Our favourite seed suppliers

If you’re looking for inspiration for this year’s crop of annuals and vegetables, take a look at our selection of the best seed suppliers

Our pick of the best seed companies to help you plan this year’s crop of annuals and vegetables

Flowers CHILTERN SEEDS

The Chiltern Seeds catalogue is always tempting with a selection of inspiring images. Cultivar choice is excellent and descriptions always helpful. You might try Lobularia maritima ‘Paletta Salmon’ – a new colouring that brings a lease of new life to this traditional bedding favourite. There’s a selection of seed for green manuring plants, too. Look out for the companion vegetable catalogue sporting characterful illustrations and a similarly good range of cultivars. chilternseeds.co.uk

MR FOTHERGILL’S

An extensive range of flower and vegetable seeds, including potato, onion and garlic sets. Plantsman Graham Rice writes a regular blog for the website, which provides useful discussion on some aspect of Mr Fothergill’s offerings. mr-fothergills.co.uk

GREAT DIXTER

If you’ve visited this iconic garden, you’ll have been delighted by its sheer exuberance, colour and range of plants through the season. The nursery offers flower seeds from its own stock chosen by the staff and students as notable. Seed is then harvested fresh by hand and supplied in glassine bags. The range includes some of the plants that define Dixter, such as the exceptional Amaranthus and Papaver ‘Lauren’s Grape’. greatdixtershop.co.uk

HIGGLEDY GARDEN

Grower and owner Benjamin Ranyard trials a selection of flowers at this field in Cornwall. He then sells a range of seed specifically for the cutting patch – sometimes working with florists to ensure the best range. The focus is on traditional annuals and biennials, chosen for their range of colour, form, texture, longevity, and stem strength and length. Ben is also active on social media and encourages response from his customers, which acts as a source of useful advice. The Higgledy website also has plenty of growing tips and a monthly planting guide. higgledygarden.com

PLANT WORLD SEEDS

Extensive range of seeds for flowers and vegetables but also trees and shrubs and grasses – many of them rare and unusual. It stocks 209 cultivars of tomato alone – ranging from the wonderfully coloured to the beautifully shaped. Bespoke packets are available should you want to mark a special occasion with your own seed selection. It ships around the world. plant-world-seeds.com

PLANTS OF DISTINCTION

A small, family-run business based in Suffolk that has built up a good range of both flower and vegetables that rivals some of the larger, more commercial seed companies. plantsofdistinction.co.uk

SARAH RAVEN

Sarah is renowned for her carefully curated collections of traditional flowers for her cutting garden. Her seed selection is relatively small but you can be assured that those she has included are good ones. Sarah’s collections are also tempting for the combination planting ideas they offer. Calendula officinalis ‘Touch of Red Buff ’ is new to her list this year and caught our eye. sarahraven.com

SPECIAL PLANTS

Plantswoman Derry Watkins runs a fantastic nursery in a hidden valley near Bath. Her plant selection is impeccable and you’ll always find something of interest there. Added to which, she sells a range of flower seed too. Of particular note is her fresh seed. These are only available seasonally for seeds that need to be harvested and planted when fresh to ensure germination. Sign up for an alert to make sure you don’t miss the moment. specialplants.net

THOMPSON & MORGAN

Established in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has a wide range of seed for flowers and vegetables, regularly winning awards for its offerings. You’ll find plenty of choice on cultivars and good descriptions. Some seed are available on seed tape for easy planting. Thompson & Morgan is also now working with potato expert Alan Romans. His selection of seed potatoes is well worth noting. thompson-morgan.com

UNWINS

Another of the big all-rounders with a wide range of seed – many offered as part of special deals – so worth keeping an eye out for seasonal promotions. Unwins is best known for its range of sweet peas, and has an ongoing breeding programme and extensive sweet pea trials each year. unwins.co.uk

Vegetables HERITAGE SEED LIBRARY

Run by Garden Organic, the Heritage Seed Library is a members-only resource that offers a selection of rare, hardto-get-hold-of, heritage vegetable seed – many of which have been lost to standard seed catalogues. The aim is to maintain as much genetic diversity as possible and ensure these unusual vegetables continue to be grown. You can also opt to become a guardian yourself and provide seed for the library and its members. hsl.gardenorganic.org.uk

JEKKA’S HERB FARM

The award-winning grower, expert and herb-garden designer, Jekka McVicar’s knowledge of growing herbs is second to none. This is perhaps the best range of culinary herb seed anywhere, including salad herb seeds plus herb collections in beautifully illustrated packets, perfect as inspiring gifts. jekkasherbfarm.com

