It wasn’t so long ago that I thought it was only technology that I struggled to keep up with but things are changing very quickly in the plant world these days too. I adore reading the seed catalogue that break the fall of the bills as they come through the letterbox and my favourite is still Thompson & Morgan. The catalogue is always easy to read and inspiring with enticing photos and descriptions and they also have loads of new plants to try each year – the latest catalogue has a whopping 14 pages of new plants. It’s SO exciting!
This year’s ‘must try’s’ include a fabulous new strain of edible Fuchsia Berry. It looks amazing. The shrub blooms just like the fuchsias we are all familiar with but it also produces edible berries, which are rich in vitamin C, apparently taste like a fig crossed with a kiwi fruit and are also suitable for making jam. That’s on the list!
Also on my list is the new Pea ‘Terrain’ which is resistant to both powdery and downy mildew and produces two pods per node, doubling the crop. It is best for a late harvest.
Another plant that caught my eye is the ‘Egg and Chips’, which is the latest development in dual cropping veg plants. T & M have hand grafted an aubergine (egg plant) onto a heavy cropping potato to produce a dual cropping plant that is great for small spaces, patios or the allotment. And kids will think they’re magic too!
The new flowers are stunning. Another first for T & M is the Petunia ‘Night Sky’ with it’s starry speckled pattern that resembles the a clear, starry night sky; the Giant Begonia ‘Majestic’ has blooms which are 8 ins across as does the Hardy Hibiscus ‘Luna Mixed’. They are bloomin’ big blooms!
There are also repeat flowering foxgloves, a scented climbing petunia, the spreading ‘Power Daisy’ which flowers form June until October (and is great for pollinators), the worlds first yellow cosmos, a pink-ish marigold and a patio buddleia which boast three different coloured blooms on the same shrub.
And of course there are all the more traditional favourites too and lots of choice for Mother’s Day gifts!
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