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Ageratum Mixture (Ageratum houstonianum) seed

Ageratum Mixture (Ageratum houstonianum) seed


Ageratum houstonianum is a popular annual garden plant.
Also known as Floss Flower it is often used for edging borders and is also useful in beds and containers.
A neat bushy plant with clusters of fluffy flowers in shades of white, pink and blue from June until the first frosts.
Grows to approx. 20cm.
Ageratum will grow in any reasonable garden soil but cannot withstand heavy shade or a wet site.

Seeds per packet (approx.): 600

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£2.95

Aubergine (Solanum melongena) - Early Long Purple

Aubergine (Solanum melongena) - Early Long Purple


Eggplant is a frost tender, heat loving, branching bushy plant with thick, woody stems. The green to grayish green leaves are large,lobed, and alternate with the underside typically covered with spiny fuzz. Mature plants range from 1 to 8 feet in height. Although eggplant is a perennial, it is more commonly grown as an annual.

The fruit has a dense, uniform and firm, white, sweet flesh.

Seeds per packet (approx.): 150

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£2.25

Spanish Daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus) seed

Spanish Daisy  (Erigeron karvinskianus) seed


Spanish Daisy is an easy to grow annual plant for hanging baskets, flower beds and rock gardens.
Originally from Central America, it has been growing wild in Southern Europe for many years and is now being hailed as one of the greatest horticultural discoveries of recent years.
The masses of small flowers are pink when they open, rapidly turn white, and finally as they mature change back to rose-red giving the plant an unusual and constant two-tone effect.
This compact jewel is beloved by bees and butterflies and will also make an outstanding contribution in a wildlife garden


Seeds per packet (approx.): 60

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£2.95

Tomato Betalux (Lycopersicon esculentum) seed

Tomato Betalux (Lycopersicon esculentum) seed


Betalux is a very early Polish bred variety of dwarf tomato, with rigid shoots and very tasty, dark red, round fruits

Seeds per packet (approx.): 200

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£2.25

Pole Bean Multi-Coloured (Phaseolus vulgaris var. vulgaris) - Jimenez

Pole Bean Multi-Coloured (Phaseolus vulgaris var. vulgaris) - Jimenez


A climbing or pole bean, French Bean Jimenez has been bred to grow in the form of vines which cling to poles or trellises. Their growth habit makes them very easy to harvest. These beans are also very easy to grow so long as you give them a nice warm site and a little shelter. An heirloom variety of French bean Jimenez is a strong grower and produces heavy crops of large long flat pods. The vines or plants can reach 7-8 feet tall but a 5 foot tepee, trellis or poles are usually sufficient. The flat pods are green streaked with red, have a great flavour and are stringless until they start to ripen. As they mature the pods get redder. The seeds or beans inside are of course coloured. Pods can be sliced when green and used as fresh beans or left to mature, then shelled and dried.

Highly colourful, French Bean Jimenez has a strong resistance to Bean Common Mosaic Virus.

Perfect for a sunny, well-drained spot, French bean Jimenez prefers to grow in moist, fertile soil away from strong winds, but it can also be grown successfully in pots.

Packet content (approx.): 10 gms

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£2.25

Garlic Chives (Allium fistulosum)

Garlic Chives (Allium fistulosum)


Garlic Chives, sometimes called Chinese Chives, are perennial herbs. They look like grass, similar to chives but have a gentle spicy aroma and a distinct but much milder flavour of garlic. A member of the onion family they are very easy to grow. Garlic chives will thrive and grow vigorously on any fertile, moist but well drained site in full sun. A relatively new vegetable in the western world, garlic chives are well known in Asian cuisine. Grows slowly in expanding clumps and, besides its use as a vegetable, the plant's attractive flowers ensure that it is sometimes grown in perennial borders. Both the leaves and the stalks of the flowers are used as flavouring as well as a stir fry ingredient. The flowers can also be used as a spice. Garlic chives are extremely hardy and can survive very low temperatures (some have been know to survive -35 C) in winter and sprout again in spring when the temperature rises.
To speed seed germination it is generally recommended that seeds be soaked in warm water (below 40 C) for about 24 hours prior to sowing.

Uses include mixed in omelettes or scrambled eggs, all sorts of salads or chopped very finely and sprinkled over cooked new potatoes.


Seeds per packet (approx.): 300

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£2.25

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Plant Types - F1, F2 or OP
Varieties of plants from seed can be presented as different product types, which depends on their mode of propagation.

Open pollinated (OP) varieties: these are the most simple in concept. Plants are selected to have similar performance, for habit and flowering period. They are then grown together and allowed to pollinated each other. Uniformity of the variety is dependent on how well the stock is maintained - poor stock maintenance leads to variable varieties with indifferent performance. Our suppliers select and maintain their own stock seed for most of the varieties offered.

F1 hybrid varieties: these result from crossing together two pure-breeding parents. Generally, F1 varieties are more uniform and vigorous, with better overall performance than OP varieties. Parent plants are generally grown under cover with most species requiring hand pollination. Parent lines must also be maintained.

F2 hybrid varieties: seed collected from F1 plants is F2. Uniformity and vigour is less than the parent F1 variety, but can be better than equivalent OP varieties.

Seed Production
The production of seed, particularly for ornamentals, is a mix of gardening art and science. In order to produce quality seed many factors have to be combined together.

Parent stocks: these must be high quality and uniform. We maintain our own stocks, and much of our trialling effort goes into proving parent stock quality.

Isolation: in order to prevent cross-contamination between different varieties these have to be grown far enough apart to stop bees travelling between them. Many different locations are needed. Each crop is visited several times during the growing season.

Growing: both in greenhouse and field the crop needs to be well grown and kept weed-free. Stressed plants rarely produce high germinating seed.

Climate: the climate of the production area needs to be chosen carefully to suit the needs of the plants, combined with the choice of greenhouse or field production.

Harvest: harvesting when seed is properly ripe, and immediate post-harvest handling of the seed to properly condition it, are crucial to the final out-turn. For many species, including most F1 varieties, this phase is carried out by hand.

Seed Testing: seed is regularly tested in-house to ensure that only quality seed with good germination and vigour is supplied.
Growing Trials
A trialling programme is central to many aspects of quality control. It enables the trueness to type of a variety to be judged, the uniformity of production mother stock to be assessed, and as an aid to sales and marketing.
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