February

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Basil ‘Red Rubin’ is a purple version of Italian large leaf basil, a multi-purpose variety that is one of the mainstays of many herb gardens. Distinguished from other purple basils by its sweeter aroma and flavour, the rich, dark purple leaves are more consistent in colour than some of the other purple basils.

Blooming earlier than most varieties, Basil ‘Blue Spice’ is a heavily fragrant variety with flavours of vanilla, spice and lemon. The dark purple flower stems produce dense spikes of dark purple bracts with light purple flowers. Add the floral sweetness of their perfume, and you have a plant well worth including in any ornamental planting.

Basil Bush is a dwarf, compact variety, approximately half the size of sweet basil, it is ideal for planting in pots and probably the easiest basil to grow, it is perfect for the kitchen window sill and for container gardening.The leaves are smaller than sweet basil, with a slightly milder flavour. Tiny white flowers will appear in the summer.

The composition of oils varies greatly in different basil types, thus accounting for the wide range of scents available. True to its name, this Basil has a distinct cinnamon aftertaste, although it initially resembles sweet basil it has a cooler flavour. Use this herb just as you would use sweet basil.