Annual
Stock
Matthiola incana · Brassicaceae
Also called: Common stock, Brompton stock, Gillyflower, Ten-weeks stock
Stock (Matthiola incana) is a moderate-water annual well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It's a moderate-growing annual.
Stock at a glance
- Water use
- Moderate (established)
- Sun
- Full sun in winter for best bloom and fragrance; tolerates light afternoon shade as spring warms.
- Mature size
- 12–30 in tall, 9–12 in spread (varies by single- vs. branching type).
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom
- White, cream, pink, rose, lavender, purple, and crimson., Late winter into spring (roughly Feb–Apr/May) in Tucson, earlier in mild winters.
- Cold hardiness
- Half-hardy; tolerates light frost and brief dips to ~25°F but foliage/flowers can be nipped by hard freezes — protect during cold snaps. Strongly heat-intolerant; will not flower or survive in summer.
- Soil
- Fertile, well-drained soil amended with compost; neutral to slightly alkaline pH suits it, tolerating Tucson's alkaline soils with good drainage.
- Native range
- Mediterranean region (southern Europe); naturalized in some coastal areas.
- Best used as
- Fragrant winter/spring color beds, Cut flowers (prized clove-spice scent), Containers, Cottage-garden borders
- Wildlife
- Fragrant flowers attract bees and butterflies during the cool season.
- Toxicity
- Non-toxic to people and pets.
How to grow Stock in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Cool-season annual: set out transplants Oct–Nov for winter-spring bloom in Tucson (grown as a winter annual in the low desert). Keep evenly moist while establishing, then water deeply 2–3x/week as soil dries; avoid waterlogging. Needs cool temps (nights ~60°F or below) to set buds, and finishes by late spring heat.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Amend beds with compost. Feed every 2–3 weeks with a balanced or bloom-type fertilizer during active growth; moderate-to-heavy feeder that rewards steady nutrition with denser spikes.
Pruning & care
Generally not pinched (single main spike on column types); deadhead spent spikes and remove plants after bloom. Harvest stems for vases just as lower florets open.
Notes
Grown for its intense clove/spice fragrance — a classic Tucson winter cut flower and bedding plant alongside snapdragons, pansies, and dianthus. A member of the mustard family. Provide frost protection (frost cloth) during hard freezes; plant early enough (mid-fall) to mature before spring heat.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension – Pima County Monthly Gardening Guides; North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; Desert Botanical / ASU desert plant references