Delicious, sizeable, sweet fruits, the size of damsons, ripen in mid summer on these easy-to-grow plants. They are best left on the bush until they turn yellow when they lose their sharpness, turning very sweet indeed. These delicious fruits can be grown in a wide variety of climates, and are especially valuable because of their extreme hardiness. These gooseberries can be preserved in the form of jams, or stored in sugar syrup. In the UK they were particularly popular before fruit was imported in quantity from elsewhere, as they constituted the first available fresh fruit of the year. Some of ... Learn More

Although a number of grape varieties can be successful in Britain. ‘Madeleine Angevine’ white eating grapes are amongst the most prolific fruiting and also the earliest to ripen and thus are suitable for northern areas. They are also used commercially for wine-making as they bear such heavy crops. They always do best planted against a south-facing wall or fence (in the northern hemisphere) when they can obtain up to a three week ripening advantage over crops grown in other situations. Plants grown from these seeds will vary so it is advisable to initially grow several in the same situation an ... Learn More

Attractive, frilly flowers mature into guava fruits, which may be round, ovoid or pear-shaped. A series of tests on Indian fruits, including Himalayan apples and pomegranates, bananas from the south, found the guava to be the ultimate super food with the highest concentration of antioxidants which protects against the cell damage that often ages skin! From seed, common guavas may bloom and set fruit in as little as 2 years. They are evergreen, faintly fragrant, and growth, in California for example, is rarely over 10 - 12 feet. Guavas can bloom throughout the year in mild-winter areas, but th ... Learn More

Renowned for its beauty this can be grown as an ornamental shrub or tree. The trunk has shedding bark and it produces fragrant flowers. The small fig-like fruit are considered to be the sweetest of all the guava varieties with a musky fragrance and tropical notes of papaya, passion fruit, melon and ripe pear. Considered to be a 'super fruit', the skin is high in Vitamin C and the pink flesh contains more beta carotene than the white variety. ... Learn More

A dwarf, compact variety of basil which is perfect for a kitchen herb garden or container box as it is one of the easier varieties to grow but also produces attractive, delicate white flowers. With a slightly sweet milder flavour, it is great to use with vegetables, cheese and in salads. ... Learn More

This popular herb has attractive white edged hairy leaves which are tender and juicy and can be used in salads and drinks. Delicate star-shaped blue flowers (perfect in cold drinks!) appear all summer long. An intriguing talking point whether in the herb or flower garden. Also known as "The Starflower", it is an annual herb originating in Syria, but naturalized throughout the Mediterranean region, as well as Asia Minor, Europe, North Africa, and South America. ... Learn More

Broad-leaved Sorrel is a perennial herbaceous staple of the kitchen garden. The leaves can be eaten either raw or cooked with their acidic taste being likened to limes, lemons, rhubarb and wild strawberries. When cooked it often accompanies egg, fish and makes a delicious ingredient to soups. Once established the plant can be harvested over several years as a cut-and-come again crop. ... Learn More

Also known as meridian fennel, or Persian cumin, this ancient plant is native to western Asia, Europe and Northern Africa. Very similar in appearance to other members of the carrot family, it has finely divided, feathery leaves with thread-like divisions, whilst the main flower stem bears umbels of white or pink flowers. The seeds (or more correctly, fruits), usually used whole, have a pungent, aniseed-like flavour and aroma that comes from essential oils, mostly carvone and limonene and they are often used as a spice in breads, especially rye bread. It is also used in desserts, liquors, casse ... Learn More

This attractive herb produces pretty white flowers with yellow cone-shaped centres and light green feathery foliage. The flowers give off an apple-like fragrance when crushed and this gives the herb its name - chamomile comes from the Greek for "earth-apple". It is widely used in herbal medicine, often as an aid to sleep and a remedy for digestive problems. Rarely seen in the wild nowadays, it has been widely used since historic times for treating a wide spectrum of disorders. One of the oldest aromatic herbal plants, the flower and essential oils have long been shown to exhibit anti-inflamma ... Learn More

Chervil is a hardy annual herb which can be used almost all year round. Its rich savoury flavour makes it a good accompaniment to fish and meat dishes and it is also part of the classic French herb mixture "fines herbes" (along with tarragon, chives and parsley). The leaves can be used as parsley substitute when adding a garnish to dishes. It is also used in folk medicine as an aid to digestion. ... Learn More

An indispensable grass-like herb with a hollow centre that produces beautiful purple flowers, chives have a tasty, gentle onion flavour that complements a huge range of foods whilst the attractive flowers can also be used in salads. It is also said to keep black spot away from roses. ... Learn More

This highly fragrant herb also known as Chinese parsley, originates from Asia and the Mediterranean, where the leaves (Cilantro) are used raw in salads and dressings, whilst the seeds (Coriander) are used to add flavour and dimension to curry dishes. ... Learn More

This is a quick-growing, rather attractive annual Mediterranean herb in the parsley family, having finely divided leaves and clusters of small white or pink flowers. Cumin leaf has a new and unusual flavour but is rarely used in day-to-day cooking. Cumin seeds have a warm flavour, rather similar to caraway, and a strong, pungent aroma which added to dishes whole lends them a smoky note. They add a nutty and peppery flavour to chilli and other Mexican dishes as well playing an important role in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. To harvest your own, it is easy to grow fresh seed, which is far s ... Learn More

Giving a tangy addition to pickles, salad dressing and fish dishes, fresh dill is easy-to-grow during the summer and early autumn, and it is easy to dry to make it available throughout the year. Its green leaves are wispy and fern-like with a soft, sweet taste. The seeds are stronger and more flavourful than the leaves, and are commonly associated with the cuisines of Scandinavia and Germany. It is native to southern Russia, western Africa and the Mediterranean region. ... Learn More

This culinary herb, well known for its fluffy, feathery plumes of soft green leaves, and flat heads of yellow, star like flowers followed by edible seeds, is a highly aromatic and flavourful herb with culinary and medicinal uses. Fennel features prominently in Mediterranean cuisine, where bulbs and fronds are used, both raw and cooked, in side dishes, salads, pastas and vegetable dishes. It is an extremely attractive plant that also performs well in the garden borders being a wonderful attractor of bees and butterflies. ... Learn More