Stock (Gillyflower)
Matthiola incana
Family Brassicaceae
A few cut stems of stock will perfume an entire room — a sweet, spicy clove scent that florists build whole arrangements around. In the garden its ruffled spikes bloom through the cool seasons, and at dusk the fragrance carries farthest, drifting across paths to meet you.
This is a plant with a season and an audience — spring's chill (or fall in mild climates), night-flying moths, and anyone passing at dusk. Heat ends the show, so it trades length for intensity. Bees work the day shift. Plant it along the path you walk each evening.
Full Sun
Moderate water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing stock (gillyflower)? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries stock (gillyflower) — Matthiola incana, print Nº 453, “Stock (Gillyflower).”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what stock (gillyflower) actually needs.
Life cycleBiennial, grown as an annualStock (Gillyflower) · Common problems
Common stock (gillyflower) problems
Pests
2 problems on file
Diseases
2 problems on file
- Root Rot in wet soil
- Downy Mildew
Stock (Gillyflower) · Growing & propagation
Growing stock (gillyflower)
- Light
- Full Sun
- Water
- Moderate
Soil- Rich, well-drained · pH 6.5 - 7.5
Fertilizer- Light feed
Pruning- Deadhead
One of the most intensely fragrant flowers you can grow — dense spikes of ruffled blooms pouring out a sweet, spicy, clove-like perfume, especially in the evening. A cool-season annual: it blooms in the cool of spring (or fall in mild areas) and fades in summer heat, so start early. A premier fragrant cut flower — a few stems perfume a whole room. Bees work it by day, moths at dusk.
Spacing- 6-8 in
Stock (Gillyflower) · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Stock (Gillyflower) · Yearly calendar
The stock (gillyflower) year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomMarch to May, then September to November
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Stock (Gillyflower) · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Matthiola incana
Stock (Gillyflower) in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer annual
- Nectary/insectary
Attracts- Bees
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What stock (gillyflower) is grown for
✓ Commonly eaten
Use- Intense fragrance
- Use
- Cut flowers
- Use
- Cool season
- Use
- Evening scent
Harvesting & storing stock (gillyflower)
Ornamental cut flower (one of the most fragrant).
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Stock (Gillyflower) · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a stock (gillyflower) variety
'Katz' and 'Vintage' series (cut flowers); 'Cinderella' (dwarf); 'Night Scented' (M. longipetala, ultra-fragrant)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Stock (Gillyflower)
Matthiola incana
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Matthiola incana
- Plant family
- Brassicaceae
- Growth habit
- Annual · Biennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- MAIN4
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Questions
Stock (Gillyflower) questions, answered straight.
Is stock (gillyflower) safe for kids and pets?
Stock (Gillyflower) is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest stock (gillyflower)?
Ornamental cut flower (one of the most fragrant).
Elsewhere
Where stock (gillyflower) sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily