Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus Alaska Apricot) - Excellent selection of this Alaska separate color with bright Apricot flowers held above variagated foliage. Alaska Apricot is a mounding variety only reaching 12 inches in height. It is also a quick grower blooming heavily by early summer and keeps on going until the weather turns cold.

Warm apricot-colored flowers are held above handsome foliage. Alaska Apricot nasturtium produces small, beautifully variegated leaves which are the perfect foil for the showy flowers. Blooms are held above the leaves for optimal viewing. Alaska Apricot nasturtium plants are compact and tidy.

Nasturtiums also makes a fine companion to vegetables in the garden by attracting bees and repelling destructive pests, particularly around Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, mustard and collard greens, etc.). Alaska Apricot Nasturtium is also useful as a barrier planting around your tomatoes and cucumbers, and some gardeners find it a helpful pest deterrent when ringed around young fruit trees.

Nasturtium is easy to grow from seed. Nick or soak the seeds before sowing. Then direct sow into the garden or the final container in which they will grow, or start them indoors 5 to 6 weeks before the last anticipated spring frost in your area. Expect germination to take a week or so. The Nasturtium plants need full sun for best flowering; they will grow in part shade, but the blooms will not be as numerous or large. Poor soil often works better than rich for promoting bloom strength.