A truly multipurpose variety with good tip burn and bolting resistance. Young leaves can be used in salads and stir fries in as little as 7 weeks from sowing. The crisp white stalks have a mild flavour and should be eaten with the leaf for zero wastage in the kitchen. Try making your own Korean Kimchi, a pickled cabbage recipe popular with top chefs and restaurants. Best sown direct.
From new breeding in Chinese Cabbage, this tasty variety produces particularly compact, upright barrel heads which can be planted as close as 30cm (12) apart - perfect for smaller vegetable plots. Each barrel head has attractive dark green outer leaves and a contrasting yellow heart that will add crunch to salads and stir fries.
As a strong structual element in the garden, this upright Chinese Juniper with its steely blue, prickly foliage is a real winner. Its evergreen foliage provides all-year interest, and it bears small and distinctive violet-brown fruits. What's more, it needs virtually no maintenance. Juniperus chinensis 'Blue Alps' has aromatic foliage which smells a little like gin. A few sprigs thrown on the bonfire or used to light the barbeque, create a wonderfully rich and spicy scent. Height: 4m (12?). Spread: 3m (10?).
Echinacea purpurea 'Double Decker' is a perennial flowering plant that looks great in garden borders, and is a good choice for a range of garden styles, from cottage to contemporary.
New breeding using native Chinese sweeter cauliflower selections. Produces a mass of long stems with white florets and a mild and sweet taste. Sow March-May. Harvest June-September.
Rarely seen in gardens, this handsome spreading shrub deserves to be much better known. