One of the best night blooming plants. The fragrance is awesome! I would describe it as smelling like red licorice. The flowers are maroon colored on the back of the petals and so don't stand out in the daytime. Soon as it gets dark, they open white and really stand out.

Sow pinches of this amongst your other plants, they don't last very long so I sow them every 2-3 weeks starting early in the spring. Also noticed that they like sunlight on them to germinate, outside in place or in pots inside to move pots outside. They dont like transplanting much.

I'd recommend "evening scented stock", matthiola bicornis, over the zaluzianskya. The latter does smell like red licorice, and to me that was quite disappointing. The matthiola has a spicy scent, something like dianthus, only very strong and haunting at night, especially on a warm, humid night. It also looks much prettier, when grown in clumps.

I'm remembering the picture more than it growing in my garden. I think it's a cool weather annual. LaBella seems to have the answer with sowing several times in one season. I like Hesperis, even if it only last a few weeks at least I know it'll be back next year.

Is the night phlox really that short-lived? I have some seedlings that germinated almost two weeks ago.