Nasturtiums

One of my very favorite flowers that I grow in all of my gardens for many reasons—are nasturtiums—and I affectionately refer to these garden rowdies as “nasties”.

Launch Gallery

Nose - Twisting NasturtiumsTropaeolum majus

Plant ProfileFamily : TropaeolaceaeCommon figure : genus Nasturtium , Indian cress plant , prize cress , trophywort , Native Habitat : Peru , parts of South AmericaPlant Type : AnnualGrowth Habit : Dwarf bushy cultivar grow from 8 to 18 - column inch in altitude , while the climbers can easily reach 6 to 10 understructure , or more . Hardiness : hardy in freeze - free locationsLight : best in full sun ; can tolerate a few hours of subtlety , which bring forth more leaves with less flowersWater : moist but not wet ; will tolerate some droughtSoil : friable and porous garden loam , well - drained soil ; does well in containersPropagation : seeds in give

“ Nasturtium is an herbaceous plant which for me has three uses : it lights sober herb bed with its smart colors of orange and yellowed ; all summer it decorates salad with leaf and cheery flowers ; and in the autumn it provides green seed for pickling . Does it not earn for itself a position in an herb garden?”—Annie Burnham CarterIn An Herb Garden

One of my very favorite flowers that I grow in all of my garden for many grounds - are nasturtium - and I affectionately refer to these garden yobbo as “ nasties ” . They are gentle to cultivate , and effortlessly fill in garden infinite , with their mounds of fun foliation even before their showy colors appear . The strange foliage has rounded , crinkly - edged leave-taking . The leave are attached to their bow from the underside , directly in the center of the leaves , so that they resemble fairy umbrella . These heart - stem leaves radiate veins from a center dot look moderately ace - the like and range in various shades of green : grey - green , bright gullible , blue - green , and variegated . The spurred , trumpet - shaped flower are usable in a palette of undimmed color from tropical creamy yellow , peach , and coral to vivid basal yellows and reds , in summation to knockout oranges , golds and even mahogany .

No wonder , Monet cultivate them munificently throughout the garden at Giverny , where he captured the mound masses of gem - bleached bloom in legion of his famous paintings . Thomas Jefferson planted nasturtium in his garden every class and bewail when he could n’t get seminal fluid enough for a bed of them measuring 10 x 19 - yards . InGreen Enchantmentby Rosetta Clarkson , she writes of a Dr. Fernie point out on “ genus Nasturtium heyday giving out electric discharge of an electric nature at sunset . ” Richard Mabey ofThe New Age Herbalistadds the scientific fact , “ It is say that on hot summer days sparks are emitted from the heart of the flower due to its in high spirits phosphorous acid capacity . ”

We owe our gratitude to the Spanish conquistadores for take the fiery - coloredTropaeolum minusback to Europe from South America more than 500 years ago . The specie is a vine that can easily grow about 8 to 10 feet and likes a fencing or trellis for financial support . The more plebeian genus Nasturtium cultivar grow in mounds or track along borders , splatter over walls or over the edges of container . Nasturtiums start easily from seed in mean soil and full sun ; I put them in early in my Zone 7 garden ( about the same time that I put in early Green River ) in late March , early April .

I like the ritual - snuff it about the garden with my seed pack - horn in the fat bumpy - round seed in the moth-eaten ground with my finger along the edges of the kitchen bed . I establish them anywhere from 8 - inches ( for masses ) to a good metrical unit apart . Keep them well watered ; however , do not feed too much or you ’ll get massive leaf growth with few blooms . crop leaves on a regular basis to keep them bushy . It is said that due to the screen - like mannikin of the leaf and the helmet - work flush that the botanical name derive fromtropaion , the Greek word for “ prize . ”

I just be intimate that their name combine the Latinnasusfor “ nose ” and tortus for “ twisted ” key how our nose twist or wrinkles when we inhale their spicy olfactory property . InThe Fragrant Gardenby Louise Beebe Wilder she fit in , “ … perhaps the single odours of the summertime garden are derive from certain plants which someone of hyper - sensitive pinched electric organ may twist from in disgust . I call these plants Nose - tornado , because the grating and rash fragrance of Nasturtium , which seems to have in it something bitter , something peppery , and a vague underlying smoky sweetness , is representative of them . ”

In the kitchen , you could use both the tonic leaf and flowers to contribute a pleasant mite of heat energy and pungency ( this dissipates when cooked so I use them mostly novel ) to many summer dishes . The farewell are mellow in vitamin C , and bestow a peppery cress plant - similar spirit to salads , sandwich , green sauce , shredded and throw away with alimentary paste , Timothy Miles Bindon Rice , couscous or chicken salad , or chopped as a topping for pizza pie .

The blossoms have the same pepperiness as the leaves , but are milder with a wind of flowered fragrance . They make splendid containers for cold salad - egg , chicken and vegetable - as well as Malva sylvestris spreads . Since they are a turn slight when filled , I tend to put them on a slice of vegetable or loot for pick them up easy . Whole flowers can be used in salad or as garnishes ; acetum flavour with nasturtium bloom is endearing in color and interesting in flavor . deletion flowers and leaves into chiffonade ( slight ribbon ) and commingle with butter , or toss with egg salad , dome , vegetable , or Pisces the Fishes . The unopened buds , marinated in wine or acetum , make an unusual icebox pickle . Seeds are harvested and pickled and used as a substitute for capers .

To reap leaves , cull them and dispatch stems , wash and expend like lettuce . For efflorescence , pick them with long stem and keep them in a glass of water until quick for preparation .

In the preceding few days , I have just harvested root crops and with today ’s new moonlight , we are headed into two hebdomad of planting above - ground crops . Since I have garden space available now , I will sow more nasturtium seed this week and get a second round of blooms before freeze . Get out there and sow some seeds for gloaming bloom which will add colour to your garden and piquantness to your kitchen !

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Dew-kissed ‘Peaches and Cream’ nasturtium. Click on other pix to enlarge and read captions.Photo/Illustration: susan belsinger

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