A different type of ‘stocks’: These plants are worth the investment in your garden

My guess would be fewer than 3 percent - that’s the number of Texas gardeners I would estimate have tried a plant known simply as “stocks.”

So, I’m setting my goal to improve those numbers with the few words I can write here today.

Stocks are native to the Mediterranean area. Some are annuals (complete their entire life cycle in one year). Some are biennials (establish one year and flower the second). A few are perennials (exist for several or many years).

Here in Texas, we need to consider stocks as short-term, cool-season annuals that we plant in late fall or early spring and enjoy in winter and early spring before temperatures climb into the 80s in April and May.

However, we also must be aware that they cannot withstand extremely cold temperatures.

So now we’re narrowing down why stocks are not more commonly grown in North Central Texas. While they will thrive in the cool winter weather, they may not survive temperatures below 20-25F. Add that together and it makes them ideal candidates for protected atriums and entryways, and it also makes them excellent “thriller” plants for large patio pots that can be wheeled into protection on extremely cold nights. (Reminder: “Thriller” plants are the tall, spikey flowers we use in the centers of large pots for maximum impact.)

Stocks grow somewhat like snapdragons, except stocks have a much heavier appearance. Their 16- to 20-inch stems are thicker and woodier, and their gray-green leaves are much larger than those of snaps. Their individual flowers are often double (multiple rows of petals), and the floral spikes are dramatically heavy looking.

One other difference with stocks that is really worth noting is their fragrance. Many of the varieties have a rich and heady aroma of clove. Night-scented stock, Matthiola bicornis, is often grown primarily for its fragrance. Its flowers are not showy. Some seed sources suggest mixing a small percentage of its seed in with the more brightly colored hybrid types.

Nurseries have potted stock transplants available right now. There they’ll be 10 or 15 one-gallon pots of stocks nestled in among the scores of flats of pansies. It’s easy to miss them, so set your mind to find them.

Their colors include red, pink, yellow, white, lavender and purple. Some of the older varieties had a single row of petals, but breeders have worked to produce types with frilly double flowers. Fragrance will vary with the variety, but most tend to have it.

References and seed packets will tell you that you can grow stock from seeds. They’ll even give you instructions on sowing the seed directly into the garden “after the danger of frost has passed in the spring.”

That means late March where we are, but remember that critical fact that stocks play out when daytime temperatures pass the 80-degree mark. Those seedlings are going to wither long before they ever come into bloom. So a big, hard “No” to growing stocks from seeds out in your garden.

Buy 4-inch or 1-gallon potted transplants now. Plant them 15 inches apart into well-prepared garden soil or lightweight potting soil. They prefer full sun, but they can survive in a couple of hours of shade if necessary. They’re great companion plants against the bold foliage of red-leafed giant mustard or ornamental cabbage or kale.

Keep stocks growing and blooming well by feeding them with a high-nitrogen, water-soluble plant food each time that you water them during the winter. Don’t allow the soil to remain soggy, but conversely, don’t let the plants wilt, either.

Should a severe cold spell blow through either move your plants into the garage for a night or two to protect them or cover them with a sheet of frost cloth. Surprisingly, light as it may be, frost cloth can make 8 or 10 degrees difference in the survival of tender plants like stocks and their flowers.

Most growers’ resources say that this plant has no serious insect or disease problems. I’ve not experienced any with my stocks, either. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep your eyes open for a potential invader, but it gives you some relief of knowing that they’re not highly prone to them.

The short summary, then, is that for people looking for colorful, fragrant plants for the cool weather – and for something that not everyone else is growing – stocks might be your answer. They’re certainly worth trying.

You can hear Neil Sperry on KLIF 570AM on Saturday afternoons 1-3 pm and on WBAP 820AM Sunday mornings 8-10 am. Join him at www.neilsperry.com and follow him on Facebook.

This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 5:30 AM.