Stock

Matthiola incana

In other languages: Violier (Nederlands) · Giroflée des jardins (Français)

Stock comes from the rocky coasts of the Mediterranean and has been a much-loved garden and cut flower for centuries. It forms upright plants of 30–50 cm with grey-green, softly hairy leaves and dense spikes of single or double flowers. From June to August these have a strong, spicy, clove-like scent. Colours range from white and cream through pink and salmon to red, lilac and purple. The summer-flowering stock is grown as an annual; there are also biennial forms that flower in spring.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Sun or partial shade
preferably some sun
Moisture
Normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand, loam or clay
neutral to chalky
Hardiness
down to -5 °C
protect in harsh winters
Size
0.5 m
tall, 0.3 m wide
Flowering
June–August

Key facts
Height	0.5 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	June–August

Identify

Stock: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Upright, sparsely branched plant 30–50 cm tall and about 30 cm wide.
Leaves: Elongated, grey-green and softly felted.
Flower: Dense spikes of single flowers with four petals, or of double flowers, each 2–3 cm across.
Scent: Strong and spicy, like cloves.
Colour: White, cream, pink, salmon, red, lilac and purple.
Fruit: Long, narrow seed pods; only single-flowered plants set seed.

Flowering: June–August · Sowing: February–April · Plants: April–May

In your garden

Why grow it?

A strong clove scent, in the garden and in the vase.
A cut flower that lasts well if you change the vase water often.
Bees mainly visit the single-flowered plants.
Attractive grey-green leaves, even before flowering.
Ideal in a pot by the front door or on the patio, where you can enjoy the scent.

Stock: where does it grow best?

Sun to light partial shade; it flowers best in full sun.
Free-draining, limy soil: sand, loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
Moderately moist, but not waterlogged.
Plant 20–30 cm apart, in small groups for a stronger scent.

Light: Sun and partial shade
Soil type: Sand, loam or clay
Acidity: Neutral or chalky
Moisture: Normal
Size: 0.5 m tall, 0.3 m wide
Hardiness: Tolerates light frost (to -5 °C)

Goes well with

Sweet pea: Another scented cut flower for the same cutting garden.
Rose: Soft colours and scent beside the roses.
Lavender: Grey leaves and scent, also happy on chalky soil.
Love-in-a-mist: Airy little blue flowers among the dense spikes.

Maintenance

Stock: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

Sow indoors in February–April in a tray and cover the seed lightly.
Prick out the seedlings into small pots and keep them cool and light, so they stay compact.
Harden them off and plant out in April–May, when there is no more risk of hard night frost.
Plant 20–30 cm apart, at the same depth as in the pot.
On acid soil, scatter some lime around the planting hole, or choose a spot with chalky soil.
Water after planting and keep the soil moist for the first few weeks.

Care

Water: Keep the soil evenly moist, especially during flowering; water at the base.
Feeding: A little compost at planting time is enough.
Support: In a windy garden, support tall varieties with canes or a net.
Spent flowers: Remove faded spikes; on branching varieties, side spikes will follow.
Cutting: Cut when a third to half of the flowers are open, strip the lower leaves and change the vase water every two days.

Tip: Sow indoors in February–April and plant out in limy, free-draining soil. Change the vase water every two days: otherwise the stems soon start to smell.

Stock: when to prune it?

When: Stock needs no pruning. You only cut flowers for the vase and remove faded spikes.

How:

For the vase, cut in the morning, with a long stem.
Cut faded spikes off just above a side shoot.
Clear the plants away after flowering, or let single-flowered plants set seed.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: Sow indoors in February–April. With some seed strains, you can recognise the seedlings that will give double flowers by their paler green seed leaves, if you keep them cool for a few days.
Saving seed: Collect seed from single-flowered plants when the pods turn brown; double flowers do not set seed.

Stock: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −5 °C: protect in harsh winters.

Grown as an annual: clear the plants away after flowering.
Young plants tolerate light frost down to about −5 °C, so you can plant them out as early as April.
In a mild winter a plant sometimes survives and flowers again, but usually less well.

Diseases and pests

Flea beetle: Small round holes in the leaves of young plants, especially in dry weather. Keep the soil moist and cover young plants with insect mesh.
Clubroot: Plants wilt and stay small, with swollen, distorted roots. A soil disease of the cabbage family: choose a different spot and lime acid soil.
Aphids: Grey or green aphids on the buds. Spray them off with water; ladybirds help.
Downy mildew: Yellow patches on top and grey fluff underneath the leaves in damp weather. Water at the base and do not plant too closely.

Through the year

February: Sow indoors.
March: Sow and prick out. Grow on cool and light.
April: Last sowing. Harden off and plant out.
May: Plant out. Watch for flea beetles.
June: First flowers. Cut flowers for the vase.
July: Full flower. Remove faded spikes.
August: Last flowers. Collect seed from single-flowered plants.
September: Clear the plants away; after clubroot, do not replant in the same spot.

Use

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

You and this species

Did you know?

The genus is named after Pietro Andrea Mattioli, a sixteenth-century Italian physician and botanist.
Double stocks are sterile: they set no seed, so seed always comes from single-flowered plants.
Stock belongs to the cabbage family, like cabbage, radish and wallflower.

Garden plants · All species