How to grow stock flowers and why they are must for cut flower gardens

Unleashing the Magic of Stock Flowers

A cool-season essential for the cut flower garden

If you’re searching for a flower that delivers luxury fragrance, saturated color, and exceptional vase life, look no further than stock (Matthiola incana). Despite its unfortunate name, stock is one of the most beloved flowers among florists—and once you grow it, you’ll understand why.

Stock belongs to the brassica family (yes, it’s related to broccoli and cabbage), but don’t let that deter you. Unlike its edible cousins, stock is prized for its rich, spicy fragrance, often described as cloves or warm spice, and for its densely packed columns of blooms that feel lush and intentional in both the garden and the vase.

In the arrangement shown above, stock is the juicy cluster of purple blooms on the right—anchoring the composition with both color and scent.

Why Grow Stock Flowers?

1. An Irresistible, Clove-Like Fragrance

One of stock’s greatest gifts is its scent. Strong, sweet, and spicy, it perfumes an entire room with just a few stems. In the garden, fragrant flowers are known to encourage people to linger longer—and stock is no exception.

For indoor spaces, a simple vase of stock acts as a natural air freshener, filling kitchens, entryways, and dining tables with warmth and depth.

2. A Painter’s Palette of Colors

Stock flowers are available in an extraordinary range of hues, from soft and romantic to bold and dramatic:

• Pure whites

• Blush and shell pinks

• Juicy apricots

• Deep purples

• Fuchsias

• Creamy, buttery yellow

  
  

This versatility makes stock equally valuable in the cut flower garden and the landscape.

In floral design, stock occupies a unique space somewhere between a line flower (like snapdragons) and a filler flower—its vertical form provides structure, while its dense blooms add fullness.

In the garden, stock shines as a mid-layer plant:

• In front of taller crops like dahlias or delphiniums

• Behind low growers such as orlaya, clover, or sweet alyssum

  
  

3. Long-Lasting Beauty — In the Garden and the Vase

Let’s address the biggest misconception right away:

Stock is NOT a cut-and-come-again flower.

Each plant produces one primary flowering spike. Once that spike is cut, the plant is finished.

For years, we avoided growing stock on our farm for exactly this reason—and we were wrong.

Despite producing only a single stem, stock more than earns its place because:

• In the vase: With proper care, stock can last 10–14 days, an exceptional lifespan for a fragrant flower.

• In the garden: That single spike continues to open upward over many weeks, providing a long window of beauty and scent before cutting.

👉 The key is succession planting.Rather than relying on regrowth, you plant stock in multiple rounds to ensure a steady harvest.

How to Grow Stock Successfully

🌱 1. Start Seeds Indoors — and Think in Successions

Stock thrives in cool weather, which makes timing essential.

• For spring blooms: start seeds in late winter

• For fall blooms: start another round in late summer

To get a strong start, sow seeds indoors 5–6 weeks before your last frost date using a quality seed-starting mix. Keep soil evenly moist but not wet.

Helpful germination notes:

• A seed heat mat improves germination, though it’s not strictly required

• Lightly cover seeds—darkness aids germination

Because stock prefers cool temperatures, we strongly recommend two indoor starts each year:

1. Late winter → transplant after frost

2. Late July or early August → transplant in September as temperatures cool

This approach ensures blooms when stock performs best and prevents disappointment during hot weather.

✂️ 2. Do Not Pinch

This point is critical:

Never pinch stock flowers.

Pinching removes the central growing tip—and since stock only produces one flowering stem, pinching eliminates your bloom entirely. Let the plant grow naturally, harvest the full spike at maturity, and rely on succession planting rather than branching.

Why Stock Is Worth the Space

Stock may not fit the “harvest all summer” model, but what it offers instead is intentional beauty—deep fragrance, strong structure, and exceptional vase life during the coolest, most pleasant parts of the growing season.

For cut flower growers, stock teaches an important lesson:not every valuable flower is cut-and-come-again—some are worth planning for.

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Double vs. Single Bloom Stock Seedlings

The terms “double” and “single” can be confusing when it comes to stock flowers, because stock never produces multiple flowering stalks per plant. Instead, these terms refer to the density of flowers along a single stem, not the number of stems or blooms over time.

• Single-bloom stock produces a flowering spike with fewer, more widely spaced florets.

• Double-bloom stock produces a much fuller, densely packed spike—the type most growers and florists prefer.

  
  

Because stock is not cut-and-come-again, selecting for double-bloom plants early allows you to devote valuable garden space to the most productive and visually impactful stems.

How to Identify Double-Bloom Seedlings Early

The key to identifying double-bloom stock lies in the cotyledons—the first leaves that emerge when a seedling germinates. These are not true leaves, but embryonic leaves that offer an early clue about the plant’s future flower form.

• Fused or partially joined cotyledons indicate a seedling that will likely produce a single-bloom stalk with sparser flowers.

• Fully separated, clearly defined cotyledons indicate a seedling that is likely to develop into a double-bloom plant with a fuller flower spike.

  
  

By culling single-bloom seedlings at this early stage, you can focus your energy, soil space, and succession planning on the plants most likely to yield premium-quality stock flowers.

Final Thoughts on Growing Stock Flowers

Growing stock flowers not only enhances your surroundings but also lets you indulge in their fragrant beauty and visual appeal. Gather your seeds, get your garden ready, and watch as your space transforms into a vibrant floral haven.