The General Size of a Nasturtium Flower

Garden Nasturtium

• Annual garden nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) include both climbing and small varieties. Climbing varieties can reach up to 6 feet tall, climbing with coiling leafstalks or trailing across the ground. Dwarf types reach only 1 1/2 feet tall. Both types have bright green, round leaves and long stalks that bear 2 1/2 inch, long-spurred flowers. The fragrant blooms come in colors of red-brown, maroon, creamy white, yellow and orange in either single or double blooms.

Canary Bird Flower

• Canary bird flowers are perennial climbers that grow up to 15 feet tall. The plants bear fringed canary-yellow flowers 3/4 to 1 inch across and deeply, five-lobed leaves. The blooms appear in summer and remain until frost. Canary bird flowers require a support, such as netting or stakes, or you can allow them to climb into a shrub, as they thrive in light shade.

Small and Dwarf Varieties

• Small and dwarf varieties of nasturtium are more widely grown than climbing varieties. While small nasturtium can grow up to 1 1/2 feet tall, some dwarf varieties reach only 3 to 4 inches tall. Dwarf nasturtiums make excellent bedding plants for borders, but also create a block of color in mass plantings. The plants grow in full sun to partial shade and come in colors of mahogany, red, orange and yellow.

Why Grow Nasturtium

• Nasturtiums require little care, grow rapidly and add plenty of color. The plants should be in part shade in hot climates and need watering during dry spells. You can propagate the perennial types from cuttings or by dividing them in spring. Grow the annuals from seed or buy plants from a garden center. Nasturtiums work well as container plants for patios, edging for flowerbeds, covering a trellis or sprawling across a garden as ground cover.