Nasturtium: varieties, growing and uses
Round leaves, cheerful flowers and a peppery surprise on your plate: nasturtiums instantly give a vegetable garden a relaxed, lively look. Choose the growth habit first. A compact variety stays rounded in a pot, while a long-trailing type tumbles over a container edge or covers a frame. More fertiliser does not automatically make the plant more attractive: too much feed can mainly produce lots of leaves.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
- Use
- Flowers and leaves of correctly identified Tropaeolum majus are edible. The flavour is peppery and resembles garden cress; petals are milder. Use only unsprayed plants grown for consumption.
- Care
- Sow in pots or directly into warmed soil. Provide sun and well-drained soil that is not excessively rich. Plant young, hardened-off plants outside once the risk of frost has passed. Water at the base during dry weather.
- Harvest and flowering
- Pick fresh flowers just before use. For sowing seed, allow a few flowers to develop and collect the ripe seeds before they fall to the ground.
Discover varieties and growth habits
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
Empress of India
Dark foliage with intensely red flowers.
Use: Flowers and leaves of correctly identified Tropaeolum majus are edible. The flavour is peppery and resembles garden cress; petals are milder. Use only unsprayed plants grown for consumption.
Use of the species; this selection has been developed around colour, shape or growing characteristics.View growing and harvesting →Place in my garden
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
Alaska
Cream-variegated foliage with mixed flower colours.
Use: Flowers and leaves of correctly identified Tropaeolum majus are edible. The flavour is peppery and resembles garden cress; petals are milder. Use only unsprayed plants grown for consumption.
Use of the species; this selection has been developed around colour, shape or growing characteristics.View growing and harvesting →Place in my garden
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
Jewel of Africa
Climbing choice with striking variegated foliage.
Use: Flowers and leaves of correctly identified Tropaeolum majus are edible. The flavour is peppery and resembles garden cress; petals are milder. Use only unsprayed plants grown for consumption.
Use of the species; this selection has been developed around colour, shape or growing characteristics.View growing and harvesting →Place in my gardenChoose your way to grow
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
Over a climbing frame
Create a vertical flower wall.
- Choose a trailing type and install a fine frame.
- Sow or plant at the sunny base.
- Guide young shoots loosely; do not constrict leaf stalks.
Jewel of Africa and other trailing types.
Over a container edge
Let leaves and flowers spill outwards.
- Use a pot or container with holes.
- Plant at the edge and keep the watering point accessible.
- Check regularly whether the rootball is drying out.
Trailing types; the more compact Alaska for shorter overhang.
A variety for your position
Empress of India combines dark leaves with red. Alaska puts cream-variegated foliage centre stage. Jewel of Africa uses that variegation on long vines: useful for a taller support or a large hanging cascade. The difference therefore lies in the space the plant eventually occupies, as well as the colour on the packet.
How to guide the tendrils
Add support before broad growth. Use thin slats or mesh gripped by leaf stalks. Guide young shoots gently; never forcibly untangle older plants. Pots beside edges may trail freely. Leave enough bottom access for watering.
Look at the plant
Inspect leaf undersides for aphids and substantial caterpillar damage. Some visitors belong in living gardens; severely affected pots need attention. Promise no total vegetable-pest protection from this flower. Choose growth, colour and edible flowers where appropriate to enrich the garden.
Harvesting and saving seed
Pick with clean fingers and inspect flowers for insects. Save seed dry, cool and labelled. Offspring can differ, so retain original names for special colours in journals too. Next year deliberately choose repeat purchases or the surprise of saved seed.
Scent, flavour and use
Flowers and leaves of correctly identified Tropaeolum majus are edible. The flavour is peppery and resembles garden cress; petals are milder. Use only unsprayed plants grown for consumption.
Care, cutting and harvesting
Sow in pots or directly into warmed soil. Provide sun and well-drained soil that is not excessively rich. Plant young, hardened-off plants outside once the risk of frost has passed. Water at the base during dry weather.
Remove faded flowers for a tidy plant. Shorten trailing stems locally where they cover a path. Not a permanent winter plant: do not protect it as a hardy perennial species.
Pick fresh flowers just before use. For sowing seed, allow a few flowers to develop and collect the ripe seeds before they fall to the ground.
Cutting, caring and following the season
Remove faded flowers for a tidy plant. Shorten trailing stems locally where they cover a path. Not a permanent winter plant: do not protect it as a hardy perennial species.
Species information and annual cycle
- Space
- Recommended spacing is missing. Check the plant label or seed packet; unknown space does not count as free space.
- Soil
- No pH range supported by sources is included. Test your soil and follow species and variety guidance.
- Season
- An indicative growth estimate is included; actual development still needs checking.
- Care
- Guide advice is available; the automatic species task matrix is not yet complete. Check the plant regularly and plan a task yourself if needed.
What you need
Tick what you already have. The extras depend on how you grow.
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Make it your garden
Save your favourite variety or add it to My garden. Your own observations determine the growth stage; care tasks are based on the species.
Add Nasturtium to my gardenExplore more flowersSources and image information
SeedSteps editorial team · checked on 13 October 2026. Flavour descriptions come from the listed sources; ripeness and growing conditions affect flavour. AI images illustrate described characteristics and do not prove cultivar identity.
- World Checklist of Vascular Plants — 4 juni 2026Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · 2026-10-07
- Annual nasturtiums: growing guideRHS · 2026-10-13
- Edible flowersRoyal Horticultural Society · 2026-10-13
- Seed catalogue: nasturtiums and delphiniumsChiltern Seeds · 2026-10-13