Blossoming Stock Flowers: Your Ultimate Guide to Cultivating Them Successfully!

If you’ve ever caught a whiff of a subtle clove-like scent while browsing through a plant nursery, then you may have been near some stock flowers. These charming plants have been a favorite of gardeners for centuries and come in a range of colors with a delicate fragrance that many associate with heirloom flowers. It’s rumored that Thomas Jefferson had them imported to plant at his gardens at Monticello in 1771, thereby introducing them to cultivation in the United States. Originally known as gilly flowers in England, they were popular during the Victorian era and are considered signs of deep affection when given to others.

Although stock flowers are often sold as annuals, they can easily be grown in your home garden, making a colorful addition to fresh bouquets and also serving as excellent dried flowers. The flowers are even edible, with a delicate floral taste, and can be added to salads or used as a garnish on desserts.

Stock’s botanical name is Matthiola incana and it is a member of the brassica family. The blue-green leaves somewhat resemble tiny cabbage leaves, and when the flowers drop off, the remaining foliage looks somewhat like brassicas gone to seed. There are at least fifty different Mathiola species, with Mathiola bicornis, or evening scented stock, being a species with somewhat larger flowers. The original native species has been widely cultivated and hybridized, giving rise to a variety of colors from pastel pink to vibrant crimson and purple.

Some varieties of stock can grow up to three feet tall, although most are between 12 and 24 inches. The flowers may be tightly clustered or spaced somewhat loosely on spiky stems, sometimes appearing as double blooms, and the leaves are narrow and oval.

To grow stock flowers, simply plant them in a location with similar moisture requirements to other cottage garden flowers such as dianthus, heliotrope, larkspur, snapdragons, and petunias. In USDA zones 7-10, stock will tend to be biennial or possibly a short-lived perennial, with the stems growing sturdier and woodier each year (somewhat like perennial snapdragons).

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Stock flowers can thrive in partial shade conditions, but they require at least 2-3 hours of direct or indirect sunlight per day. Morning sun is better than afternoon sun as too much hot and bright sunlight can overwhelm them. These flowers grow well in rich, well-drained soil with a pH close to neutral. If you have acidic soil, adding lime or wood ash can help sweeten it, or you can use commercial potting soil for container gardening. While watering regularly during summer, avoid overwatering as it can yellow the leaves. Matthiola incana is a “half-hardy annual” that blooms through one or two frost events and prefers cool weather but not cold winters that may prevent it from returning as a perennial. Extreme humidity is not ideal for stock flowers as consistently moist tropical conditions can affect growth. Although these flowers do not typically need fertilizer, a layer of natural mulch can help keep weed growth down and maintain even moisture in the soil. Deadheading stock flowers after the petals wilt promotes new growth and possibly more blooms, but this varies depending on the variety. There are various stock varieties available in many colors, such as ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Legacy,’ ‘Starlight Scentsation,’ ‘Iron,’ and ‘Antique Pink.’ Stock can easily be grown from seed by sowing early in rich neutral soil and maintaining good moisture without oversaturating the soil. Pinching back budding growing tips can promote denser clusters of blooms. Stock may be vulnerable to pests like aphids, flea beetles, and cabbage white caterpillars, as well as diseases like fusarium wilt, gray mold, leaf spot, root rot, and verticillium wilt. Avoiding overwatering can help prevent most of these issues.