Malcolmia maritima

VIRGINIA STOCKS

Malcolmia maritima
VIRGINIA STOCKS

Malcolmia maritima is a treat for both scent and colour, and outrageously easy to grow.

Mass of scent & colour

Malcolmia maritima is commonly called Virginia Stocks or Mediterranean Stocks.
Because of its sweet and lovely scent, reminiscent of the perfume of Stocks; but so much easier and hardier to grow.
Malcolmia blooms with a thick carpet of tiny, cross-like blossoms, all wafting sweet, entrancing, delicate scent.
You just cant help breathing in deeply – bliss.

Carpet of colour – lilacs, pinks, purples, cream & white

Malcolmia maritima bears a close-knit carpet of tiny flowers, blossoming so thickly you can barely fit a pin between the flowers.
And the tiny flowers transition in colour across the carpet – from lilacs, through pinks, purples, through creams to white blossoms, each with a pale eye.
So it is a pretty carpet of softly blending colours, rather than one solid block of colour.
And never forget that entrancing wall of scent.

Drop dead quick & easy to grow

Malcolmia maritima must be one of the easiest of plants to grow, plus the quickest and easiest to raise from seed.
So it quickly forms a low, ground covering carpet of fine foliage and massed flowers.
Making it is a favourite to start with for kids and beginner gardeners; and richly satisfying for all gardeners with that carpet of colour and scent arriving so quickly.

Long blooming groundcover of colour & scent

Malcolmia maritima should be mass planted to create pools of colour from mid-spring to autumn, above ground-covering carpets of grey-green fine leaves.
Quickly forms a mat 15-25cm high in bloom x as wide as you like to scatter the seed.

Scatter seed directly in the garden

Because Malcolmia is so quick to bloom from sowing the seed, many gardeners just scatter the seed directly in the garden wherever they want quick-colour.
So it is lovely scattered under roses; amongst taller plants; along the edge of a path where you can drink in the perfume.
Or in a pot by the back door to admire daily.

Succession plant to cover waning bulbs

It is also a superb succession plant to sow amongst bulbs.
So it is coming up to bloom as they are dying back.
Thus cleverly covering the yucky bulb leaves.
There is no need to specially raise in punnets unless you wish.

Water-wise, heat-hardy & undemanding (even in poor going) 

Malcolmia maritima is native to rocky and sandy places, and the seashores of Greece and Albania (maritima means by the sea).
Needless to say it is well adapted to summer heat and dry, and immune to wind.
It also prefers sandy, rocky and well drained soils without too much fertility.
Plus it blooms and smells best if kept on a lean diet and not watered too much.
So plant in full sun or partial shade.

Self seeding at the end of the season 

You can keep the carpet in bloom for many months by trimming over with the hedge shears or whipper-snipper occasionally to deadhead.
But at the end of autumn do leave some seed heads to mature.
Then Malcolmia maritima will happily sow itself ready for blooming next spring.

Malcolmia maritima is a self-seeding, very easily and quickly raised annual – 15-25cm high in bloom.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY
Suits beginners & gardening with kids

Malcolmia maritima seeds are very quick and easy to germinate.
They can be scattered directly in the garden where they are to grow / or raised indoors in small pts for early plants and quick flowering.
Scatter seed in late summer / 

First sow the seeds on the surface of a bed of good quality seed raising mix.
If you are sowing directly in the garden it is still a good idea to scatter a bed of seed raising mix on the spot in the garden where you are sowing.
Then only very lightly sprinkle the area / pot with sieved seed mix.

Now sprinkle with a fine mist of water.
And sprinkle regularly as weather dictates, to keep the seed bed / pots moist for germination.

Temperatures of 20-22 degrees C are best for rapid and optimum germination.

Seeds germinate in 7 to 10 days approx.

Continue to keep young seedlings moist in the garden until they are established, then watering can be eased back.

If growing in pots – then pot on the seedlings quite quickly after germination, as they resent too much root disturbance. And harden off to mature before planting out in the garden.

Seed Count: 500 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the seed count and give a generous serve)

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