Tropaeolum majus nanum Salmon Baby

The 'Salmon Baby' Dwarf Nasturtium is an annual plant of small stature, bushy in habit, and is distinguished by the beauty of its salmon-pink to orange-coloured flowers. Its beautiful funnel-shaped, frilly flowers, single to semi-double, bloom for weeks. They are perfectly complemented by the dark green foliage. With its short stems, this selection is ideal for growing in pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Its flowers add colour to summer salads, while its leaves provide a hint of spiciness. It is also a very useful plant in the vegetable garden, to be grown in full sun, in ordinary, moist, but well-drained soil.

The Tropaeolum majus is an annual climbing or creeping plant native to South America, belonging to the family Tropaeolaceae. It has given rise to numerous varieties and forms, some of which remain dwarf and compact. This is the case with 'Salmon Baby', which forms in one season a small, bushy clump measuring 30 cm (12in) in height and 35 cm (14in) in width. It blooms from June to September-October, producing numerous flowers of a good size with unequal and frilly petals, equipped with a spur, in salmon tones. In our climates, it is mainly pollinated by bumblebees. The flowering is followed by the formation of fruits containing seeds slightly smaller than peas, which are easy to sow. Plants grown from seeds may not necessarily be identical to the parent plant. The foliage of this variety 'Salmon Baby', elegant in appearance, is composed of round, peltate leaves with clear radiating veins, of a beautiful dark greenish-grey colour. It is a frost-tender plant that can be grown in open ground in coastal gardens where frosts are rare, protected from sea spray.

Plant Salmon Baby nasturtium in borders, rockeries, flower pots, or hanging baskets. Install it in the vegetable garden and orchard, where it will help eliminate pests harmful to your other crops while bringing freshness and cheerfulness to its humble companions. Nasturtium makes its way into the kitchen, its leaves and flowers can be added raw to salads, sauces, and mayonnaise. They have a spicy and aromatic flavour reminiscent of watercress. The flower buds and young fruits are sometimes preserved in vinegar, providing a substitute for capers. The superb salmon colour of 'Salmon Baby' pairs perfectly with white or blue blooms: to accompany it, consider annual lobelias, 'Snow Crystals' Alyssum, or 'Angelface Carrara White' Angelonia, for example.