🌸 What Are Stock Mix Seeds?

Stock mix seeds come from the Matthiola genus, a group of charming, cool-season flowering plants known for their spicy-sweet fragrance and vibrant flower spikes. These seeds produce mixed colors including white, pink, lavender, purple, and rose, often used in cottage gardens, borders, and cut flower arrangements.

1.🌿 Botanical Features

• Seed Shape: Small, flat, oval to oblong

• Flower Colors (Mix): White, rose, lavender, violet, pink, and cream

• Flower Form: Densely packed, four-petaled blooms arranged in spikes

• Plant Height: 12 to 30 inches (varies by variety)

• Foliage: Gray-green, lance-shaped leaves

• Germination: 7–14 days under cool temperatures

• Growth Habit: Upright, bushy stems with terminal flower spikes

2.🍽️ Culinary Uses

Stock flowers are not edible and are mainly grown for ornamental and aromatic purposes. However, their intoxicating clove-like scent makes them a favorite in floral arrangements and sensory gardens.

3.🏥 Aromatherapy & Traditional Uses

While not used medicinally like some herbs, stock flowers are valued for:

• Aromatherapy Benefits:

  • Calming and uplifting floral scent

  • Often included in perfumery and potpourri

• Cultural Use: Symbolize lasting beauty and happy life in floral language

4.🌱 Growing Stock from Seed

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Sow Indoors or Direct:

   • Start indoors 6–8 weeks before the last frost or sow directly in early spring

   • Sow thinly, covering seeds lightly with fine soil

2. Sowing Conditions:

   • Ideal germination temperature: 12–18°C (55–65°F)

   • Keep soil evenly moist

3. Transplanting:

   • Harden off and plant outdoors after frost danger has passed

   • Space 8–12 inches apart

4. Sunlight & Soil:

   • Prefers full sun to partial shade

   • Well-drained, fertile soil enriched with compost

5. Care Tips:

   • Water regularly but do not overwater

   • Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowering

   • Stake taller varieties if needed

💐 Cut Flower Favorite

Stock flowers are highly prized in bouquets for their long vase life and pleasant fragrance. Harvest when one-third to half of the flowers on a spike are open for best results.

🔍 Fun Fact

In the Victorian era, stock flowers symbolized a “happy life and lasting beauty.” Their sweet scent was often associated with romantic love and devotion.