Stock Incana Hot Cakes Hot Rose

Stock Incana Hot Cakes Hot Rose Seeds

Matthiola incana Hot Cakes Hot Rose is part of the Hot Cakes series by PanAmerican Seed, a compact, selectable bedding stock series designed for early color, excellent fragrance, and outstanding performance in landscapes and garden beds. Unlike the tall-stemmed Iron and Early Iron cut flower series, Hot Cakes is a dwarf bedding type bred specifically for containers, packs, and ornamental garden use, producing branched, mounded plants densely covered in double blooms from early in the season.
The Hot Rose color within the series delivers a vivid, warm rose-pink that is brighter and more intense than a standard rose, bringing high visual impact to bedding displays and mixed container arrangements. The fully double blooms are richly fragrant, a defining characteristic of Matthiola that makes this series especially valued for patio and balcony plantings where its scent can be fully appreciated.
A key production advantage of Hot Cakes is its easy seedling selectability. Double-flowering plants can be identified at the cotyledon stage by leaf color: pale green cotyledons indicate double-flowering plants, while darker green cotyledons indicate singles. By selecting only the pale green seedlings, growers can ensure a fully double crop without any single-flowered plants reaching the final planting stage.

Variety Details

• Series: Hot Cakes
• Breeder: PanAmerican Seed
• Type: Selectable bedding stock (dwarf, compact)
• Flower form: Fully double
• Selectability: Easy cotyledon-stage selection (pale green = double, dark green = single)
• Common name: Selectable Bedding Stock
• Fragrance: Strong

Key Features

• Easy cotyledon-stage selectability for fully double plants.
• Vivid hot rose-pink, bright and high impact.
• Very well-branched, dwarf, mounded plants densely covered in double blooms.
• Strong fragrance — exceptional for containers, patios, and balconies..
• Outstanding performance in landscapes and garden beds.

Plant Information

• Height: 25–40 cm
• Spread: 15–20 cm
• Plant type: Annual
• Flowering: First year, early
• Sun: Full sun
• Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil, pH 5.8–6.2
• Water: Moderate

Seed Germination and Seedling Selection

• Seed depth: Cover seed — do not surface sow
• Germination time: 3–4 days to first germination, full completion within one week
• Ideal germination temperature: 20–22°C

Growing Tips

• Sow seeds into well-drained germination medium at pH 5.8–6.2 and cover lightly with medium vermiculite.
• Maintain even moisture and a temperature of 18–21°C during the first ten days. After germination is complete, move seedlings to a well-lit area with good ventilation and reduce temperature to 16°C during the day and 10°C at night.
• When seedlings reach two pairs of true leaves, they are ready for transplanting.
• Never delay transplanting as the Early Iron series initiates buds earlier than standard stock varieties and delays will reduce final stem quality.
• Plant 12.5 x 12.5 cm apart in a sunny, well-drained bed at pH 6.0–7.0.
• After transplanting, maintain daytime temperatures below 21°C and nighttime temperatures between 10–15°C. Flower bud initiation requires nighttime temperatures below 15–18°C sustained for 10–21 days.
• Under Gulf winter conditions this requirement is naturally met from October through February, making Early Iron particularly reliable during this window.
• Provide adequate watering until flower buds become visible, then reduce gradually toward harvest.
• Unlike many traditional stock varieties, Early Iron does not require late-season drying conditions to produce tight stems, so maintaining slightly higher moisture levels throughout the crop will support better stem length and quality.
• Use calcium nitrate-based fertilizers and avoid ammonium or urea-based products, as these promote softer growth and thinner stems.
• Provide supporting nets from an early stage and add additional netting as plants grow upward. Spray preventatively for aphids and moths and monitor for Botrytis, Downy Mildew, and Sclerotium throughout the crop cycle.

Gulf Planting Season

• Best sowing time in the Gulf: September – October (indoor nursery)
• Transplanting: October – November
• Expected flowering: December – March

Garden and Floral Uses

• Container and pot displays
• Garden beds and borders
• Patio and balcony fragrance plantings
• Short-stem cut flower arrangements
• Mixed ornamental bedding