# Stock (Matthiola incana)

Canonical: https://plantguide.ae/plants/stock · Updated: 2026-10-29
Source: Plant Guide (https://plantguide.ae/plants/stock)

Stock · منثور  
flower · exotic · family Brassicaceae · grows 0.25–0.9 m tall, 0.25–0.45 m wide · moderate growth  
full sun · moderate water need  
Ratings for Dubai (1–5, 5 is best): heat 2 · salt 3 · drought 2 · shade 2 · ease of care 3  
Sow or plant: Oct–Jan  
Uses: bedding, container, fragrance  
Garden styles: manicured, luxury

## Also known as

- **English:** Matthiola, Brompton stock, Common stock, Hoary stock, Ten-week stock, Gillyflower
- **Botanical synonyms:** *Cheiranthus incanus*
- **Arabic (العربية):** منثور
- **Malayalam (മലയാളം):** മട്തിയോല ഇൻകാന (Matthiola incana)
- **Persian (فارسی):** شب‌بو (Shab-bu)

Upright spikes of clove-scented flowers in pink, white, purple and cream: a Mediterranean cool-season flower to plant from November and clear before the heat of April.

## About

Meet stock, the flower you smell before you see it. Walk past a bed of it on a cool Dubai evening in January and the air smells of cloves and spice, a warm, spicy sweetness that carries well beyond the bed. The flowers are crowded along upright spikes, white, cream, pink, lavender and purple, with grey-green leaves that give the whole plant a soft, dusty look.

It comes from the Mediterranean coast, where it grows on sea cliffs and old walls on limy soil, and that history suits a Dubai garden better than most bedding flowers manage. It likes sun, sharp drainage and non-acid ground, and NC State lists it as salt-resistant. What it does not like is heat: it is a plant of mild winters, and Dubai only offers them from about November to March.

The mood is old-fashioned and scented rather than showy. Put it where you will brush past it: beside a front door, along a seating area, in pots at the edge of a majlis terrace. Cut a few stems for a vase and the whole room smells of it.

Matthiola incana is a member of the cabbage family, Brassicaceae, native to southern Europe from Spain to Greece. Wikipedia describes it as growing on calcareous soils, often on sea cliffs and old walls, and as widely grown for bedding, cutting and its scent. It is known as stock, Brompton stock, common stock, hoary stock, ten-week stock or gillyflower. NC State describes it as a cool-season perennial that is usually grown as an annual or biennial, 30 to 90 cm tall, with flowers in cream, white, lavender-purple and pink and, in hybrids, yellow and red, and a clove-like scent.

The limit in Dubai is heat. NC State says plants begin to decline when summer temperatures pass about 80 °F (27 °C), and that bloom is shorter in hot climates. Dubai's mean maximum is 26.5 °C in December, 24.4 °C in January and 26.1 °C in February, rising to 28.9 °C in March and 33.7 °C in April, so the display runs from about December to March. Acacia Garden Center lists stock with pansies, violas and sweet peas as cool-weather flowers that put on their best show in Dubai's winter. NC State recommends growing it from seed, and sowing at intervals of about two weeks to spread the bloom.

NC State says stock does best in average to humusy, consistently moist, well-drained soil in full sun, and does not do well in acidic soil, which suits Dubai's alkaline sand once compost is mixed in. It lists it as salt-resistant, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out completely. It reports no serious insect or disease problems, with white mould possible in mild, rainy winters. In Dubai the rain window is December to March, so water at the base and keep the plants spaced for air.

## Through the year

Stock's Dubai season is the cool half of the year. Seed can be sown in shade in October and November, and seedlings go out from November, when the mean high has dropped to 30.7 °C. Spikes open from December, with the best of the scent and colour from January to March, when mean highs sit between 24 and 29 °C. Mild, rainy spells in December to March are when white mould can show. By April, with highs at 33.7 °C, flowering fades; plants are cleared in April or May, and the bed goes over to summer bedding such as [Vinca](https://plantguide.ae/plants/vinca.md) or [Portulaca](https://plantguide.ae/plants/portulaca.md).

