Nasturtium - Annual Flower For Your Garden © 2006

Nasturtium
Tropaeolaceae
There are around fifty species in the genus. Most are either annual or perennial natives of South America. They inhabit the cooler areas of the continent.

The photo is one of the colors of the named variety called Gleam.

The nasturtium is a fragrant garden annual in North American gardens. In my southeastern Indiana garden there are very few pests. They can be susceptible to aphids and mealy bugs, but I have no problems with them.

Don’t fertilize the nasturtium too much; if you do you will get a lot of foliage, but few flowers.

Nasturtium makes a great ground cover; it will climb trellises, hang over walls and also fills a hanging basket wonderfully. Some varieties are more upright growing than others, some are trailing.

The flowers or young leaves can be eaten in salads. They have a peppery flavor. The seeds are large and well suited for young hands as a first gardening project. Since they germinate quickly and develop fast kids will have fun watching them grow. They will germinate in seven to twelve days at 68 - 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

The nasturtium can be direct seeded where it is to grow, however I generally seed it in three inch pots about a month before the last frost. The plants can be propagated by cuttings. The plants can also be grown indoors in a southern window in the house in the window. Take cuttings in the fall before frost and root them in pots.

Some popular varieties:

Alaska - Variegated foliage, cream on light green leaves. The flowers are red, yellow, and orange. The flowers are very brightly colored.

Jewel - Large, two inch flowers in hues of red, rose, peach, cream, yellow and orange. The foliage is dark green dappled with cream.

Empress Of India - Dark bluish green leaves. The flowers are various shades of red.

Gleam - Longer vines than Jewel, good for hanging pots and as a ground cover. Good color mix. Gleam was discovered in a Mexican convent garden in the 1920’s. It became quite sought after. The seeds sold for a nickel apiece in the depths of the depression.

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