Stock

Stock flowers are native to Southwestern Greece and the Mediterranean. Sometimes called gillyflower or Virginia stock, they can vary in color, but they are most often available in shades of purple, blue, pink, and white.

Each stem of a stock flower will have rows of deep green leaves that blossom with rows and rows of four-petaled flowers. While their scent is most often described as sweet, it also has a spicy, herbal quality to it as well.

The stock flower’s Latin name is Matthiola and comes from the surname of an Italian doctor and botanist in the 16th century. He believed that these sweetly scented flowers might have medicinal properties that encouraged love. In the Victorian era, the stock flower symbolized everlasting beauty and deep bonds of affection.