Hesperis Matronalis | Sweet Rocket

Sweet rocket is most at home in an informal herbaceous border, or when left to naturalise in a wildlife-friendly garden. The deliciously scented, pale lilac flowers form in loose clusters and are attractive to bees and other beneficial insects. Their perfume will fill the air late spring and early summer evenings. They are also edible and look great sprinkled over salads. Although relatively short-lived, it self-seeds freely. Sowing instructions: Sow seed where it is to grow in late spring, after the worst of the frosts have passed. Prepare the bed well first and then surface sow, thinning the seedlings out as they grow to allow 30cm between each plant. Keep well watered and pinch out the growing tip to encourage bushier growth. Dead-heading regularly will help prolong the flowering season, but if you want them to self-seed, allow some of the seed heads to develop fully. Sow: March to May Flowering: May to September