Illustration
Stock
Matthiola
Stock blooms from April through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Stock
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 2–11. Expect it to reach about 20 in tall and 8 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Stock
Stock is a cool-season annual: plant it out in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, a few weeks before the last frost, since it takes light frost and fades in summer heat; in mild-winter zones it also goes in during fall. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 2 to 11, that means March or April. It flowers from April to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Stock get?
20 intall5 ft 7 inan adult8 inwideSee Stock in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Stock
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Stock about 8 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Stock to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Stock's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 9 published sources on July 30, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- edis.ifas.ufl.eduUF/IFAS Extension EDIS FP402 (Matthiola incana: Stock)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionMatthiola incanaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Plants For A FutureMatthiola incanaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- plants.chaletnursery.comChalet Nursery, Wilmette IL (NetPS Plant Finder: Stock, Matthiola inca...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenMatthiola incanaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- asu.eduArizona State University, Virtual Library of Phoenix Landscape Plants...height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Mississippi State University Extension(Stock (Matthiola incana) for the Farmer Florist, P3252)hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Johnny's Selected SeedsStockyears to mature size and trait tags
- Swallowtail Garden SeedsStock Seeds, Matthiola incanasun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 6 varieties across 5 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Stock group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cream | Yellow | Apr–Jun | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Lavender | Purple | Apr–Jun | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Purple | Purple | Apr–Jun | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Red | Red | Apr–Jun | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Rose | Pink | Apr–Jun | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| Stockthis page | Pink | Apr–Jun | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 20 in × 8 in |
| White | White | Apr–Jun | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 20 in × 8 in |
Good to know about Stock
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Its clove-like scent and its deer resistance come from the same thing: the pungent mustard-oil chemistry of its family, the Brassicaceae. per NC State and Missouri Botanical Garden
Frost hardiness is disputed
Iowa State rates it hardy to about 28 F, but UGA classes it a tender annual. Plant out after hard frosts and protect it through a freeze. per Iowa State and UGA
Quits in summer heat
The defining trait: bloom collapses once temperatures pass about 80 F and on warm nights. Plant it early so it flowers before summer heat arrives. per NC State
Fragrant cut flower
A top fragrant cut flower with a 7 to 10 day vase life. Double-flowered forms last longest, so choose doubles over singles. per Mississippi State
Safe for pets
The ASPCA lists it among non-toxic bouquet flowers for pets, and the flowers are even reported as edible. per ASPCA
Draws brassica pests
As a mustard-family plant it draws typical brassica pests: aphids, thrips, flea beetles, diamondback moth caterpillars and springtails. per Mississippi State
What pairs well with Stock
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Sneezeweed
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Joe Pye Weed
Shares full sun and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
False Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Love-Lies-Bleeding
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Passionflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; climbs to 13 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
Dahlia
Shares full sun and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Rose of Sharon
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; taller at 8 ft, for the layer behind it; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
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