Agastache foeniculum is a perennial herb that tastes as good as it looks. As popular in the border as they are in the herb garden, they are perhaps one of the most gratifying plants you can grow. Organic Seed.
Patience sorrel ‘Volare’ is the mildest of all the sorrels. One of the first frost-tolerant greens to appear in early spring, the leaves have a mild lemon flavour with a taste and texture that is nearer to spinach than other sorrels.
'Black Magic' is an improved Italian Black Kale, more cold tolerant, vigorous and slower-to-bolt than other Italian kales. They form an easy-to-harvest rosette of very dark, savoyed leaves with a flavour that is rich and mild.
If there's one plant that can inject a little razzle-dazzle into the border during gloomy late summers it is Helenium. From late July 'Helena' blooms with masses of vibrant blooms. Very hardy and easy to grow, all this plant needs is sunshine and well-drained soil.
Gardeners are often looking for good solid perennials that will have attractive flowers, be easy to take care of, grow nicely but not take over the garden. One group of plants that should be considered is the Veronicas.
Japanese Anemones bloom with gently cupped flowers in white through pale pink into pinkish purple. Blooming from August to late October, they help push the show into autumn and provide colour when most gardens begin to fade.
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Lady Grisel Hamilton’ is a subtle and lovely sweet pea, that boasts long stems of delicate lavender blooms, she has all the heady fragrance of her old fashioned compatriots.
This rare and lovely foxglove is one of the very best in cultivation. Digitalis obscura, the Sunset Foxglove has striking bell-shaped blooms in all the colours of the sunset. Rusty orange and amber with red veining.
Quick to grow and beautiful to look at, Radish 'Rainbow Mixed' is a visually stunning selection of coloured radishes. A very exciting sight to see when picked and an excellent choice for salads and gourmet dishes.
A justifiably popular plant. Phlomis russeliana blooms with dramatic whorls of hooded, soft yellow flowers on tall, erect stems. Each plant can contain as many as fifty individual blooms creating a magnificent candelabra effect.
Worldwide, Antirrhinum is one of the most important 'summer cut-flowers' grown from seed. Adored by florists and gardeners alike and available in a rich range of single colours, they are cultivated as an annual or as a biennial.
Chicory Variegata di Castelfranco has a beautiful form with wavy leaves that are flecked with purple. Incredibly hardy and totally invaluable, this traditional variety is one of the easiest to grow at any time in the year.
Offering the finest colours in mauves and smokey tones, Papaver 'Mother of Pearl' blooms with single flowers in dove greys, blackberry, lavender and opalescent shadowy tints. They are the easiest thing to establish.
Upright, fast and frilly, Mustard ‘F1 Red Dragon’ is a mild mustard with beautifully patterned purple and green, lime green petioles and purple veining. An excellent choice for early spring right through to late autumn cropping.
Sometimes referred to as Perilla 'Britton' and called ‘Hojiso’ in Japan, this less typical form has beautiful bi-coloured leaves. The serrated, red-veined leaves are green on top and deep purple-red underneath.
Dianthus superbus 'Spooky' is a hybrid variety that blooms with exquisite long-petaled blooms. Brighter than the species and divinely delicate, the flowers emit an unforgettable fragrance both night and day.
The spectacular Dianthus ‘King of the Blacks’ have the darkest of purple-red blooms. Ruffled and sweetly fragrant, they will provide a continuous harvest of blooms for cutting from April until September.
Spinach, like most leafy greens are on the ‘easy to grow’ list of home gardening 'F1 Chevelle' is even easier than most. Slow to bolt, it is an excellent variety for late spring and summer sowings.
Alcea ficifolia is a most impressive plant, reliably perennial, it produces many upright stems resulting in a bushy form. The 'Henry Vlll' series produce huge, saucer shaped flowers that grow up to 15cm (6in) wide.
Sweet Williams are one of those lovely old-fashioned flowers, easy to grow and famous for their delicious spicy-scent. The Auricula-eyed Group are irresistible, dense clusters of flowers in dark tapestry rubies, fuchsia, scarlet, purple and white.
