Nasturtiums in the garden (Nasturtiums)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Nasturtiums
Date:	30/09/02 (386 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: pretty, easy, can eat them too

Disadvantages: Iam not to keen on the flavour

-Nasturtiums tropaeolum majus
Beautiful, bright easy to grow.

Nasturtiums have just about finished flowering now it is the end of September.
I expect you will recognise a nasturtium flower. I have seen them brightening up many a hanging basket, edging garden paths, climbing and rambling in gardens.

There are many varieties of nasturtiums, they. Are a native of South America and have been in our country for many a year.

Nasturtiums have beautiful bright green round leaves and the flowers are a trumpet or bell like shape. The flower colours are red, or orange, peach, yellow, gold, cream, or white they are bright cheerful and vibrant.

They grow as a bush plant 12 to 18 inches or a semi trailing plant, trailing 6 or 7 feet or as a trailing plant trailing 10 or 11 feet across the garden, or along walls over trellises and pots. The flowers measure up to about 4 centimetres across.

They are a very easy annual to grow brilliant for kids. The seed is quite large very easy to handle. When they have finished flowering the seeds are easy to collect and save successfully for sowing next year.

Time for planting the seeds is April. They can be sown where they are to flower or in a seed tray and planted out later into their flowering position. Nasturtiums like it sunny and a moist but well drained soil they will flower late spring/ early summer until autumn
There are many varieties of Nasturtiums a bush variety growing 12, 15 inches. Semi trailing variety growing 4 or 5 feet or a trailing variety growing up to 10 feet.

Nasturtiums, not just a pretty face!

If you grow them around your vegetable garden black fly will be attracted to them


and not your vegetables also caterpillars of the Large and small white butterfly eat their leaves grow them near your cabbages and transfer any caterpillars from you cabbages to the nasturtium leaves.

You could always eat the nasturtium leaves (caterpillar free) in a salad or decorate a dish with the flower.
The leaf tastes peppery spicy I personally do not like it but I have sometimes added it to salad for guests when I am trying to impress. (Mixed reactions)
There are several sites on nasturtiums on the internet with recipes I have not reproduced them as I have not tried them, but there is one where the flowers which are bell shaped are stuffed with a cream cheese and herb mix I might give that a try Think I have one or two flowers left in the garden.
Thank you for reading. Happy gardening??. Mary

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