Growsomething new from seed Spring 2016

www.chilternseeds.co.uk

01491 824 675

Orlaya grandiflora 922B Striking annual with attractive, fern-like foliage and bearing over a long period lovely, lace-like, pure white umbels, with distinctive long outer petals. ½-2 ft. HA £1.95

Front coverDaucus carota ‘Dara’ 437YOne of our favourite varieties is this dark flowered wild carrot. Variation in the colours results in an attractive mix from white and pink to dark purple. 3-4 ft. HB £1.92

Wonderful Whites

Papaver rhoeas 951B ‘Mother of Pearl’ This fascinating strain produces masses of flowers in a variety of unusual shades of grey, red-tinged grey, pink, grey-blue, speckled white and more. 2 ft. HA £2.20

Centaurea americana 302B ‘Aloha Blanca’ Robust and tall growing, this bears superbly beautiful, fluffy, ivory-white flowers with lovely whiskery petals. Perfect for cutting and make excellent dried flowers. 4-5 ft. HA £2.30

Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Purity’ 397G In cultivation for many years is this popular, beautiful variety with large, single, snow-white flowers with a gold centre fine both for cut flowers or garden. 3 ft. HHA £2.20

Briza maxima 215 An ornamental grass with pretty, nodding heads of oval-shaped, pearly-white spikelets, lovely for drying. 18 ins. HA £1.80

Nigella hispanica 903X ‘African Bride’ Large, beautiful blooms of pure white petals with contrasting rich purple-black stamens are followed by equally decorative near-black seed pods. 3 ft. HA £2.18

Ammi visnaga ‘Green Mist’ 88J With feathery foliage and domed umbels of tightly packed, greenish-white flowers, this beautiful new variety is superb for cutting. 3 ft. HA £1.65

Thalictrum delavayi 1238H ‘Album’ Superb variety bearing in summer large panicle heads of lovely white flowers. They make an uncommon cut flower. 3-4 ft. HP £3.17

Hesperis matronalis White 681R Very traditional cottage garden plant with beautifully perfumed white flowers. Will scent an entire room. 2-3 ft. HB/HP £1.85

Nicotiana alata ‘Lime Green’ 897C The tube-shaped, sweet-scented lime-green flowers, the petals of which form beautiful five-pointed stars, are produced profusely all summer. 2½ ft. HHA £2.00

Cosmos bipinnatus 397H ‘Dazzler’Wonderful, very early Cosmos variety with bright pinky-red flowers that really stand out in a crowd. Will dazzle in a vase. 3 ft. HHA £1.95

Powerful Pinks

Gypsophila elegans 654A ‘Kermesina’ With its myriad star-like flowers making it indispensable for flower arranging, this is a not often seen delightful variety with crimson-red flowers. 2 ft. HA £1.65

Dianthus barbatus 451W ‘Auricula Eyed Mixed’ Sweet William with huge, scented single flowers in a wide colour range, each with an attractive eye. 18 ins. HB/HP £2.08

Antirrhinum majus 104Q ‘Lipstick Silver’ Most elegant and unique Snapdragon bearing blooms of silvery-white tinged ever so delicately with rosy-pink edges. 1½ ft. HA £1.95

Nicotiana mutabilis 899MWith very much branching stems, this bears all summer, nicely arranged over the foliage, a mass of one inch flowers that start off white and change to pink. 3-4 ft. HHA £1.95

Achillea millefolium 36D ‘Cerise Queen’Beautiful cultivated variety of Yarrow with fern-like foliage and bearing in early summer, heads of flowers in a lovely shade of dark cherry red. 2 ft.HP £2.06

Astrantia maxima 151X With tiny flowers crowded together in a pin cushion head, these are lovely blooms. Both the true flowers and ‘petals’ are bright pink. 1-2 ft. HP £2.50

Lysimachia atropurpurea 832P ‘Beaujolais’ Fascinating and fashionable plant with long spikes of wine-red flowers all summer. Splendid in the border and great for cutting. 2-2½ ft. HP £2.45

Amaranthus caudatus 84 Enormous drooping tassels of red flowers make for a stunning, very long-lasting cut flower. 3½ ft. HA/HHA £1.74

Cleome spinosa 366K ‘Violet Queen’ This must be one of the finest of the lesser-known annuals. Beautiful, spider-like flowers with prominent stamens will attract the attention of all who see them. HHA £1.72

New

Calendula officinalis 235K ‘Snow Princess’ A new variety on the scene, this is the closest you’ll get to a white Marigold. It has very pale yellow, almost white flowers with dark and cream centres. 2ft. HA £1.95

Cosmos bipinnatus 399J ‘Xanthos’ New variety in a beautiful soft yellow, an unusual colour for a Cosmos. 2 ft. HA £2.45

Nigella orientalis 903K ‘Transformer’ An interesting plant with curiously shaped, yellowish-green flowers. These are followed by fascinating umbrella shaped architectural seed pods. 2 ft. HA £2.00

Crisp and Bright

New

Zinnia elegans 1310F‘Queen Red Lime’ Exceptional Zinnia with a unique colouring; pale red fading to lime green with a deep maroon centre. 2-2½ ft. HA/HHA £1.95

New

Cosmos sulphureus 397Y ‘Cosmic Mix’ Now, how about this to let your border provide you with eye-catching colour this summer? A mix of orange, red and yellow. 12 ins. HA/HHA £2.56

Papaver commutatum 950X Ladybird Poppy Brilliant scarlet flowers with black, ladybird-like blobs. An annual, though if it likes your garden, it will seed itself annually for evermore. 12-18 ins. HA £1.92

