Stock Violacciocca, Gillyflower

Stock,  Violacciocca  Gillyflower Stock (also called Matthiola incana, Gillyflower, perfume plant) is one of the most fragrant flowers you can grow. Its scent is described as both sweet and spicy, not to mention incredibly pleasant. Many gardeners who have experience growing stock flower suggest making the most of stock by positioning them to mature at nose height, so that the blossoms are easier to smell while they’re in bloom. Stock flowers are quite hardy and sturdy, making them a great choice for containers or for planting directly into your garden beds. Stock is a cool weather flower that blooms from early spring into summer. The summer heat stops stock from blooming, as it needs temperatures of 60 degrees Fahrenheit or lower in order to produce blossoms.

Stock is planted as an annual, biennial, or perennial, depending on the region where they will be grown. In colder climate areas, stock flowers are planted as annuals, as they will not survive more than the first few frosts. In warmer climates, stock is considered a perennial, as the hardy plants can survive for several years, coming back with sturdier, woodier stems each year, until the summer heat eventually takes its toll. Stock can be considered a biennial because it has a tendency to bloom and set seed in its second year.

The flowers range in color from basic shades of white, pink, lavender, and rose as well as coming in deeper jewel tones of red, purple, and blue. There are dwarf varieties that only grow to be eight to twelve inches tall and larger varieties that can grow two to three feet.

M. longipetala, a variety of stock that only opens its blooms at night, is visually underwhelming, compared to other stock flowers. But what it lacks in pretty plumage, it makes up for in its unique perfume. In the evening hours, when this stock hybrid opens its petals, you’ll see just why it’s so popular: It emits a heady, powerful fragrance that gardeners love. Even though this cultivar’s blooms may rarely be seen because of its nocturnal blooming hours, and even though the flowers themselves have been described as wispy or lackluster, that scent alone is enough to earn the longipetala stock cultivar a place in many flower gardens around the world.

This variety height up to 10".     Makes for a lovely bouquet.