Sweet rocket, a herbaceous plant from Europe gained its name from its intensive scent that floods the garden in the evening. The fragrance similar to lilac scent is the reason why it has been cultivated all over the world. Although this plant is a biannual, short-lived perennial, its ability to spread by roots and self-seeding caused it to be banned and illegal to sow, sell or move in some parts of America and some European countries. 

Hesperis is a plant that likes well-drained soil in full sun or semi-shade. It can tolerate drought but in a very hot climates it prefers shaded places. It grows very well in neutral to alkaline soil and can survive strong winters with temperatures up to -20°C. Having Hesperis in the garden will bring butterflies, bees, and moths. It contains high amounts of essential oils in seeds and the plant is edible. Leaves contain high amounts of vitamin C and are also known as diuretic and diaphoretic. 

A sweet rocket, like many biannual plants, grows only foliage in its first year. Germination from seeds takes 21-28 days so seeds should be sown in pots in early spring and transplanted to the bed in late summer. Next spring plants will start forming hairy stems that reach up to 150cm(4.9ft) in height. Stems are covered in long leaves that are wider in the middle forming a small belly on the leaf. They are hairy and give a rough almost tingly sensation when touched.

Flowers are located on racemes that add 30cm of height to the plant. Flowers have 4 petals and the color varies from white to pink and lavender. Some cultivated varieties can be bicolor. 

Flowers produce very strong fragrances, especially in the evening. They bloom from April to August depending on the climate where they are located. In my garden, they bloom until July, when the temperatures get too high and it usually stops blooming and starts drying. After blooming plant forms a seed pod that looks like a tiny pea pod. It can be up to 14cm long and has two rows of seeds. Once the seeds are ripe pods burst and seeds fall down giving the plant a chance to sow itself for next year. If you plan to collect seeds make sure to collect them before they dry completely because once the pods start bursting there is no real way to collect the seeds since they are very tiny and easily get lost. If you are looking for a “wild”, meadowy or even cottage look for your garden then Sweet rocket is the plant for you. It combines perfectly with columbines and Forget-me-not and baths the garden in a delicious fragrance each evening.

If you are more into a neat and tidy garden then you should be very careful with choosing this plant because it can be very hard to keep in the size and place you chose for her.