🌸 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
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Seed Shape: Small, flat, oval to oblong
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Flower Colors (Mix): White, rose, lavender, violet, pink, and cream
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Flower Form: Densely packed, four-petaled blooms arranged in spikes
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Plant Height: 12 to 30 inches (varies by variety)
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Foliage: Gray-green, lance-shaped leaves
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Germination: 7–14 days under cool temperatures
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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:
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Aromatherapy Benefits:
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Calming and uplifting floral scent
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Often included in perfumery and potpourri
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Cultural Use: Symbolize lasting beauty and happy life in floral language
4.🌱 Growing Stock from Seed
Step-by-Step Guide:
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Sow Indoors or Direct:
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Start indoors 6–8 weeks before the last frost or sow directly in early spring
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Sow thinly, covering seeds lightly with fine soil
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Sowing Conditions:
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Ideal germination temperature: 12–18°C (55–65°F)
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Keep soil evenly moist
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Transplanting:
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Harden off and plant outdoors after frost danger has passed
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Space 8–12 inches apart
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Sunlight & Soil:
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Prefers full sun to partial shade
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Well-drained, fertile soil enriched with compost
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Care Tips:
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Water regularly but do not overwater
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Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowering
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Stake taller varieties if needed
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💐 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.
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