Sweet rocket (Dame’s rocket)

Hesperis matronalis

European biennial or short-lived perennial brassica with branched stems of four-petalled mauve, pink, or white flowers carrying an intense evening fragrance — strongest after sunset.

Hardiness ratings

Sweet rocket (Dame’s rocket) hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 4–9 −34.4 °C to −1.1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H6 −20 °C to −15 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 4–8 −29 °C to −1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–5 −15 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Plant in cottage gardens and woodland edges — evening fragrance carries on still summer nights
  • Behaves as a biennial or short-lived perennial, allow self-seeding to perpetuate
  • WARNING: Listed INVASIVE in many US states and parts of Canada — escapes garden plantings to displace native woodland flora, do not plant in North America
  • Within its native European range, a classic cottage-garden evening-fragrance plant

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Sweet rocket (Dame’s rocket) against your zones

Reference

Sweet rocket (Dame’s rocket) on Wikipedia