Matthiola incana Milla Salmon - Grande giroflée Milla Salmon, Giroflée des jardins, Giroflée des fleuristes, Giroflée quarantaine

The Matthiola incana 'Milla Salmon' (or Cheiranthus incanus 'Milla Salmon') is a variety of Ten-week Stock from a horticultural group selected for its multiple cultivation qualities. The Milla series is distinguished by its regular, very straight stems, favoured by florists for creating cut flower arrangements, and which performs equally well in garden beds and in pots. This Florist's Stock, as it is also called, produces dense spikes of large salmon flowers, most often double (through cold treatment, professionals achieve a 100% rate). Sowing is done in spring or in late summer in mild climates, with a very high germination rate (over 90%).

Stock is a member of the Brassicaceae family, rich with over 3000 species, divided between wild plants, vegetables (cabbages, turnips...) and ornamental plants (Aubrieta, Iberis...). The term Stock unites two botanical genera, Mattthiola and Erysimum. Matthiola incana (synonym Hesperis incana) is found in the wild on calcareous shores and cliffs in the Mediterranean (from Spain to Greece). It is a herbaceous perennial plant, but with low longevity, recognisable by its cross-shaped flowers, and usually cultivated as a biennial in mild climates (sown in late summer, flowering the following spring) or as an annual in gardens and for cut flower production.
The Ten-week Stock 'Milla Salmon' is characterised, like other varieties in the Milla series, by rapid growth (9 to 16 weeks from seedling to mature plant) and an upright habit with a compact base. At maturity, it reaches approximately 65 to 70 cm in height with a spread of 30 to 40 cm. In a pot, it will be a little more compact, not exceeding 50 cm in height. The lanceolate leaves have an undulate and entire margin, are medium to dark green, measure 10 to 15 cm long and are in an alternate position on the stems. Deciduous to semi-evergreen depending on the mildness of the winter, the somewhat dark foliage particularly highlights the light-coloured flowering. The flowering period is linked to the sowing date and runs from May until mid-summer. The flowers are produced in dense spikes and, in this variety, measure up to 4 cm in diameter. Most of them are double, displaying a delicious, very homogeneous salmon-pink, with only the centre pulling slightly towards yellow. Well-scented, they diffuse sweet to spicy fragrances, especially in the evening (the French name 'giroflée' comes from the analogy of the scent with the clove...). Appreciating cool nights and able to withstand a few degrees below zero, the plant, however, suffers from persistent dry heat. Regular watering and occasional fertiliser will ensure healthy growth and abundant flowering.

The seeds of Ten-week Stock 'Milla Salmon' will allow you to enjoy economical and easy-to-establish flowering. The compactness of this variety makes it suitable for placement at the edge of a bed or border, near a path or the house, to fully enjoy its scent and beauty. It will also be perfectly at home on a sunny terrace. In a bed, combine it with other flowering plants to create an attractive scene. Daylilies in varied colours will accompany it with their starry, short-lived flowers, which are constantly renewed over a long period. To visually lighten your display, sow seeds of Gypsophila, which small flowers and fine foliage will intermingle delicately between the more imposing flowers. A few plants of forget-me-nots will have the same role but in a lower version...