Marigold is a warm season annual that gets more popular later than earlier in its season. It is prominent for autumn but does not last for long into winter. Stock, Matthiola incana, is a cool season annual for the opposite extreme of the year. It is popular for late winter and spring but may not perform well into summer warmth. It is unreliable as a perennial here.
Stock bloom can be white, or rich shades or pastels of purple, red, pink, yellow or cream. Most bloom is double, but some is single. Floral fragrance is alluringly rich and complex. It resembles that of carnation, but is notably stronger. The narrow leaves are oblong with pastel grayish green color. Removal of deteriorating bloom promotes subsequent bloom.
Garden varieties of stock are quite different from florist varieties. For home gardens, most popular stock is relatively compact, and blooms freely. Florist stock is taller, and tends to bloom abundantly but at about the same time. In home gardens, florist stock may require staking if it grows as tall as three feet. Home garden stock may grow no taller than a foot.
Tony Tomeo 
That is a lovely photo of them. Wish I could smell them!
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They were on a reception counter at work that is comparable to a reception counter at a resort. I typically avoid it, particularly while dirty from work, but someone who works there had a horticultural issue about the landscape outside. They do not purchase fancy flowers from florists, but typically display flowers from their home gardens, or simple supermarket flowers that look splendid when displayed properly. I find their flowers to be more gratifying than they would be if they were from a florist, . . . although florists do great work also.
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I feel the same way – a bunch of flowers from my own garden is simply more satisfying than a florist’s, although I’d never say no to a bought bouquet!
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I love stock! Sadly, so do the various creatures around my yard. One year, something climbed up the stairs to our deck, then somehow got up to the railing where the pot of stock was, and nibbled away! I guess the scent, which I love, was strong and tempting to them too!
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Oh! That is awful! Why can they not be so attracted to weeds?! Some weeds probably taste better! Some gardens make stock seem so easy. In my former garden, I needed to water it like any other bedding plant, which is why I did not grow much of it. It seems to do well in coastal climates near here, but I do not notice it in large beds much anymore. Instead, it is mixed modestly with a few other flowers, which (I think) is even prettier.
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