| When | What | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oct–Nov | Sow: Sow seed in shade | NC State recommends seed, and sowing every two weeks or so to spread the bloom; keep seed trays shaded and moist while October is still hot. |
| Nov–Jan | Plant: Plant seedlings in the cool season | Acacia Garden Center lists stock among its November cool-weather flowers. This window is our reading for stock; no Dubai Municipality list names it. |
| Dec–Mar | Flowers: Scented spikes through the coolest months | Wikipedia notes stock is valued as a cut flower as well as for bedding. |
| Dec–Mar | Pest watch: White mould in rainy spells | NC State notes white mould in mild, rainy winters; water at the base and keep air moving. |
| Apr–Jun | Heat stress: Declines in the heat | NC State: plants decline above about 80 °F (27 °C). Dubai's mean high is 33.7 °C in April. |

## Care in Dubai

- **Watering in summer:** Not grown outdoors through a Dubai summer; plants decline in heat and are cleared by April or May.
- **Watering in winter:** Water deeply two or three times a week at the base, so the soil stays evenly moist but not soggy; cut back after rain.
- **While establishing:** Keep evenly moist for the first two weeks, and shade seedlings for a few days if they go out in a warm spell.
- **Soil:** Average to humus-rich, free-draining soil that is not acidic. Mix compost into Dubai's sandy ground so it holds moisture.
- **Feeding:** A balanced liquid feed every 3 to 4 weeks while in flower, with compost worked in at planting.
- **Pruning:** Remove spent spikes, and cut stems for the house as the flowers open.
- **Planting:** Plant seedlings from November, 20 to 30 cm apart, in full sun, with the soil level the same as in the pot.
- **Pests and problems:** White mould in mild, rainy winters; Aphids on soft new growth
- **Toxicity:** The ASPCA's pet-safe Mother's Day bouquet guide lists Stock (Matthiola incana) as pet-safe, with the warning that any ingestion may cause mild stomach upset. It is an ornamental, not an edible garden crop.

## Good and bad

**Pros**
- Clove-like fragrance that carries on a cool evening
- Suits non-acid, limy ground, which describes Dubai's sandy soil
- NC State lists it as salt-resistant
- Works as bedding, pots and a cut flower
- Listed by the ASPCA as pet-safe among bouquet flowers

**Cons**
- Declines once temperatures pass about 27 °C, so the season is short
- Needs soil that stays evenly moist, not dried out between waterings
- Hot October nights are too warm for early planting
- Spikes thin out and flowers shrink by April

## Common mistakes

- Planting in a hot October spell. Stock declines above about 27 °C, and October's mean high is 35.9 °C, so wait for November or keep seedlings shaded.
- Letting the soil dry out between waterings. NC State says stock does best in consistently moist, well-drained soil, and sandy Dubai ground dries quickly without compost.
- Watering from above in the evening. Wet leaves in a cool, rainy spell are what white mould needs; water the soil, in the morning.
- Planting it far from where people walk. The scent is the point, and a bed at the back of a garden wastes it.
- Expecting it to last into summer. By April the display is over; clear it and replant.

## Good to know

- NC State lists stock as salt-resistant and as not suited to acidic soil, which matches Dubai's limy, sandy ground better than most bedding flowers.
- The name stock usually means Matthiola incana, but can refer to the whole genus; Brompton stock is the biennial form and ten-week stock the annual one, according to Wikipedia.
- Stock belongs to the cabbage family, Brassicaceae, but it is grown as an ornamental and is not sold as a food plant.
- Sowing every two weeks or so, as NC State suggests, spreads the flowering over more of the cool season.

## Using it in a garden

Roles: Scented bed by a seating area, Cut flowers, Pots by an entrance, Mid-height winter bedding

Plant stock where people will pass or sit, since the scent is its main gift: beside a front door, along a terrace or in pots by a seating area. Give it a full-sun spot with improved, free-draining soil and a drip line, in blocks of one or two colours rather than a mix. It stands 30 to 90 cm tall, so it belongs in the middle of a bed with lower plants in front. Plan to clear the bed in April.

- [Petunia](https://plantguide.ae/plants/petunia.md): Petunia fills the front of the bed with trailing colour while stock stands behind it, and both go in during the cool season.
- [Snapdragon](https://plantguide.ae/plants/snapdragon.md): Snapdragon gives the same upright line in a different flower shape, and the ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to pets too.
- [Dianthus](https://plantguide.ae/plants/dianthus.md): Dianthus is another scented cool-season flower, a compact one that edges the front of a stock bed.
- [Marigold](https://plantguide.ae/plants/marigold.md): Marigold's warm oranges and golds contrast with stock's cooler pinks and lavenders, and takes the same autumn planting.

