November

Lettuce leaf basil is a popular old Italian variety, a large leafed variety of Sweet Basil and one of the most productive of all basils. With very large, crinkled and highly aromatic leaves, it adds the texture of leaf lettuce while packing a tasty basil flavour to brighten up your summer sandwiches.

Basil ‘Red Rubin’ is a purple version of Italian large leaf basil, a multi-purpose variety that is one of the mainstays of many herb gardens. Distinguished from other purple basils by its sweeter aroma and flavour, the rich, dark purple leaves are more consistent in colour than some of the other purple basils.

Blooming earlier than most varieties, Basil ‘Blue Spice’ is a heavily fragrant variety with flavours of vanilla, spice and lemon. The dark purple flower stems produce dense spikes of dark purple bracts with light purple flowers. Add the floral sweetness of their perfume, and you have a plant well worth including in any ornamental planting.

Transform the way you think about basil with a whole new palette of flavours and aromas. Basil ‘Spice Boys Ararat’ produces metallic grey-purple leaves that turn a darker shade of purple when the plant is in flower. Aromatic and striking, the leaves and flowers and are often incorporated into bouquets.

Greek Basil is an improved variety of 'Bush'. It has a tight compact growing habit and forms a perfectly spherical bush appearing as though having been pruned. The size and scent make it suitable for growing in virtually any horticultural department:- beds, borders, path edging or even window boxes.

Sweet Genovese is often associated with Italian cuisine. Basil is native to the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. This delicate herb has with an intense, spicy-sweet, aroma and a slight anise-like undertone. It is THE Basil for pesto and a wonderful companion plant.

Grano Violetto is a unique and colourful early maturing broad bean. This very hardy variety is suitable for sowing from October. The plants grow to 90cm tall and are highly productive even at the lower parts of the plant. Harvested while still green, the purple coloration appears once the beans are dried.

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.

Corn Salad 'Verte de Cambrai' is a traditional old French variety, the compact plants have good colour and small leaf shape. It is among the softest and most tender of all greens, the leaves have a sweet buttery flavour which almost melt in the mouth.

Holy basil, also called Tulsi or Sacred Basil has highly aromatic, narrow oval leaves and pink flowers with a perfumed fragrance. This plant exudes a delicious, sweet, clove-like aroma. The hotter the summer, the deeper the purple. It is regarded as one of the most important plants used in Ayurvedic medicine.

Regarded as one of the most important plants used in Ayurvedic medicine, 'Rama Tulsi' produces lots of flower spikes very early in the season, making it a nice ornamental plant as well as edible. The sweet aroma is very strong, even walking past it you can clearly smell its delicious scent.

As its name suggests, this classic butterhead lettuce can be the basis of fresh daily salads throughout the year. This is no 'supermarket' variety, but rather a proper lettuce with an exquisite flavour unavailable from anywhere but from your own vegetable patch.