May

Some years ago, we knew kale as a hearty winter meal, suddenly its popularity soared and ‘Kale Madness’ erupted. Now available in all manner of shapes, sizes and colours. 'Scarlet Curled' Kale is a highly attractive and ultra-hardy variety, the leaves intensify in colour turning to violet-red after a few frosts.

With deeply cut, slate green oak-like leaves ‘Red Russian’ is one of the tenderest and sweetest kales available. Sow under cover in autumn for baby leaves after four to six weeks, or directly outdoors for over-wintering. This hardy crop can provide nutritious leaves even in the depths of winter.

Kale 'F1 Oldenbor' is a frost resistant medium-tall variety with beautiful medium-green coloured, finely curled leaves. Disease resistant with uniform plant growth, it is unsurpassed for extra-mild, sweet Kale tang. Ultra-hardy, it is suitable for autumn and winter harvest. 28 days for baby kale; 60 days mature.

Hyssop is a strong-flavoured aromatic herb which is enjoying a revival with home gardeners. An ideal plant for use in containers or as a low hedge or border within the herb garden. Highly attractive to bees, it makes excellent honey and is a must for any wildflower garden.

Hyssop, once recognised as a medicinal herb is enjoying a revival with home gardeners. An aromatic herb similar to rosemary or lavender, it makes an excellent low hedge and more unusual alternative to box. The plants are a dark, vibrant green with a spiky, upright habit and narrow tongue-like leaves. 'Pink' Hyssop sports vibrant, pink flowers.

Hyssopus officinalis 'Alba' is a much less well known variety of hyssop. Also known as 'White Hyssop' the plants sport bright white flowers from July to October. Widely used as a 'taste enhancing' herb or wildlife plant, the plants are a dark, vibrant green with a spiky, upright habit and narrow tongue-like leaves which have a peppery scent when stroked.

Good King Henry has been used as a vegetable for centuries and was once a common sight in every garden. Good King Henry may have lost his court and become something of a rarity today, but this unique herb has much to offer to the home or cottage gardener.

A relatively new vegetable in the English-speaking world but well-known in Asian cuisine, the flavour of garlic chives is more like garlic than chives, though much milder. Both leaves and the stalks of the flowers are used a stir fry ingredient. The flowers may also be used as a spice.

The green garden fennel is a handsome and popular perennial, often planted on its own for impact or combined with other flowers in borders. The airy feather foliage is crowned in late summer with large heads of tiny flowers. Both leaves and seeds are useful and seeds may be left to ripen as a crop.

Used in many culinary dishes, the leaves and seeds of Fennel have a sweet aroma and an aniseed flavour. The fine clouds of feathery, bronze-purple leaves are wonderful in the herb garden or among tall perennials and grasses. The foliage acts as a delicate veil through which flower heads of plants can be seen.

'Cornet de Bordeaux' is a very fine old French variety of endive that produces looser, wavier interior foliage that flares into a veritable cornet. The thick, buttery yellow leaves are very succulent and delicious, they have that special thick crunch of Italian endives, but with a sweeter flavour.

This fabulous range of Edible Flowers and Herbs give decorative petals and leaves for use as garnishes and flavourings. Some are spicy, and some herbaceous, while others are floral and fragrant, the range is surprising. They will bring a stunning finish to the food and drinks you that you love.

Dandelion is reviled by lawn manicurists yet, like Burdock, it is one of the most esteemed herbs in healing, the benefits are endless. The young raw leaves can be used in salads or cooked as a vegetable, the leaves contain more iron than spinach and are a excellent source of vitamins.