Tropaeolum majus 'Baby Formula Mix' (Nasturtium)

Nasturtium is one of the most genuinely useful plants you can grow in an Oregon coast garden. The flowers are peppery, slightly sweet, and edible straight from the plant, and they hold up beautifully as garnishes, tossed into salads, or floated in summer drinks. The round, umbrella-shaped leaves carry the same peppery bite and add a bold, graphic quality to green salads. The seeds, picked young and green, are often brined as a substitute for capers, sharp and tangy, with enough punch to stand up in vinaigrettes and compound butters.

'Baby Formula Mix' produces compact plants, reaching about 12 inches tall and up to 18 inches wide, making it a tidy choice for borders, containers, or the edges of a kitchen bed. The mix carries flowers in warm shades of orange, yellow, and red, often with streaked or bicolor petals. The blooms are continuous through the season, and in the mild, moisture-retaining conditions of the coast, nasturtium commonly reseeds itself year after year.

Nasturtium actually performs better in poor to average soil. Rich soil produces abundant lush foliage at the expense of flowers.