KINGS SEEDS

Much of Kings Seeds stock comes from its own 300-acre farm. Good selection of vegetables and flower cultivars, including an organic range of

vegetable seed. It also stocks the range from Suffolk Herbs. kingsseeds.com

MARSHALLS

A good all-rounder, with plenty of choice covering a range of different vegetables. The duo packs, with two complementary cultivars, are a great way to discover more of the variety available within one vegetable type and benefit from an extended harvesting season or variations in flavour. marshalls-seeds.co.uk

MOLE SEEDS

This fully independent seed merchant has a good range of seeds including organic vegetables – in fact the majority of its flower seed are untreated too. Although wholesale, it will supply anyone from large companies to individual enthusiasts (minimum order value £7.50) with the advantage here that seeds are available in a range of larger quantities – so perfect if you are part of an allotment club or gardening group. wholesale.moleseeds.co.uk

PENNARD PLANTS

Pennard offers over 600 varieties of heirloom and heritage vegetables – again with a focus on flavour. You may have seen its awardwinning displays at garden events such as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which often show an exuberant allotmentstyle garden, growing everything from traditional or forgotten favourites to more unusual newcomers. Good selection of kales for those following its return to favour, but wanting to try something other than the standard green curly kale available in shops. pennardplants.com

REAL SEEDS

Founded by a pair of growyour-own obsessives who started supplying seed as a result of their own extensive trials of growing vegetables for above all flavour. All seeds are non-hybrid (open pollinated) and you are encouraged to save your own seed from one year to the next. This year it has reintroduced the pea ‘Magnum Bonum’, a tall, heritage, maincrop cultivar dating back to 1872, with pretty, white flowers and an excellent sweet taste. realseeds.co.uk

SEA SPRING SEEDS

A vegetable seed company based in Dorset. According to no-dig expert Charles Dowding it stocks ‘only seeds that grow into decent flavours and have useful growth characteristics, such as yield and earliness of harvest.’ It also has a particularly good range of interesting chillies. seaspringseeds.co.uk

SEEDS OF ITALY

You’ll be hard pressed not to be drawn in to the colour and flavour on offer in a whole range of tasty Italian cultivars. The details of provenance too remind you that local specialities remain important and can define regional cooking. Seeds of Italy is the sole UK supplier of Franchi Seeds – one of the world’s oldest seed suppliers established in 1783 – and now has a shop in north London where you can buy seeds and other Italian gourmet goods. There’s a range of organic, chemical-free seed available, too. seedsofitaly.com

SUTTONS

Nice, clear website that makes it easy to find what you want from Suttons’ all-round range of seeds. It also works with ethnobotanist James Wong to offer a range of vegetables and edible flower seeds that James has chosen for their focus on flavour and high nutritional value. suttons.co.uk

TAMAR ORGANICS

The company started as a small organic garden in 1994 and now offers a good range of products for the organic gardener, including vegetable seeds, herbs, onion sets and seed potatoes. This year it has added to its range with edamame beans, a pinkstemmed pak choi Vivid Choi and further micro greens. Flower seed is also available. tamarorganics.co.uk

THOMAS ETTY

Known for his impeccable etiquette, you’ll be charmed to receive Thomas Etty Esq’s regular missives, respectfully suggesting seeds to buy and sow. You’ll find an interesting range of heritage cultivars among his choice. There is, however, a minumum order value of £12.50. thomasetty.co.uk

Wildflowers EMORSGATE SEEDS

Run by committed botanists and ecologists to promote the importance not just of growing more wildflowers but of working with nature. Its wildflower and grass mixes are grouped by habitat, such as meadow, and then by soil type so you get the right mix of species for your area. Excellent whether you’re creating a large meadow area or simply want to increase the biodiversity in your garden. wildseed.co.uk

PICTORIAL MEADOWS

Seed mixes for annual and perennial meadow-style planting. These were originally developed by Nigel Dunnett from his work at the University of Sheffield and are aimed to provide impact of colour and lots of nectar-rich flower sources. They succeed on average garden soil, making it much easier to get results. pictorialmeadows.co.uk

Other resources SEED SWAPS

If you are looking for recommended, locally suited, unusual cultivars of flowers and vegetables, try researching community seed swapping events. These are a great opportunity to meet other growers, hear first-hand of growing experiences and discover new favourites.

MILLENNIUM SEED BANK

And finally, a word for the wonder of seeds and the biodiversity they represent. The Millennium Seed Bank, at Wakehurst Place in Sussex, is Kew’s project to conserve 25 per cent of the world’s seeds by 2020 to ensure against future extinction. See the website to find out more and discover the amazing science behind seeds. kew.org/wakehurst