Growing Night Scented Stock (Matthiola bicornis) – The Perfect Plant for Warm Summer Evenings

If you’re looking for a simple, inexpensive plant that can transform your garden on warm summer evenings, then Night Scented Stock (Matthiola bicornis) is hard to beat. While the flowers themselves are fairly modest and often remain partially closed during the day, they release one of the most powerful and beautiful fragrances in the garden as the sun begins to set.

The scent is sweet, rich, and almost honey-like, drifting through the garden on warm summer evenings and making patios, seating areas, and open windows feel wonderfully inviting. Many gardeners consider Night Scented Stock one of the best-value annual flowers you can grow from seed.

Why Grow Night Scented Stock?

• Easy to grow from seed
• Inexpensive and quick to establish
• Produces a powerful evening fragrance
• Ideal for pots, containers, window boxes, and borders
• Attracts evening pollinators such as moths
• Flowers throughout summer when sown regularly

The real magic of Night Scented Stock happens after sunset. During the day the flowers can appear quite understated, but as temperatures rise in the evening, the blooms release a powerful perfume that can fill an entire garden.

Growing Night Scented Stock in Pots

Night Scented Stock is perfect for growing in pots near patios, conservatories, seating areas, and doorways where the fragrance can be enjoyed.

What You’ll Need

• A pot or container with drainage holes
• John Innes Seed Compost or John Innes No.1 Compost
• Night Scented Stock seeds
• Watering can

Sowing the Seeds

1. Fill the pot with John Innes compost.
2. Firm the compost lightly and water it.
3. Scatter the seeds thinly across the surface.
4. Cover with a very light layer of compost, approximately 3mm deep.
5. Place the container in a sunny position.
6. Keep the compost moist but not waterlogged.

Seeds normally germinate within 7 to 14 days depending on temperature.

Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out so they have sufficient room to develop. Alternatively, allow them to grow in drifts for a more natural appearance.

Feeding and Watering

Night Scented Stock is not particularly demanding. Keep containers watered during dry periods and feed every two to three weeks with a general-purpose liquid fertiliser or liquid tomato feed once flowering begins.

Sowing Directly into Flower Borders

Night Scented Stock is often at its best when sown directly into borders where it can create natural-looking drifts of flowers.

Preparing the Soil

Before sowing:

• Remove weeds.
• Lightly cultivate the soil surface.
• Incorporate organic matter such as well-rotted compost, leaf mould, or garden compost if the soil is poor.

How to Sow

1. Rake the soil to create a fine seed bed.
2. Scatter the seed thinly across the prepared area.
3. Lightly rake over the surface.
4. Water gently.
5. Keep the area moist until germination.

The seedlings establish quickly and will begin flowering approximately 8 to 10 weeks after sowing.

Creating Continuous Summer Fragrance

One of the best ways to enjoy Night Scented Stock throughout the summer is to sow small batches every three to four weeks from April until July.

This succession sowing technique ensures that fresh plants are constantly coming into flower, providing scent from early summer well into autumn.

Where to Plant Night Scented Stock

To get the maximum benefit from the fragrance, plant it:

• Near patios and seating areas
• Along pathways
• Beneath bedroom windows
• Close to conservatories
• Around outdoor dining areas
• In containers beside garden benches

Many gardeners deliberately position Night Scented Stock where they spend time outdoors in the evening because the scent becomes noticeably stronger as temperatures remain warm after sunset.

A Plant That Comes Alive at Night

Unlike many bedding plants that are grown primarily for their colourful flowers, Night Scented Stock is grown almost entirely for its fragrance. During the day it can appear relatively ordinary, but on a warm summer evening it becomes one of the most memorable plants in the garden.

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, a packet of seed can provide months of evening perfume, making Night Scented Stock one of the easiest and most rewarding annual flowers for gardeners of all experience levels.

Whether grown in pots filled with John Innes compost or scattered through flower borders, Night Scented Stock is a wonderful way to bring scent, atmosphere, and a touch of old-fashioned charm to any summer garden.