Category Archives: Plants & Seeds
Lettuce ‘Webbs Wonderful’ (Iceberg/Crisphead)
Still the premier garden lettuce in most people’s vegetable patch. Iceberg Lettuce Webbs Wonderful has large, wrinkled leaves with a big tight centre of crisp, white leaf. An outstanding Iceberg Lettuce whether the summer is wet or dry, Webbs Wonderful is always slow to run to seed.
Lettuce ‘Salad Bowl’ (Loose-Leaf)
All-American Gold Medal winner. Salad Bowl Lettuce is large, medium-green, slow bolting, non-heading and decidedly tender. Don’t pull the whole plants – be selective – go down the row choosing only the largest, tenderest leaves. This way Salad Bowl Lettuce will continue to replace itself the whole season
Lettuce ‘Tom Thumb’ (Butterhead)
A fabulous tiny Butterhead lettuce that is perfectly proportioned for individual salads. Remarkably quick maturing, Lettuce ‘Tom Thumb’ produces solid heads of deliciously soft and juicy leaves that can be grown just 15cm (6) apart. Its tiny size and good vigour make this an ideal variety for early crops under cloches for the earliest harvests.
Basil ‘Sweet Green’
With a flavour that tastes of mint and cloves, Basil ‘Sweet Green’ compliments courgette and tomato dishes and is quite legendary in pesto. Large aromatic leaves are produced on neat bushy plants. The fresh basil leaves make a delicious addition to salads and pasta dishes. Height: 45cm (18). Spread: 40cm (16)
Dill
This aromatic annual can be grown for its seeds or its rich, aniseed flavoured foliage that compliments fish dishes particularly well. The feathery dill leaves make an attractive addition to a sunny herb garden. This easy to grow herb is tolerant of most conditions and requires little maintenance. Height: 90cm (35). Spread: 30cm (12).
Sweet Marjoram
With a mild flavour, Sweet Marjoram herb is delicious in stuffings, soups, stews, omelettes, cheese dishes, fish sauces and salads. Sprinkle over pork, before roasting or add to melted butter to garnish vegetables. Recommended by herbalists to lower high blood pressure and combat headaches, and neuralgia. Sweet Marjoram plants are most often grown as annuals,
Coriander
A quick growing, dual purpose annual herb that is grown for its seeds or fresh young leaves. Coriander seeds are delicious in cakes, and when crushed add an orangey flavour to meat dishes. The young leaves of coriander (often called ‘Cilantro’) can be finely chopped and added to curies, sauces, chutneys and salads. Height: 60cm
Chives
This perennial member of the onion family is undemanding and easy to grow, returning year after year, and attracting bees and butterflies to its pretty pink blooms. Chives are an essential addition to the herb garden. Their leaves and edible flowers make them indispensible for garnishing potato salad, soups and other savoury dishes. Chives are
Sage
The soft blue-green leaves of sage are ideal for adding their rich flavour to meats and stuffing. This hardy sub-shrub is an essential herb for adding to the Sunday roast but also makes an attractive plant in the perennial border. The flavour of the leaves will be best when growing sage in warm, dry conditions.
Chervil
Curled chervil is one of the few hardy annual herbs for all-year-round use. The leaves can be chopped and used in salads, stews, and dressings, or used as a garnish in the same way as parsley. Widely used on the continent for its rich savoury flavour resembling that of caraway, which blends well with fish
Dill ‘Bouquet’
An exquisite dwarf form of this charming, architectural herb. The delicate, ferny foliage is highly attractive and surprisingly compact, making it ideal for container growing. Excellent in the herb garden and ideal for windowsill growing. Dill ‘Bouquet’ is easy to grow and tolerant of most conditions, requiring little maintenance. Height: 30cm (12). Spread: 20cm (8)
Thyme ‘Old English’
One of the most useful kitchen herbs for stews, stuffings and bouquet garni. This aromatic, evergreen thyme will grow almost anywhere in containers, rock gardens, borders, and even cracks in paving. Ideal for creating low, matt forming groundcover that will attract bees to the tiny, pink blooms. Thyme is particularly useful in coastal areas where
Strawberry ‘Florian’ F1 Hybrid (Everbearer/ All season)
The attractive blossom pink flowers of Strawberry ‘Florian’ are followed by a heavy crop of good sized, juicy, red fruits from July to September. This delicious everbearing variety can be grown outdoors or under glass, but as it fruits from its runners as well as the main plant, Strawberry ‘Florian’ is ideal for growing in
Turnip ‘Oasis’
If you have never tried to grow this vegetable, you must try Turnip Oasis. Can be picked at any size with a surprisingly sweet juicy flavour similar to a melon. Turnip Oasis is delicious when eaten raw like an apple, or grated and added to salads. Resistant to virus. Ideal for summer and autumn harvests
Lettuce ‘Valmaine’ (Romaine/Cut And Come Again)
A reliable, simple, productive and space-saving method which can be tailored to your weekly requirements. Early sowings of Lettuce Valamaine should mature in about 60 days, mid-season sowings in about 40 days. Lettuce Valamaine is specially chosen because the young leaves have no bitterness.
Beetroot ‘Rubidus’ (Globe)
Bolting is almost a thing of the past with this excellent globe beetroot! Detroit 6 : Rubidus will be ready to harvest over a week earlier than ‘Boltardy’, which it supersedes in all respects. Firm, smooth, deep red flesh without a hint of fibre, even when 125cm (5in) in diameter. Vigorous, high yields which are
Cauliflower ‘All The Year Round’ (Spring/ Summer/Autumn)
A very useful, very white, dwarf variety that can be sown and harvested at most of the cauliflower harvesting periods of the year. Cauliflower All The Year Round will make very large, tight heads and is one of the easiest to grow as well. A very useful cauliflower for frame culture and successional sowings. Prefers
Shallot ‘Figaro’
Long, banana-shaped shallots from seed, as used by many celebrity chefs. Shallot ‘Figaroproduces attractive, shiny, copper brown-skinned bulbs with crisp white flesh and a very distinct flavour. Sowing densities will determine the size of bulbs you harvest. Stores well for winter use in the kitchen
Spinach ‘Medania’
A very popular, easy to grow and reliable variety, Spinach Medania produces an abundance of dark green leaves. Long standing if grown in good, moist soil which is kept watered during dry weather. Spinach Medania is ideal for successional sowing to give a longer cropping period. Broad, deep green leaves; ideal for freezing. Popeye was
Cucumber ‘Burpless Tasty Green’ F1 Hybrid
Outdoor typeCucumber ‘Burpless Tasty Green’ produces crisp, delicious fruits with no bitterness, and as the name suggests, are easy to digest. The 25cm (10) long cucumbers are packed with flavour and have a very high vitamin content. Grow this ridge type trained against a support either outdoors or in the greenhouse. Height: 3m (9′). Spread:
