Heritage Varieties

French Bean 'Red Swan' is an heirloom stringless bean with burgundy red pods. The plants grow up to around 50cm tall and are highly productive, with good flavour the beans mature in just 50 to 60 days. For a regular and steady supply of beautiful beans, sow a few seeds every couple of weeks, from April to July.

French Bean 'Blauhilde' well known German heritage variety that produces attractive purple-skinned pods that have excellent flavour. The entire plant is pretty, purple flowers and purple stems, they produce myriads of flowers from which large, long 20 to 25cm (8 to 10in), fleshy and stringless pods develop.

Grano Violetto is a unique and colourful early maturing broad bean. This very hardy variety is suitable for sowing from October. The plants grow to 90cm tall and are highly productive even at the lower parts of the plant. Harvested while still green, the purple coloration appears once the beans are dried.

Holy basil, also called Tulsi or Sacred Basil is an ancient variety. It has highly aromatic, narrow oval leaves and pink flowers with a perfumed fragrance. This reddish-purple tinted plant exudes a delicious, sweet, clove-like aroma. The hotter the summer, the deeper the purple.

Sweet Genovese is often associated with Italian cuisine. Basil is native to the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. This delicate herb has with an intense, spicy-sweet, aroma and a slight anise-like undertone. It is THE Basil for pesto and a wonderful companion plant.

Lettuce leaf basil is a popular old Italian variety, a large leafed variety of Sweet Basil and one of the most productive of all basils. With very large, crinkled and highly aromatic leaves, it adds the texture of leaf lettuce while packing a tasty basil flavour to brighten up your summer sandwiches.

Considered one of the best by gourmets and gardeners alike, Aubergine 'Rosa Bianca' is a gorgeous variety with a delicate, mild flavour, creamy consistency. The fruits are produced in abundance, have a meaty flesh and a delicate flavour. They are both lovely to look at and lovely to eat.

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.

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.