Cherry Rose Nasturtium is a vibrant heirloom annual that brings both beauty and flavor to the garden. Its cherry-red blooms paired with lush green foliage create stunning visual appeal, while the flowers and leaves deliver a distinctive peppery taste that elevates salads and soups. Growing quickly across hardiness zones 2-11, this spreading plant reaches 10-12 inches tall with a 12-16 inch spread, flowering within 60-90 days from seed. It thrives in full sun with moderate water and poor, well-drained soil, making it refreshingly low-maintenance for gardeners seeking ornamental plants that also feed the table.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
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Low
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Cherry Rose Nasturtium blurs the line between ornamental and edible, offering stunning cherry-red blooms alongside foliage that tastes as good as it looks. The peppery flavor of both flowers and leaves makes them exceptional for garnishing salads and soups, while their vibrant appearance adds visual punch to borders and containers alike. This heirloom variety thrives in lean soil that would exhaust other flowers, rewarding minimal fussing with quick growth and reliable flowering across nearly the entire continental United States.
Cherry Rose Nasturtium flowers and leaves serve as edible garnishes with a peppery bite that brightens salads and soups with both color and flavor. The blooms and foliage add visual interest and distinctive taste to composed salads, while their vibrant hue makes them natural candidates for plates where appearance matters as much as sustenance. Home gardeners often plant these along borders and in containers specifically for the dual purpose of ornament and harvest.
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Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost date, sowing them at a soil temperature of 65-75°F. Keep soil evenly moist but not waterlogged during germination, and provide bright light once seedlings emerge.
Harden off seedlings gradually over 7-10 days before transplanting outdoors after the last frost date when soil has warmed to at least 65°F. Space plants 12-16 inches apart in full sun with well-drained soil.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after the last frost date and soil has warmed to 65-75°F, pressing seeds gently into soil without covering, as light aids germination.
Harvest flowers once they are fully open and the petals have deepened to their vibrant cherry-red color, typically 60-90 days after planting. Pick flowers in the morning when they are most turgid and flavorful, snipping them close to the base of the stem. Young leaves can be harvested at any time for their peppery flavor; continuous harvesting encourages more tender growth. Both flowers and leaves are best used fresh within a day or two of harvesting for maximum flavor and visual appeal.
Pinch back the growing tips of young plants to encourage bushier growth and increased flowering. Deadheading spent blooms extends the flowering season and redirects energy into continuous flower production rather than seed set.
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“Cherry Rose Nasturtium carries the heritage of Tropaeolum majus, a species that journeyed from the Andes mountains of South America into cultivation across the globe. Valued as both ornamental and culinary treasure, this heirloom cultivar has been preserved and shared among gardeners for generations, passing through seed catalogs and kitchen gardens as a plant that refuses to be relegated to decoration alone. Its survival as a named variety speaks to gardeners who recognized the practical beauty of a flower that could garnish dinner and brighten the border simultaneously.”