## FAQ

**When should I plant stock in Dubai?**  
From November to January as seedlings, with seed sown in shade in October and November. Acacia Garden Center lists stock among its November cool-weather flowers, and plants decline above about 27 °C, so avoid October's heat.

**Why is it called stock, and what is Brompton stock?**  
Stock is the usual name for Matthiola incana. Wikipedia describes the biennial types as Brompton stocks, and the annual types as ten-week stocks.

**Does stock smell in Dubai?**  
Yes. NC State describes a clove-like fragrance, and the scent is strongest in the cool air of a winter evening. Plant it near a seat or a door.

**Why are my stock plants flopping and drying out in March?**  
Heat. NC State says plants decline above about 80 °F (27 °C), and Dubai's mean high passes 28 °C in March. It is a cool-season plant here and is usually cleared by April or May.

**Is stock safe for pets?**  
The ASPCA lists stock (Matthiola incana) among its pet-safe bouquet flowers. Eating any plant can still cause mild stomach upset.

## Related plants

[Petunia](https://plantguide.ae/plants/petunia.md) · [Snapdragon](https://plantguide.ae/plants/snapdragon.md) · [Dianthus](https://plantguide.ae/plants/dianthus.md) · [Marigold](https://plantguide.ae/plants/marigold.md) · [Pansy](https://plantguide.ae/plants/pansy.md)

## Photos

![Pink double stock flowers on a spike with grey-green leaves, Matthiola incana 'Harmony Light Rose'](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Matthiola_incana_Harmony_Light_Rose_1zz.jpg)  
Photo: David J. Stang / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matthiola_incana_Harmony_Light_Rose_1zz.jpg))

![Row of cream and lilac stock plants growing beside a stone wall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Matthiola_incana7.jpg)  
Photo: KENPEI / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matthiola_incana7.jpg))

![White double stock flowers on tall spikes, Matthiola incana, garden stock](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Matthiola_incana_%28garden_stock%29_at_Shuby%C5%8D_K%C5%8Dkan-kai_in_Noshiro.jpg)  
Photo: 掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matthiola_incana_(garden_stock)_at_Shuby%C5%8D_K%C5%8Dkan-kai_in_Noshiro.jpg))

![Purple stock flowers (Matthiola incana) in a garden bed](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Matthiola_incana._Alel%C3%AD.jpg)  
Photo: SABENCIA Guillermo César Ruiz / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matthiola_incana._Alel%C3%AD.jpg))

## Sources

- [NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Matthiola incana](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/matthiola-incana/)
- [Wikipedia: Matthiola incana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthiola_incana)
- [ASPCA: Your guide to a pet-safe Mother's Day bouquet (lists Stock, Matthiola incana)](https://www.aspca.org/news/your-guide-pet-safe-mothers-day-bouquet)
- [Kew WCVP, the checklist behind POWO (read via GBIF): Matthiola incana](https://www.gbif.org/species/206831811)
- [Arabic Wikipedia: منثور](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%B1)
- [Persian Wikipedia: شب‌بو](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%A8%E2%80%8C%D8%A8%D9%88)
- [Malayalam Wikipedia: മട്തിയോല ഇൻകാന](https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%AE%E0%B4%9F%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A4%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%AF%E0%B5%8B%E0%B4%B2_%E0%B4%87%E0%B5%BB%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%A8)
- [Acacia Garden Center: Dubai Garden Calendar](https://acaciagardencenter.com/blogs/blog/dubai-planting-calendar)
- [Wikipedia: Climate of Dubai (WMO 1991-2020 normals)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Dubai)
- [Plantshop.me: Matthiola incana or Stock (UAE shop listing, checked 2026-10-29)](https://www.plantshop.me/ae-en/product/matthiola-incana-or-stock)
- [Noon UAE: Brompton Stock Snow White (Matthiola Incana) seeds (listing title, checked 2026-10-29)](https://www.noon.com/uae-en/brompton-stock-snow-white-matthiola-incana-annual-outdoor-garden-cut-flower-for-planting/Z78B69D6A2EEFC6618764Z/p/)
- [Amazon.ae: Dwarf Stock Flowers Seed, Scented, Matthiola Incana Ten Week White (listing title, checked 2026-10-29)](https://www.amazon.ae/Dwarf-Flowers-Scented-Matthiola-Incana/dp/B0B54B9BZ9)