Nasturtium

Nasturtiums are versatile garden performers, cascading beautifully from hanging baskets or scrambling as groundcover. Their vibrant orange, yellow, and red blooms create stunning color displays from summer through fall. Use them to soften hard edges, fill gaps in borders, or create living walls on trellises. They're excellent companion plants in vegetable gardens, attracting beneficial insects while deterring aphids from other crops. Their round leaves add architectural interest.

Nasturtiums possess natural antibiotic properties due to high vitamin C and mustard oil compounds. Traditional medicine uses the leaves and flowers to treat respiratory infections, urinary tract issues, and minor wounds. The plant acts as a natural expectorant for bronchitis and coughs. Fresh leaves can be crushed and applied to minor cuts as an antiseptic. The seeds have been used historically as a natural antibiotic, though professional medical consultation is always recommended.

Every part of the nasturtium is edible with a distinctive peppery flavor similar to watercress. Fresh flowers make colorful salad garnishes and can be stuffed with soft cheese. Young leaves add zest to sandwiches and pesto. Unopened flower buds and green seeds can be pickled as 'poor man's capers.' The flowers can be frozen in ice cubes for decorative drinks or crystallized for cake decorations.

Nasturtiums serve as trap crops, luring aphids away from vegetables. They attract hoverflies, whose larvae devour aphids, and provide nectar for bees and hummingbirds. The plants act as living mulch, suppressing weeds and retaining soil moisture. They're excellent for poor soils, thriving without fertilization. Nasturtiums can indicate soil health - lush foliage suggests high nitrogen, while abundant flowers indicate balanced nutrition. They self-seed readily, naturalizing in suitable climates.

Nasturtiums feature distinctive round, shield-shaped leaves with radiating veins and central stem attachment (peltate). Flowers have five petals with a prominent spur containing nectar, typically in warm colors. Plants grow as bushy mounds (dwarf varieties) or trailing vines reaching 10 feet. Leaves and stems are succulent and brittle. The entire plant has a peppery scent when crushed. Seeds are large, wrinkled, and triangular, resembling tiny brains.

Nasturtiums are herbaceous annuals with soft, water-filled stems completely unsuitable for any construction or timber purposes. They contain no woody tissue and decompose rapidly after frost. Their stems are hollow and fragile, breaking easily under minimal pressure. The plant's value lies entirely in ornamental, culinary, and ecological applications rather than any structural use. They can, however, be used in biomass composting to enrich soil for growing actual timber species.

The name 'nasturtium' means 'nose-twister' in Latin, referring to its peppery bite. They were brought to Europe from Peru by Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s. During WWII, nasturtium seeds were ground as a pepper substitute during shortages. The flowers exhibit nyctinasty, closing at night or in cloudy weather. Thomas Jefferson grew them at Monticello. In the Victorian language of flowers, nasturtiums symbolized conquest and victory in battle.