PLAY THE TOP SEEDS
Growers’ 2019 catalogues are out... and next year’s tip for victory is the simple nasturtium
The autumnal colours this year have been superb, a fiery and warm display to cheer us up throughout November. Another happy activity is thinking about spring and summer colour for next year, and one of the best ways to do this is to browse seed catalogues, see what’s new and make your selection.
There’s so much promise and excitement contained within these little packets and they can make delightful Christmas gifts for your green-fingered friends.
Every year Fleuroselect, the international organisation for ornamental plants, singles one out for special mention and members have decided 2019 is the year of the nasturtium. A good choice – nasturtium seeds give so much colour for so little trouble.
I often recommend them as a way to get children interested in gardening – the seed is large and therefore easy to handle, germination is reliable and the circular leaves very identifiable when they push up through the soil.
Some gardeners use them for companion planting in vegetable patches to repel pests and attract insects.
If all that wasn’t enough, they’re edible and make lovely colourful additions to salads with a slightly peppery taste.
Thompson & Morgan’s breeding programme has come up with ‘Orchid Flame’ a nasturtium that changes colour as it matures – developing from red with yellow splashes to fully yellow.
This exclusive annual nasturtium mounds up to a foot high and then cascades down a couple of feet so is perfect for hanging baskets or trellis.
‘Ladybird’ is a dwarf bushy variety with golden yellow flowers that have five bright red spots. Sow from March to May in situ. (Thompsonmorgan.com).
Other interesting selections that caught my eye include Viola ‘Back to Black’ from Johnsons Seeds (johnsons-seeds.com).
The jet black blooms of this viola are very long flowering and will make a dramatic addition to pots and containers. Sow indoors in February and March or outdoors from April.
Over at mr-fothergills.co.uk, there’s sweet pea Lathyrus ‘Terry Wogan’ which has warm salmon-pink blush blooms with a beautiful scent – what a lovely way to remember the much- loved Radio 2 broadcaster.
Chiltern Seeds (chilternseeds. co.uk) is my go-to supplier for all that is rare and unusual. For 2019 the firm has a gorgeous Helichrysum ‘Silvery Rose’. This has shimmering silverypink daisy-like paper flowers which are great for cutting and drying. Sow this half-hardy annual indoors from January to April with a light sprinkle of soil at a temperature of 22-24 ˚ C.
Phlox drummondii ‘Blushing Bride’ also looks very pretty with blush pink and silvery white blossoms.
Sarah Raven’s new collection includes Scabiosa stellata ‘Sternkugel’ which she recommends growing for its paper globe seed heads which are beautiful and delicate, and suitable for drying.
Her top tip here is a dash of hairspray around their heads to keep them robust after cutting! Also looking tempting is the Antirrhinum ‘Chantilly White’, a prolific and long-flowering white snapdragon with a delicious scent. (sarahraven.com)
Finally, for something different, I loved Sutton’s new nemesia, ‘Masquerade’. Very unusual flowers with yellow bases and quirky, spiky heads will bring excitement to your cottage garden along with that lovely coconut fragrance (suttons.co.uk).