Flower Spotlight: Nasturtium has all the Beauty and none of the Fuss!

If you aren’t familiar with nasturtium, you’ll be thrilled to know this hardy, versatile beauty. When you grow nasturtium, it rewards even novice gardeners and poor soil with vibrantly-colored, fragrant blooms. And nasturtium has a few “hidden talents,” as well!

Read more to learn about one of our favorite flowers.

Nasturtium: The Low-Maintenance Beauty

Nasturtium is one of the most no-fuss flowers available.

Got poor soil? No problem! Nasturtium actually prefers nutrient-poor soil, so you don’t need to worry about a lot of fertilizing.

Forget to water your garden sometimes? No worries! This beauty is drought-tolerant, so it doesn’t mind a few dry spells.

Lack sunny spots in your garden? That’s OK! Nasturtium can grow in partial shade.

Nasturtium is so easy to plant and grow, gardening experts often recommend it as a teaching plant to help children learn to garden.  But you would never guess how low-maintenance these flowers are by looking at them; their eye-catching blooms boast more than enough allure to rival many fussier flowers.

Why we Love Nasturtium

Nasturtium’s beauty and hardiness are enough to make it a winner, but this flower has many more “talents.” Nasturtium is an edible flower, so it will beautify your dinner table and garden.

Tuck a vibrant red or orange nasturtium bloom beside the scoop of homemade ice cream you serve your dinner guests, and you’ll make an average dessert instantly elegant. Nasturtium also has a lovely fragrance, which makes it an excellent choice for dried flowers.

The foliage is also edible and has a distinctive peppery flavor. And you and your family won’t be the only ones who appreciate these beautiful blooms: nasturtium flowers attract butterflies, so they will make your garden more colorful in more ways than one.

Get to Know Nasturtium!

Nasturtium officinale, which has white blooms, is perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 3a through 11a, which covers almost all of the U.S. Other types of nasturtium are annuals in cooler parts of the country.

Nasturtium makes a good ground cover plant, container plant, or border plant. To grow nasturtium, you can transplant seedlings into your garden when the danger of frost has passed or plant seeds in your garden after the last spring frost.

Plant seeds ½ inch deep and 12 inches apart, and expect to see plants emerge within 7 to 10 days.

Interested in more plant growth and care tips? Click here!

Happy gardening! Stop by our website for more ways to skip the hassle and enjoy your summer.

Photo courtesy of Crystal, Grant Montgomery, Audrey, and Sarah Sammis.