Stocks Night Scented Lavender

A plant that works the night shift. By day, Night Scented Stock is genuinely unpromising — wilted, slightly dishevelled, with pale lilac-pink petals that close up tight and appear utterly spent. Do not be deceived.

As the sun begins to set, a transformation occurs. The flowers unfurl, stand proud, and release one of the most intoxicating perfumes in the plant kingdom — a heady, narcotic fragrance of vanilla, warm spice, clove, and honey that fills an entire garden and drifts remarkable distances on the evening air. It draws in night-flying moths and makes every summer evening in the garden something to remember.

• Matthiola bicornis — Hardy Annual (H3)
• Height: 30–40cm | Flowers: June–September (evenings)
• Direct sow March–May in succession for a long season
• Full sun; well-drained soil
• Sow near seating areas, open windows, or along paths for maximum effect
• Outstanding moth plant — vital for night pollinators

Sow it beneath a bedroom window or beside a garden seat. You will never forget the first evening it flowers.