Tropaeolum Tip-Top Alaska Salmon Seeds - Nasturnium

The Tip-Top 'Alaska Salmon' Nasturtium, known by its Latin name Tropaeolum minus, is an adorable dwarf variety that not only displays delicate salmon-coloured flowers, veined with a darker shade, but also offers beautiful variegated foliage. It is gentle, with tender green leaves marbled with cream white. Compact and non-trailing, this small annual is very suitable for ornamental pots or borders in a small garden. Both flowers and foliage are edible, with a peppery flavour.

Tropaeolum minus or dwarf nasturtium belongs to the Tropaeolaceae family. It is native to South America, endemic to the mountainous regions of Ecuador and Peru. The Nasturtium offers pretty flowers in bold colours, ranging from yellow to red, and beautiful round leaves that are always fresh. 'Alaska Salmon' has a compact, non-trailing habit and quickly forms a clump of 30 cm in all directions. Its pretty umbrella-shaped, soft green leaves, are delicately and irregularly marbled with cream white. Its trumpet-shaped flower is salmon-coloured, highlighted in the centre and on the veins with soft orange.

Nasturtium is very easy to grow, it can be sown directly in place in spring. It grows quickly, flowers from June to the first frost, and covers the ground or cascades from a pot. In borders or at the front of flower beds, its foliage is initially very ornamental thanks to its round and upright shape. It quickly becomes covered with generous and cheerful flowering. Combine it with other floriferous and informal plants such as lavenders or asters, other annuals like Cosmos, Zinnias, and Marigolds.

To top it off, all parts of the plant are edible: the leaves and flowers in salads, as well as the seeds, pickled in vinegar, like capers. It does attract aphids, which are fond of it. However, don't let this put you off growing this lovely plant: in the vegetable garden and orchard, it is an advantage as it diverts pests (while also providing valuable food for ladybug larvae) and thus protects your crops.