Plant record

Nasturtium

Tropaeolum majus

Nasturtium is a little wild in the best way. It tumbles, blooms, feeds bees, and gives the bed a peppery edge.

Rankspeciesreviewed
GenusTropaeolumTropaeolaceae
Species anchorTropaeolum majusThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score88/100deep plant record

Garden timing

Direct sow after frost; nick or soak seed if germination is slow.

Plant intelligence

Use compact forms inside the bed and trailing forms on a corner where they can spill.

cut flowerpollinatoredge planttrap cropcontainer

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: mounding or trailing annual flower

Height: 8-18 inches

Spread: 12-48 inches

Germination: 7-14 days

Sow depth: 0.5 inches

Bloom: summer, fall

Attracts: bees

Record score

88/100deep plant record
Taxonomy confidence94Tropaeolum majus in Tropaeolaceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness861 per square with none support.
Timing and care depth791 planting window, 55F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down1003 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90moderate pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificTropaeolum majusFamilyTropaeolaceaeLookup namesNasturtium, Tropaeolum majus, garden nasturtium

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit1 per square
86Use compact forms inside the bed and trailing forms on a corner where they can spill. Support: none.
Season behaviortender
79Direct sow. One main planting.
Care loadmoderate water
80Very rich soil favors leaves over flowers. Trailing types need edge space. Soil minimum 55F.
Bed ecosystem rolecut flower, pollinator
90moderate pollinator value; orange, yellow, red, cream.
Variety depth3 options
100Mounding types are easier in a grid; trailing types are lovely but need permission to roam.

Species and variety notes

Mounding types are easier in a grid; trailing types are lovely but need permission to roam.

Jewel Mixmix
86small-bed fit

The sensible mixed-bed nasturtium.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

compact, bright flowers, easy55-70 days10-16 inches tall
Alaskaseries
70small-bed fit

A tidy nasturtium with foliage pretty enough to earn its square.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

variegated foliage, mounding, edible flowers55-70 days10-14 inches tall
Trailing Singlegroup
70small-bed fit

Use where the plant can tumble out, not into the carrots.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: needs permission to leave the square.

spilling, long vines, edge only60-75 days8-12 inches tall

Companions

cucumber, squash, radish, cabbage

Cautions

Very rich soil favors leaves over flowers.

Trailing types need edge space.

External enrichment

Cached name: Tropaeolum majus. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

USDA PLANTS Database

Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.

Source reference

GBIF Species API

Accepted scientific names, taxonomy matching, and occurrence context.

Source reference

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