Tropaeolum minus

RHS Plant Profile

dwarf nasturtium

Other common names

Indian-cress, small tropaeolum, yellow Larke's-heeles

Annual Biennial

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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

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1 year
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand

Moisture: Well–drained or Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H3

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Tropaeolaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: 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