Perennials: Hesperis matronalis 'White'

description for "Perennials: Hesperis matronalis 'White'"

'White' Sweet Rocket has been prized by generations past. This biennial has escaped the garden to grow happily in damp thickets. The epitome of an old-fashioned flower; the evening scented blooms are redolent of clove and violet, hence its other name, 'Dames' Violet'. Marie Antoinette was enamored of the double white and while in prison, "The concierge daily brought her bunches of pinks, sweet rockets and tuberoses, an act of gentleness for which she herself was imprisoned and eventually released." Grow Sweet Rocket 'White' in mass with old roses. Self sows. Listed in a 1838 catalog.