Ten-Week Stock: A Fragrant Garden Classic Worth Considering
If you’ve ever caught a whiff of sweet, spicy fragrance wafting through a garden on a cool evening, you might have encountered ten-week stock (Matthiola incana). This charming annual has been winning over gardeners for centuries with its intoxicating scent and cottage garden appeal, though it comes with some interesting quirks that are worth knowing about.
What Exactly Is Ten-Week Stock?
Ten-week stock is a herbaceous flowering plant that belongs to the mustard family. Despite its common name suggesting a quick ten-week growing cycle, this plant can actually behave as an annual, biennial, or even short-lived perennial depending on your climate and growing conditions. The stock part of its name refers to its sturdy, upright stems that make it excellent for cutting.
This Mediterranean native has made itself at home in gardens around the world, though it’s important to note that it’s not native to North America. In our region, you’ll find it growing in British Columbia, California, Illinois, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas, where it has naturalized in some areas.
The Appeal of Ten-Week Stock
So why do gardeners keep coming back to this non-native beauty? The answer is simple: that incredible fragrance. Ten-week stock produces dense spikes of flowers in soft purples, pinks, whites, and yellows that release their strongest scent during cool evenings and early mornings. The flowers have a complex fragrance that’s part spicy, part sweet, and entirely captivating.
Beyond the scent, these plants offer solid garden performance. They typically grow 12-30 inches tall with a spread of 6-12 inches, making them perfect for the middle of flower borders or as cut flowers. The gray-green foliage provides a nice backdrop for the colorful flower spikes.
Where Ten-Week Stock Shines
This plant is tailor-made for certain garden styles and situations:
- Cottage gardens where informal, fragrant plantings are prized
- Cutting gardens for fresh bouquets
- Cool-season annual displays
- Evening gardens where the fragrance can be fully appreciated
- Container gardens on patios or near seating areas
Growing Ten-Week Stock Successfully
Ten-week stock has some specific preferences that, once understood, make it quite easy to grow. This is definitely a cool-weather lover that performs best in USDA zones 7-10 as a biennial, though it can be grown as an annual in zones 2-11.
Growing Conditions:
- Full sun to partial shade (some afternoon shade in hot climates)
- Well-draining soil that doesn’t stay soggy
- Cool temperatures – it actually prefers temperatures between 50-65°F
- Regular moisture without waterlogging
Planting and Care Tips:
- Plant in early spring or fall when temperatures are cool
- In hot summer areas, grow it as a winter annual
- Deadhead spent flowers to encourage continued blooming
- Provide some wind protection as the stems can be brittle
- Water regularly but ensure good drainage to prevent root rot
Benefits for Pollinators and Wildlife
While ten-week stock isn’t native, it does provide some benefits for local pollinators. The fragrant, nectar-rich flowers attract bees and butterflies, particularly during the cooler parts of the day when the scent is strongest. However, since this isn’t a native plant, it won’t support the same range of native insects and wildlife that indigenous plants would.
Should You Plant Ten-Week Stock?
The decision to plant ten-week stock really comes down to your garden goals and philosophy. If you’re looking for that classic cottage garden fragrance and don’t mind growing non-native plants, ten-week stock can be a delightful addition. It’s not considered invasive, so you don’t need to worry about it taking over natural areas.
However, if you’re focused on supporting native ecosystems, you might want to consider some fragrant native alternatives instead. Plants like wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), evening primrose (Oenothera species), or native phlox species can provide similar evening fragrance while supporting local wildlife.
The Bottom Line
Ten-week stock is one of those plants that creates strong opinions – gardeners either love its intoxicating fragrance and old-world charm, or they prefer to stick with native alternatives. If you do choose to grow it, you’ll be rewarded with some of the most fragrant flowers in the garden and excellent material for cut flower arrangements. Just remember that this cool-weather lover performs best when temperatures are moderate, so timing your planting is key to success.
Whether you’re recreating a cottage garden look or simply want to add some serious fragrance to your evening garden, ten-week stock offers a unique combination of scent, beauty, and old-fashioned garden charm that’s hard to resist.
