The flowers have five petals and are spurred and come in cheerful reds, yellows, oranges and creams. The leaves are round with radial veins like fairy umbrellas. Nasturtiums survive in warm regions for several years and often self seed but are only reliably hardy in zones 8-11.
They are good in containers and withstand drought better than most annuals but do best in moist well-drained soil in full to part sun. If the soil is too rich they produce mainly leaves instead of flowers. They are susceptible to aphids, and cabbage moth caterpillars like them.