Dame's Rocket is a true biennial that grows wild throughout the U.S. My neighborhood goes wild with it—every other year. But at least one gardener of my acquaintance grows it as a garden flower, and Xenia Fields recommends it as well, so there you are.

The flowers greatly resemble phlox, but actually, dame's rocket is a member of the mustard family. Spent flowers leave behind long seed pods, characteristic of the mustard plant.

Bloom period is spring and early summer, after which the plant dies back. The showy flowers come in purple, pink, and white, and are mildly fragrant in the evening. A perfect addition to a natural or wildflower garden.