Tropaeolum minus
dwarf nasturtium
A bushy annual, up to 50cm high, with rounded, shield-shaped ('peltate') leaves up to 8cm across, edged with tiny teeth where the veins meet the leaf margin. Rich orange or reddish orange flowers, with pointed tips to the petals and sometimes with purple veins or with red blotches at the base, are borne singly in the leaf axils from early summer into autumn
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Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metresTime to ultimate height
1 yearUltimate spread
0.1–0.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Well–drained, Moist but well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Orange Red | Green | ||
| Autumn | Orange Red | Green | ||
| Winter |
Position
- Full sun
- Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H3Botanical details
- Family
- Tropaeolaceae
- Native to the UK
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy
- Potentially harmful
- Skin allergen. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
- Genus
Tropaeolum can be annuals or perennials, bushy, trailing or climbing by twining stems, with simple or palmately lobed leaves and showy funnel-shaped flowers with five long-clawed petals and often a spur
- Name status
Correct
How to grow
Cultivation
Best grown in poor, well-drained soil; if the soil is too rich foliage will be produced at the expense of flowers. Will tolerate light shade but flowering is better in full sun
Propagation
Propagate by seed, sown under glass in spring and planted out after danger of frost has passed. May self-seed in place in good conditions, but germination is often too late to produce good flowers
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- Gravel garden
- Patio and container plants
- Rock garden
- Banks and slopes
- Flower borders and beds
- Wall side borders
Pruning
No pruning required. Deadhead to encourage further flowers
Pests
May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly and glasshouse red spider mite and whitefly
Diseases
May be susceptible to virus diseases
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