The
single stock was a member of the gillyflower class of
flowers, which also included wallflowers, cloves and
carnations.
They
were grown in the garden in clumps or drifts where their
spicy scent was considered to be very refreshing.
Stocks
were sown in seed pans, or trays, in March and April
in light rich soil. Once the were growing well they
could be placed into cold frames to grow on, and then
planted out once the weather was warm enough. For long
lasting-blooms a bed of rich soil was needed, although
stocks could grow in almost kind of soil save the very
poorest.
Alternatively,
from the seed pans they could be planted out into pots,
three plants per five-inch pot.
