Oh, Sarah Raven, a range built with cut flower use in mind! Be still my beating trowel! The colours are soothing, sensual and sexy. Here’s my pick from the new 2020 range.
If you want to see new seeds from even more retailers, I’ve got several articles for you to browse! Click to read about Thompson & Morgan‘s and Suttons‘ new seeds on the block.
Callistephus chinensis ‘Tower Chamois’
Such an unsung cut flower hero, Asters are seldom seen in supermarket flower sections, but why the devil not?! Varieties these days are stronger against the dangers of ‘aster wilt’, or avoid this by growing in pots. The warm apricot chrysanth-like blooms are set off perfectly with their cheeky green collars!
Cinnamon Peach Cut Flower Collection
An invigorating colour mix, including peachy shades of Zinnias, paired up with zesty purple Basil! Sarah Raven really excels at these types of co-ordinated mixes!
Echinacea purpurea ‘Paradiso Mix’
Breeding has developed on Echinacea (Cone Flower) hugely over the years, and you can now grow the whole colour spectrum from seed! Butterfly magnets, they make awesome cut blooms, and some of the colours have a honey scent too.
Suttons also has some beautiful Echinacea flowers – click here to read their article on new seeds.
Kale ‘Candy Floss’
You could call this an ‘edi-mental’… as it’s ornamental yet good to eat! Newer breeding which really moves things on for Kale, it no longer deserves to be hidden down the plot. Although, does it look too good to eat!?
Limonium sinuatum ‘QIS Apricot’
Statice is such a memory maker for me, my Mum had a bunch of it in the corner of our lounge when I was growing up. But, then, they were bright and gaudy… not like this sensational apricot selection! Drying it is super easy, just hang it upside in a dry shady shed.
Orychophragmus violaceus (Chinese Violet Cress)
Always learning.. this was completely new to me! What a fun edible.. and an amazing colour! Times have changed, tomatoes are not the only colour in your salad these days…
Oh, my beating trowel is at it again! Sumptuous, sexy, and it’s all the Sweet Pea I need this season! I better get on with some sowing… October is a great time!
Michael has been involved with gardening and plants since he was just five years old. He is a self-professed Plant Geek, and was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 most influential people in the gardening world, thanks to his plant hunter role at Thompson & Morgan.
Michael was responsible for new plant introductions such as the Egg and Chips plant and the FuchsiaBerry and keeps busy travelling the world in search of new plants as well as lecturing worldwide, including stints in Japan. He is very active on social media – so why not give him a follow at @mr_plantgeek or Facebook. You can also listen to The Plant Based Podcast with Michael and co-host Ellen-Mary on iTunes, Spotify and Google.
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