Scabiosa stellata 1147D ‘Sternkugel’ The globular seed heads of these are rather special – creamy-white spherical posies, as if fashioned from a translucent parchment. 12-18 ins. HA/HHA £2.20

Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’ 1250 A cultivated form of the Mexican Sunflower producing single, Dahlia-like, orange-scarlet flowers freely from July to October. 4 ft. HHA £1.92

Scabiosa atropurpurea 1148D ‘Fata Morgana’ Fine variety with delicious, creamy apricot-yellow flowers: “a most remarkable and attractive colour” says our supplier. 3 ft. HHA/HA £2.72

Rudbeckia hirta 1130G ‘Cherry Brandy’ With flowers of the deepest crimson, this lovely new variety is very easy and a wonderful, long lasting cut flower. 2 ft. HA/HHA £1.95

New

Cerinthe major 316K var. purpurascens These distinctive and unusual dark purple-blue flowers will be quite different from anything else in your garden. 1-2 ft. HA £1.95

Purple Petals

Verbascum chaixii 1273H var. album A fine border plant with white-woolly leaves and long, loose panicles of white flowers with contrasting bright purple centres. 3-5 ft. HP £2.22

Lathyrus odoratus 765Z Old-Fashioned Sweet Peas ‘Cupani’ A variety introduced in 1699, this is a robust strain, producing gorgeous, bicolored, purple and rich deep purple-magenta, highly fragrant flowers. 25 seeds. HA(Cl) £1.95

Didiscus caeruleus 460B Large umbels of beautiful, pale lavender-blue, faintly sweet-scented flowers. 1-2 ft. HHA £1.98

Papaver somniferum 954F ‘Lauren’s Grape’ If you like Poppies, you will certainly want this recently available variety with its crisp, velvety, deep plum-purple petals and attractive grey-blue-green foliage! 3 ft. HA £2.42

Consolida regalis 382H ‘Blue Cloud’ A very different Larkspur – a most attractive bushy plant bearing masses of violet-blue flowers – clouds rather than spikes. 2½ ft. HA £1.85

Cobaea scandens 372 A vigorous climber from Mexico with large flowers. Strictly a perennial, but can be grown in the open as a half hardy annual. Packet of 10 seeds. HHA/HP £1.95

Nigella hispanica ‘Midnight’ 903T Handsome variety with gorgeous, velvety, dark purple flowers which are followed by very ornamental, dark purple, spider-like seed pods. Very easy to grow. 3 ft. HA £2.20

Zaluzianskya capensis 1306N ‘Midnight Candy’ This charming plant bears during the day pretty purple buds which open up in the evening to reveal white, outstandingly fragranced blooms. 12-18 ins. HHA £2.74

Hesperis matronalis 681T Purple-violet With its beautifully perfumed purple-violet flowers, this is a traditional cottage garden favourite. Flowers from June to September. 2-3 ft. HB/HP £1.85

Carrot 1736E ‘Atomic Red’ An interesting dark red carrot with a lovely sweet, strong flavour; great raw, but perhaps best served lightly cooked as the colour intensifies. £1.75

Munutina ‘Erba Stella’ 1603 This heirloom from Italy is grown for its subtle taste and crunchy texture. Winter hardy, it grows in clumps of slender green leaves like a jagged grass. £1.95

Ripe and Delicious

Agretti ‘Roscano’ 1602The new must-have ingredient has fleshy needle-shaped leaves and are traditionally served with olive oil and lemon with a flavour described as chivey samphire. LIMITED STOCK £2.25

Climbing French Bean 1817E ‘Cobra’ Favourite in our garden – defying all lousy weather to resolutely provide a plentiful supply of sweet beans. Grow also for a borderful of lovely and unusual mauve flowers. £3.25

Tomato ‘Gardener’s Delight’ 1371 One of our best selling tomatoes, and rightly so with its unmatched sweetness and deliciousness. Perfect bite-sized fruits. £1.95

Cucamelon 1359MVery popular and very easy to grow, it produces an abundance of fruits like mini watermelons with the flavour of cucumber and lime. £1.80

Rocket ‘Dragon’s Tongue’ 1842DVery distinctive new British bred wild rocket variety with intense purple-red veining on its leaves. Vigorous, good resistance to bolting and an excellent flavour. £1.95

Beetroot ‘Boltardy’ 1711Old favourite and all you could want from a beetroot. Excellent quality with a superb colour and texture. Great bolting resistance and very hardy.Our most popular variety of anyvegetable. £1.60

Cavolo Nero 1758A ‘Nero de Toscana’ Old Italian heirloom variety; dwarf growing, producing an abundance of long, narrow, dark grey-green, curly leaves. £1.95

Salad Leaves 1370F ‘Rocky Top Lettuce’ Mix We love this mix – made up of many brightly coloured and unique types including some rare, heirloom varieties. It will make a flavourful salad with a rich, old fashioned taste. £1.95

Sweet Basil 1376 An annual plant with delicious, mouth-watering aroma, leaves used, dried or fresh, in soups and stews, but particularly effective used with tomatoes, cooked or raw. £1.60

Broad Bean ‘Crimson Flowered’ 1703D

This revitalised Heritage variety has wonderful deep crimson flowers followed by a good crop of very tasty beans. Very unusual. £2.10

New

New

New

Daucus Carota 437R

Queen Anne’s Lace, Wild Carrot

Parent of the hum

ble carrot – should be just as popular as a garden plant and cut flow

er with dense um

bels of w

hite flowers. Loved by butterflies

and bees. 3 ft. HB £1.92

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w.chilternseeds.co.uk

01491 824 675Crow

marsh Battle Barns, 114 Preston Crow

marsh, W

allingford, Oxfordshire O

X10 6SL, England

Photography ©Sabina Rüber