Night Scented Stock, or Matthiola longipetala is a new addition to the moon garden this year.
Francis Bacon wrote “And because the breath of flowers is far sweeter in the air (where it comes and goes like the warbling of music) than in the hand, therefore nothing is more fit for that delight, than to know what be the flowers and plants that do best perfume the air.”
Night scented stock is an old fashioned flower, and as its name implies, puts off an amazing fragrance as the sun goes down. The slightest breeze intensifies the scent, wafting a good distance so it’s a great plant for window boxes or patios. I’ve planted two eighteen inch wide containers, essentially just tossing the seeds in and letting them go. I didn’t have a lot of hopes for it as it hates temperatures above eighty degrees and in May we were already topping that. But at least in spring, they quickly grew and started blooming in just over a month.
A couple night’s ago I went outside and was met with a rush of fragrance, which I couldn’t place. It was floral, fragrant and did indeed hearken back to another time. Best of all, the slightest breeze picked up the scent and spread it again.
Come summer Night Scented Stock might be toast in my zone, but by then more zone appropriate plants should be blooming in the moon garden
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