Stock care
Stock is an old-fashioned cottage flower with one of the most distinctive scents in the bouquet — clove-like, sweet, slightly powdery. The stem carries dozens of densely packed florets, all opening at once.
Season
Year-round
Vase life
Long
Sourcing
Direct from growers
Difficulty
Easy
How to care for them
Strip the lower leaves — stock foliage rots quickly underwater and makes the water smell. Re-cut at a sharp angle. Cool clean water in a clean vase. The water will need refreshing more often than with other stems because of the foliage.
Refresh the water every two days — stock spoils its water faster than most stems. Top up daily. Keep cool, out of direct sun. The scent intensifies in the evening.
Drooping usually means the water has spoiled. Empty the vase, rinse it thoroughly, re-cut the stems, and refill with fresh cool water. Stock recovers well.
Common questions
Stock leaves rot underwater and produce a sulphurous smell — distinctive and not pleasant. The fix is to strip every leaf below the waterline before placing the stems, and to refresh the water more often than you would for other flowers (every two days, not every three).
Sweet, clove-like, slightly spicy. It is the scent of cottage gardens and old-fashioned bouquets. Some people find it intoxicating; some find it heavy in a small room. The scent is strongest in the evening.
A long display, particularly for a scented flower — many days with the right care. Refresh the water often (the foliage spoils it), keep cool, and the densely packed florets stay good for the life of the bouquet. Every order is covered by our Stem freshness promise.
Stock (Matthiola incana) is not listed as toxic to cats or dogs. As with all cut flowers, do not encourage pets to eat them, but the flower itself is safe.
White, cream, pale pink, deep pink, lavender, and the prized deep purple. The white and pale-pink varieties tend to have the strongest scent; the deeper colours are visually showier.
That is how the flower grows — every floret on a stock stem opens almost simultaneously, giving the dense, packed look. Unlike sweet pea or freesia, where buds open in sequence, stock arrives fully open. The trade is that you see the full beauty immediately rather than watching it unfold.
Pairs beautifully with
