Fundamental Facts
HARDINESS: Tender
PREFERRED SOIL PH: Near neutral
PREFERRED SOIL TYPE: Well-drained, fertile
PREFERRED LIGHT: Sun to partial shade
ATTRIBUTES: Flowers in worm colors, variegated leaves on some varieties, light fragrance; edible plants; or beds, pots, baskets
SEASON OF INTEREST: Early summer to late fall
FAVORITES: 'Glorious Gleam', 'Moonlight'; 'Alaska' has variegated leaves
QUIRKS: Nick seeds before sowing; do not fertilize
GOOD NEIGHBORS: Annual geraniums, iris, morning glories
WHERE IT GROWS BEST: Sunny, dry location
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Aphids, otherwise good
CRITTER RESISTANCE: Good
SOURCE: Seeds, bedding plants
DIMENSIONS: 12 in-6 ft (30.5 cm-1.8 m) tall, 12-30 in (30.5-76.2 cm) wide
Nasturtium in the Landscape
Easy to grow and easy to please, nasturtiums thrive in modest garden conditions. With no better than average soil underfoot, they'll produce abundant round, lotuslike leaves of medium green or green streaked with white. Leaves are smothered by a generous quantity of 2 in (5.1 cm) wide trumpet-shaped, spurred flowers in orange, yellow, salmon, maroon, scarlet, or creamy white, often with streaks and blotches of contrasting shades. Nasturtium stems and leaves retain water well, making them carefree plants for containers or garden plants in low-rainfall regions. They thrive and flower best in full sun.
Nasturtiums show enthusiasm for climbing if you coax the young stems soon after they sprout. If you want them to go up, provide a wire fence or a slender trellis within 2 in (5.1 cm) of the plants' stems. After you show them the way by weaving stems into the trellis or fence for a few weeks, they should continue climbing on their own. They are equally brilliant dangling from a window box, tumbling over the edges of a container, or spreading around the garden in lush mounds. They're great for the front of a border, forming a thick carpet of flowers and handsome leaves. The luminous yellow blossoms of the variety 'Moonlight' pop out of the dark, brightening an evening garden. 'Alaska' has a pretty speckling of white on its green leaves.
Edible Flowers
Besides looking great, nasturtiums have culinary uses. Long before they were valued in the flower garden, nasturtiums were grown in vegetable gardens as a salad ingredient. Young leaves impart a peppery flavor, flowers have a delicate taste, and the mild green flower buds can be used raw or pickled like capers.
Growing Nasturtium
Nasturtiums are bothered by few pests. If tiny, pear-shaped insect aphids gather on buds and stem tips, rinse them off with a strong stream of water. Happily, these plants require watering only in a severe drought, and flower best without fertilizer. They do benefit from removing leaves that turn brown and cling to the stems. Keep abreast of trimming spent flowers and leaves, and the plant will remain tidy and perform well throughout the entire summer.
When growing nasturtiums in a hanging container or window box, rejuvenate your plants halfway through the summer by snipping off the dangling stems, leaving 6 in (15.2 cm) of stem at the base of each plant. Within a week, new flowering shoots will sprout from the base, making the plant look dense and like a new planting.
Increasing the Bounty
Nasturtium plants are readily available at garden centers, but they are one of the easiest plants to start from seed. Because they don't transplant well, sow the seeds directly in the ground where you want the plants to grow after the danger of frost has passed. Nick, or scarify, the seed coats before planting to make it easier for seeds to absorb moisture. Space seeds 9-12 in (22.9-30.5 cm) apart, barely covering the seeds with soil, and firm the soil around the seeds by pressing it lightly with the head of a hoe. Water the seed bed with a watering can fitted with a sprinkler head. Seeds should germinate within 1 to 2 weeks.
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