Compact Nasturtium
Tip Top Rose Nasturtium is an heirloom edible flower that earned its 2020 All Americas Selection award for good reason. The blooms arrive in lovely shades of rose, perfect for adorning cakes and culinary creations, while the spicy green leaves add a peppery kick to salads. Plants grow into compact 14-inch mounds and reach maturity in 50-60 days, thriving in full sun across hardiness zones 6-11. Both flowers and foliage are edible, and pollinators find this pretty pink variety irresistible.
Full Sun
Moderate
6-11
?in H x ?in W
Annual, Perennial
High
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Rose-colored edible flowers ready for harvest in just 50-60 days make this nasturtium a quick reward for impatient gardeners. The compact mounding habit reaches only 14 inches tall, fitting easily into small spaces, containers, and flower borders. Beyond the ornamental blooms, you get dual culinary value: the flowers dress up desserts and savory plates alike, while the leaves deliver a spicy green that transforms salads from ordinary to memorable.
Tip Top Rose Nasturtium serves as an edible flower topping for cakes, desserts, and plated dishes where its rose-colored blooms add both beauty and subtle peppery flavor. The leaves work as a spicy green in salads, offering a peppery crunch that enlivens fresh greens. Both flowers and foliage can be harvested continuously throughout the growing season for fresh culinary use.
Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your last frost date. Soak seeds overnight to improve germination, then plant 1/2 to 1 inch deep in seed-starting mix. Keep soil consistently moist and maintain a temperature of 55-65°F. Seeds will sprout in 7-14 days. Provide bright, indirect light once seedlings emerge.
Harden off seedlings over 7-10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant outdoors after all danger of frost has passed, when soil temperature is consistently above 60°F. Space plants 8 inches apart. Water gently after transplanting and keep soil evenly moist for the first week.
Direct sow seeds outdoors 1/2 to 1 inch deep after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperature reaches at least 60°F. Space seeds 8 inches apart. Keep soil moist until seedlings emerge in 7-14 days.
Harvest flowers once they are fully open and the color has deepened to its characteristic rose shade. Pick individual blooms in the morning after dew dries for the freshest flowers. Snip leaves as needed from the stems; younger leaves deliver a spicier, more tender green for salads. Both flowers and leaves can be harvested continuously throughout the 50-60 day growing period and beyond, as long as plants remain healthy and actively flowering.
Deadhead spent flowers regularly to encourage continuous blooming throughout the season. Pinch back the growing tips early in the season if you want bushier, more mounded plants, though Tip Top Rose naturally develops a compact, tidy habit without extensive pruning.
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