from a bi-weekly application of liquid fertilizer labeled for annuals.
Design Features
The cool color options of the flowers provide a serene atmosphere to beds, borders, and bouquets. Old-fashioned stocks produce dense spikes of single or double flowers in white, crème, pink, lavender, purple, and red lasting for up to three months.
The characteristics of fragrance and fortitude which have made stocks a favorable commercial venture for the cut flower industry, appeal to the home gardener too. Their upright columnar growth habit and woody stem of 18-24 inches tall give strength and backbone to bouquets. Cinnamon and clove scented flowers enhance outdoor pathways and indoor décor. A night blooming stock, Matthiola bicornis, opens its petals at dusk releasing perfume from dark until dawn.
To get maximum pleasure from stocks as a cut flower:
- Harvest fresh flowers early in the morning.
- Take a pail of tepid water with to immediately submerge the stems.
- Cut stems at an angle to allow more surface area for water intake.
- When indoors, recut the stems under water to bring continuous moisture to the petals. Change the water in the vase daily.
- Remove faded flowers daily as the ethylene gas given off causes surrounding flowers to fade.
- A pinch of salt or sugar cube will suffice as a floral preservative.
Propagation
Stocks self-seed providing consecutive return on your investment each autumn. When starting plants from seed, scatter seed atop the soil and do not cover since the seeds require light to sprout. Seeds germinate in 14-18 days.
Precautions
Pests and diseases are minimal. An observant gardener can reduce the risks of insect pests and diseases affecting stocks and other annuals. Aphids, leaf rollers and thrips, the main culprits, can be controlled by forceful sprays of water on the plant and, if necessary, insecticidal soap. Viruses often brought by aphids are curbed by controlling the sap-sucking insects.
The growth potential of stocks is unlikely to falter considering their long performance in gardens over the centuries. Stocks pay dividends to the gardener with viable seed, reliable fall color, fragrance, and fortitude. By reseeding they circumvent yearly inflation of purchasing more plants. In a bare garden go bullish with stocks.
Matthiola Incana
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Fragrant Stocks
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Cool Season Annuals
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