Matthiola incana Anytime Formula Mix - seeds

Matthiola incana 'Anytime Formula Mix' stock is a blend of different varieties of this hardy annual plant. On well-branched plants, they produce an abundance of bright and fragrant flowers from late spring to the height of summer. This mix combines 7 colours including soft yellow, white, violet, lilac, bright pink, purple, and red. They are easily sown in borders or containers and make beautiful cut flowers.

Matthiola incana, is a short-lived perennial herbaceous plant, or a biennial, often grown as an annual. It belongs to the brassicaceae family (like cabbages or mustard), and originates from the Mediterranean basin, in the Canary Islands, where it grows on rocks near the coast. It is also called Garden Stock or Gillyflower. The 'Anytime Formula Mix' selection produces upright plants with a bushy and branched habit, reaching approximately 40 cm (16in) high and 30 cm (12in) wide. They bear narrow lanceolate grey-green leaves and from May to August they have fragrant flowers arranged in 2 to 3 cm (1in) diameter spikes. They produce fully double flowers in various colours: soft yellow, white, violet, lilac, bright pink, purple and red. This flowering is very abundant and fragrant, attracting bees and nectar-feeding insects. When grown in pots, these plants are not branched and produce a single, well-developed flower spike.

The 'Anytime Formula Mix' stock can be planted in beds, borders, rock gardens, or containers. Planted near high-traffic areas, it will delight you with its sweet fragrance. It grows in well-drained soil, with no specific requirements, in full sun. In beds, it can be grown with summer annuals such as tree mallows, love-in-a-mist, columbines, bellflowers, perennial geraniums, or poppies. It also makes delightful romantic bouquets, with peonies and lilacs.