Matthiola incana Anytime Red seeds - Stock

The Annual stock or Matthiola incana 'Anytime Red' is part of the Anytime series known for its extended flowering season and very-double flowers. This sturdy annual plant produces spikes of a lovely cherry red colour. On well-branched stems, its fragrant and bright flowers bloom from late spring to late summer. Easy to sow, it enhances borders and containers and is perfect for creating colourful bouquets.

The annual stock, with its Latin name Matthiola incana which also has the botanical synonym Cheiranthus incanus, is a short-lived perennial herbaceous plant, or a biennial, often grown as an annual. It belongs to the brassicaceae family (like cabbages or mustard) and originates from the Mediterranean basin, in the Canary Islands, where it grows on rocks near the coast. It is also known as Garden Stock or Gillyflower. The 'Anytime Red' selection produces upright plants with a bushy and branched habit, reaching about 75 cm in height and 30 cm in width. They bear narrow lanceolate grey-green leaves and display, from April-May to August-September, fragrant flowers arranged in spikes, 2 to 3 cm in diameter. They produce fully double flowers. This flowering is very abundant, fragrant, honey-producing, and nectar-rich. When grown in pots, these plants are not branched and produce a single, particularly developed spike of flowers.

The 'Anytime Red' annual stock is ideal for borders, edging, rockeries, or containers. Planted near pathways, it fills the air with its sweet fragrance. It thrives in well-drained soil and enjoys a sunny exposure. In borders, it pairs perfectly with summer annuals like tree mallows, love-in-a-mist, columbines, bellflowers, perennial geraniums, or poppies. It also fits well in romantic bouquets, harmonising with peonies and lilacs.