Perennial Crops

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.

Whether your interest lies in medicinal herbs or simply its decorative qualities, growing Feverfew can be a welcome addition to any garden or allotment. Feverfew is a good companion plant and a natural insect repellent. Ideal for planting around outdoor seating areas and pathways

Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum', commonly called Golden Feverfew or Golden Feather, is a clump-forming, dwarf cultivar which typically grows only 20 to 30cm tall and features small daisy-like flowers and chartreuse aromatic foliage. It blooms profusely between July and October.

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.

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.

Watercress has risen to a starring role in elaborate culinary preparations and is as beneficial for the health as much as the palate. This highly nutritious aquatic herb has a lovely mustardy bite most commonly served raw as a garnish or as part of a salad.

Once very popular for winter salads, Land Cress has the same pungent nip that Watercress does but can be grown directly in the garden. Leaf production is at it's highest during the summer and autumn, but it will happily carry on growing right through the winter. It deserves to be far more widely grown.

Native to the eastern Mediterranean, Costmary leaves have an aroma which has been described as like garden mint with hints of balsam. Costmary is one of the most interesting and complex of all herbs, it can be used for many purposes, culinary, medicinal aromatherapy or ornamental.

To the organic gardener, Comfrey is invaluable. It’s easy to grow, easy to use and incredibly beneficial to the garden. Leaves can be used as a top dressing or chopped and mixed with leaf mould to make a base for potting compost. You can make your own organic liquid feed or use as a compost activator.

These easy to grow chives are one of the famous fines herbes of French cuisine. Easily raised from seed, they are perennial bulbs that spread to form neat tufted clumps, ideal for edging beds and paths. They are particularly attractive when in flower and are a favourite of bees and other pollinating insects.

‘Fine-leaved’ chives have a delicious, mild onion flavour. They keep their slender shape and do not get course or tough with age. The narrow linear leaves are snipped and used primarily fresh, stirred into uncooked foods, such as soft cheeses or salads.

‘Variegata di Castelfranco’ has a beautiful form with wavy leaves that are flecked with purple. It is one of the hardiest and easiest to grow at any time in the year. Traditionally sown in mid to late summer, the harvest begins in December and lasts well into winter.

The classic tall Italian radicchio. Upright with red and white striped leaves with large pure white stems. Highly prized, this flavoursome early variety is grown in the Treviso area in winter and is eaten, root and all, simply pan fried or grilled. It has high resistance to cold.