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Brassicaceae
Sweet Rocket
Hesperis matronalis
Evening fragrance, deceit, fleeting joy.
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Genus
- Hesperis
- Native to
- Europe, Western Asia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Early-Summer
- Type
- Biennial or short-lived perennial
- Height
- 60–120 cm (2–4 ft)
- Sunlight
- Part shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 3–8
- Lifespan
- Biennial
Did you know
- Also called 'dame's rocket,' sweet rocket is famous for releasing its sweet violet-clove fragrance only in the evening—the flowers have no scent at all in midday sun.
- The genus name 'Hesperis' comes from the Greek for 'evening'—a perfect botanical pun for a flower that wakes up at dusk to attract long-tongued moths.
- Sweet rocket is often mistaken for phlox—both have similar flower shapes and colors, but rocket has 4 petals (it's a mustard family member) while phlox has 5.
- Marie Antoinette grew sweet rocket in her gardens at the Petit Trianon—she insisted on the white form, which she said glowed in the moonlight 'like a thousand small ghosts.'
- Despite its old-fashioned cottage charm, sweet rocket is now considered an invasive species across much of the eastern United States, where it has escaped gardens and naturalized in moist meadows.
Color meanings
0
evening fragrance
1
rivalry
2
fleeting joy