January

The original ‘Painted Lady’ sweet pea arose as a sport from 'Cupani' in about 1730. It was the very first named sweet pea cultivar. Recently reselected, this modern form produces larger, more numerous flowers and retains the distinctive colour combination of lotus-pink and white petals with a rich, old-time sweet scent.

Introduced by Henry Eckford in 1897, Lathyrus odoratus 'Prince Edward of York' is a striking two-toned variety that features cerise standard and deep magenta-crimson wings. With usually three, occasionally four blooms to each stem, they make exceptionally fine cut flowers.

‘Erewhon’ is a captivating sweet pea, the standards are pinkish lilac, with darker veins, and the wings are an amazing piercing blue. Developed by Dr Keith Hammett, this Modern Grandiflora type provides the best of all worlds for the gardener. They have exceptional scent, combined with larger petal size and longer stem length.

Lathyrus odoratus 'Midnight' is very special variety of sweet pea, seed of which is seldom available.Beautifully formed scented blooms of dark crimson, almost black. An amazing colour. The flowers are almost twice the size of a regular sweet pea and its stems are almost twice the length and so are perfect for cutting.

Dr Keith Hammett has bred many incredible new varieties, now referred to as the 'Modern Grandiflora's', they feature larger petal sizes and longer stem lengths and, importantly, their scent has been retained. 'Moody Blues' combines three of Keith's most popular varieties.

A blended mixture of outstanding quality. Composed of over 40 colours and shades of the Spencer Waved sweet peas. Large flowered and fragrant with an excellent colour range - with so many having such a beautiful scent … who could resist?

'Princess Elizabeth', bred by Robert Bolton and first introduced in 1945 was on display when the Queen first visited Chelsea Flower Show in 1947. Recently the Queen was delighted to receive presented with a new bouquet and to hear that hear her namesake has been grown continuously for more than 60 years.

If you grow just one annual, grow a sweet pea. If you want one with beautiful deep blue blooms of ruffled petals then grow 'Blue Velvet'. The Spencer varieties are perhaps the most popular, satisfying amateur gardeners and exhibitors alike with their large, scented and colourful flowers.

Awarded a Fleuroselect Medal for striking colour, plant habit, and flowering performance, Penstemon barbatus 'Twizzle Blue' is a first year flowering perennial that will add height and high-impact colour to the border, giving superb flowering performance from mid to late summer.

Penstemon barbatus 'Twizzle Coral' adds a graceful twist to the garden. A first year flowering perennial, that is hardy and vigorous, it boasts twice the length of flowering stems, giving longer, more elegant wands for the vase while preserving the natural elegance of Penstemon barbatus.

A winner of both an AAS and Fleuroselect Awards, Penstemon ‘Twizzle Purple' is a first year flowering perennial that boasts twice the length of flowering stem. Strong, trouble-free plants produce trumpet shaped magenta-violet blooms that flutter all along tall, slender stems.

Awarded the Fleuroselect Gold Medal for striking colour, plant habit, and flowering performance, Penstemon barbatus 'Twizzle Scarlet' is a first year flowering perennial that will add height and high-impact colour to the border, giving superb flowering performance from mid to late summer.

Penstemon barbatus 'Twizzle White' adds a graceful twist to the garden. A first year flowering perennial, that is hardy and vigorous, it boasts twice the length of flowering stems, giving longer, more elegant wands for the vase while preserving the natural elegance of Penstemon barbatus.

Persicaria orientalis goes by a common name so flamboyant that it’s worth growing just to be able to sprinkle its name into conversation. ‘Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate’ is an extraordinarily tall garden favourite. Growing up to 2 metres tall, the whole plant is spectacularly draped with long, dangling, velour-like cerise tassels.

Persicaria orientalis ‘Cerise Pearls’ is a new, modern-day variety that grows to a more manageable height of 100 to 140cm . Tall enough to give the same airy effect, yet so much easier to place in the garden. From August to October the whole plant is spectacularly draped with long, dangling, velour-like cerise tassels.