Tropaeolum majus 'Empress of India'.
A pearl of Victorian English horticulture. The Empress of India variety was released in 1884, eight years after Queen Victoria was officially proclaimed Empress of India (1876) — a title that crowned the apogee of British rule in India and was on every English-garden tongue at the time. But the nasturtium itself is a distant traveller: native to the high Andean plateaus of Peru and Ecuador, it was brought back to Spain by the conquistadors in the 16th century, fascinated by these red flowers that recalled to them the helmets and shields of their own armour.
The Latin name Tropaeolum comes, by the way, from the Greek tropaion, "trophy," in reference to that resemblance to enemy armour pieces planted on a stake as a symbol of victory. Linnaeus also gave it, by confusion, the genus name "Nasturtium" (which actually designates watercress), because its peppery, mustardy flavour recalled that of cress leaves.
Compact and well-held (30 cm tall, without invasive runners unlike several other nasturtiums), the Empress of India variety offers a striking visual contrast that makes it one of the most elegant: dark blue-green almost waxy foliage, against which stand out flowers of a deep crimson red — vibrant, almost velvety. Everything is edible, and everything is full of peppery, mustardy flavour: tender leaves added raw to a salad (juicy texture, sharp taste that rivals arugula), whole flowers as a spectacular garnish on a dish or dessert, in a sandwich, or stuffed with fresh cheese as apéritif bites; and flower buds and young green seeds, pickled in vinegar as garden "capers" (the authentic North American homemade caper, indistinguishable from the real thing on smoked salmon). Draws hummingbirds and acts as a trap plant for aphids, which prefer it to neighbouring vegetables — hence its reputation as an ideal companion in the vegetable garden.
Grower's tip: Fast, easy germination (7 to 14 days), few demands. Direct-sow in place after the last frost — nasturtium doesn't like being moved. Counter-intuitive advice: don't over-fertilize. Poor soil gives lots of flowers and few leaves; soil too rich does the reverse, and you end up with a plant lush in foliage and stingy with flowers. To save the seeds and replant the following year, let a few flowers go to seed at season's end — they drop to the ground and germinate on their own the following spring. Nasturtium self-seeds generously once established.
- Open-pollinated. Annual. Bee- and hummingbird-pollinated; few crossings to fear.
- Height: 25 to 30 cm, compact habit.
- Flowering: June to September, until first frost.
- Exposure: full sun; part shade accepted.
- Ordinary to poor, well-drained soil. Above all, not too rich in nitrogen. Space plants 25 to 30 cm apart.
- Direct-sow as soon as the soil can be worked (mid-May in Québec). Tolerates cold poorly but settles in quickly as soon as warmth arrives. Self-seeds generously.
