Dames Rocket – Violet

The Dames Rocket flower resembles phlox, but it belongs to the mustard family.  It is native to Eurasia and has an appealing fragrance that is more pungent in the evening than during the day.  Heavy fertilizer and moist, well-drained soil will help nurture this flower.  Dames Rocket should be fall planted in an area where it will receive full sun or partial shade.  Fall planting can lead to an early spring bloom in this flower’s first spring, though by its second there will be many more blossoms.  This flower is a short-lived perennial and can reseed itself if the seeds make direct contact with the soil.

*Most perennials will not bloom the first year they are planted.  They establish a plant the first year and then bloom the second and every year after that.  Annuals will give you color the first year you plant them and then can reseed themselves if they like where they are growing.   This is why perennials tend to be more expensive.  It takes twice as long to get seed off of the plant than an annual when initially planting.

** This seed is considered an invasive species in many states and should not be planted in:  Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Utah, Alaska and Wisconsin, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. 

The broadcast rate for seeding is 16 – 20 pounds per acre.

The seed drill rate for seeding in rows is 8 pounds per acre.