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Agastache foeniculum is a perennial herb that tastes as good as it looks and are as popular in the border as they are in the herb garden. They are excellent design plants, exhibiting a strong vertical accent for the perennial border. Bees hold an undisputed attraction for the flowers, the colour, shape and copious amounts of nectar are among their favourites. This is perhaps one of the most gratifying plants you can grow.

Alexanders are an ancient food source, cultivated for many centuries. This biennial wild flower, with dark green, shiny leaves and umbels of yellow-green flowers can be grown as an ornamental or can be put to use as a culinary herb or spice, the flavour is said to be similar to myrrh.

Until a few years ago you would never have seen wild garlic on a menu, but these days is definitely a chefs' favourite. The whole plant is edible, the flavour is softer, more pleasant than cloves from garlic bulbs. The leaves have a vibrant colour that brings food to life, use sparingly in salads, or add to sauces and dressings. It also makes splendid pesto.

Amaranth 'Green Giant' is a vigorous selection that produces slightly savoyed, large mid green leaves. The popular Calaloo in Caribbean cuisine, the leaves have a mild spinach flavour and can be harvested when plants are just 20cm tall.

Amaranth 'Passion' has attractive oval, mid-green leaves that are streaked through with shades of red and purple. Easy to grow and tolerant of wide-ranging conditions. Its soft leaves are a great addition to salads and, like spinach they melt delectably when cooked. The plants are very ornamental and also look good in the border

Most gardeners are familiar with ornamental amaranth, but few realise that this plant is a delicious nutritional powerhouse. In the hot summer months, when growing spinach is near impossible, amaranth thrives. A favorite with chefs, Amaranth tricolor ‘Red Army’ is an intense cherry red selection with a delicate pea-like flavour. Use at babyleaf stage for salad or garnish, or leave to mature for steamed vegetable or soups.

Angelica archangelica is a majestic plant that deserves a prominent position at the back of a border or in a wild part of the garden. All parts of the aromatic plant have culinary or medicinal uses, but it is best known for its candied stems, used as a cake decoration.

Anise, Pimpinella anisum is one of the oldest known herbs, famous for its liquorice flavour it has assumed a popular stature for both its culinary uses and in herbal medicine. Use seeds for flavouring cookies, pastries, and confections and the leaves fresh in salads and soups.

Large and tasty heads of green buds have made Green Globe one of the most popular varieties of Artichoke. They are perennial plants and will produce more heads with each successive year. This old heirloom variety is a great delicacy, steam or boil and serve with melted lemon butter or hollandaise sauce.

Earlier and hardier than most varieties, Asparagus 'Precoce D'Argentuil’ is an excellent choice for the impatient gardener. Highly esteemed for its thick, rose-purple spears with tender tips and an excellent flavour. In France it is the traditional variety used to create the popular white asparagus.

Mary Washington is one of the most popular of all heirloom asparagus varieties and is an excellent choice for the garden. The delicious spears are tender, thick, heavy and straight and are of a rich dark green colour with a purple tinge. Produces uniform spears and a heavy yield.

Black Beauty has long been popular with home gardeners. An excellent quality variety, early to mature it gives and abundant crop of tasty fruits that are clear of the ground. Early and prolific, it will be ready to harvest in 78 days, the sturdy plants produce high yields of glossy, purple-black, pear-shaped fruit.

Aubergine 'Emerald Isle F1' is an unique variety bred specifically for container production. Its compact habit makes it a perfect choice for mixed flower and vegetable planters. It is a prolific variety that produces pale green fruits with dark green veining should be harvested when 7 to 10cm in size.

Aubergine 'Giotto F1' produces rounded oval fruits of a glossy dark violet colour. It is an excellent variety for indoor or outdoor cultivation. This disease resistant variety has upright foliage that aids ventilation. It also has good resistance to handling marks and oxidation when cut.

Aubergine 'Kaberi F1' is a small fruited, compact bush variety of aubergine, ideal for use in containers. It forms an abundance of beautiful, dark purple-black, oval-round fruits. Typically 50 to 60 grams in weight they are at their best when harvested when the fruits are small, just slightly bigger than an egg.