Matthiola Longipetala Care

Location

• Night-scented stock grows best indoors with seeds started in early spring. You can start them in vermiculite with about 1/4 inch coverage and water them from below. After about six weeks, your plants will be ready for hardening off to transplant to a sunny spot in your landscape. Hardening off prepares the plants to the new environment by leaving them in the area for a few hours each day for a week or so. This helps avoid shock to the plants when transplanting. You can plant in the ground as soon as the danger of frost passes. You can also start these plants indoors in the summer and transplant in the fall in warm climates. A fall planting produces dormant plants in the winter with flowering the following summer as biennials.

Hardiness

• In addition to sun, night-scented stock needs good drainage and moist soil. It also likes cool temperatures, but not a freeze. Although hardiness zones apply primarily to perennials, this flowering plant can grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 2 to 10 as an annual. The USDA reports distribution in Michigan, Idaho and Kansas in the colder climates, and California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas in warmer southwestern states. It also grows in Alberta and Saskatchewan provinces in Canada. These plants grow from 10 inches to as high as 40 inches tall, so plant 12 inches apart to allow the plants to bush and bloom. Pinch the new shoots every few days to encourage a thicker growth and lower height.

Enjoyment

• Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, maintains the Gaber Solar Clock Garden, offering visitors an opportunity to gauge the time by the flowers in bloom. Night-scented stock is one of the plants in the garden, with an anticipated flowering time of 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Flowering night-scented stock has a strong fragrance when blooming. You can grow Matthiola longipetala in a container with good drainage and place it close to an open window to enjoy the fragrance and beauty. Alternatively, plant night-scented stock near the house to get a whiff of the aroma in the summer evenings.

Health

• The night-scented stock is a hardy plant, but can develop mildew or leaf spot in damp climates. Don’t water the flowers or foliage, but water the soil around the plant to avoid mildew or fungus on the leaves. The roots decay with too much water. Poor drainage and standing water will damage this plant, so water only when completely dry. Check your plants regularly for foliage-eating insects and fertilize once a month in the growing season.