Tropaeolum minus Baby Lemon Raspberry - Dwarf Nasturtium

The Tropaeolum minus 'Baby Lemon Raspberry' is a duo of dwarf nasturtia that produce chick-yellow and raspberry-red flowers depending on the plant. Very compact and neat in appearance, these nasturtia are perfect for decorating pots, hanging baskets and flowerbed borders. Frost-tender, they are sown in spring and grown as annuals without difficulty.

The dwarf nasturtium Tropaeolum minus 'Baby Lemon Raspberry' is a compact and colourful variety resulting from a mix of two dwarf cultivars with delicious hues: one is a bright pastel yellow reminiscent of sweet lemon, the other a red leaning towards raspberry. Native to the tropical Andes, the type species Tropaeolum minus belongs to the Tropaeolaceae family. Although it is a perennial in its natural habitat, it behaves as a strict annual in our climates: it germinates, grows, flowers and produces its seeds in a single season, before being destroyed by frost. Each plant develops rapidly to form a dense, rounded clump 25 to 30 cm tall and about 30 to 35 cm wide. Its rounded, bluish-green leaves form an attractive contrast with the flowers that bloom all summer long, from June to September-October. Each flower, with five slightly ruffled petals and a small spur, attracts pollinators, particularly bumblebees, which ensure its pollination. After flowering, the plant produces plump seeds, the size of a small pea, which can be easily harvested and sown the following year.

With its compact habit and fruity colours, the nasturtium 'Baby Lemon Raspberry' is perfect for brightening up planters, hanging baskets or sunny borders where it spreads a striking floral carpet all summer long. It is adored in romantic pots, mixed with the delicate flowers of baby's breath 'Covent Garden' or the small white pompons of cornflower 'Snowman'. In the ground, it forms a charming duo with cosmos 'Sonata Carmin' for a touch of raspberry pink in echo, or with the sage 'Strata' with its blue and silver spikes. Resilient and generous, it is content with well-drained soil and a good dose of sunshine to shine all summer long, effortlessly.
In the vegetable garden and orchard, it helps to eliminate harmful insects. Its edible leaves and flowers can be added raw to salads, sauces and mayonnaise. They have a pungent, aromatic flavour reminiscent of garden cress. The flower buds and young fruits can also be preserved in vinegar, offering an alternative to capers.

The nasturtium owes its vernacular name to the spur on its flowers reminiscent of the hood of a Capuchin monk's habit. It is a medicinal and aromatic plant.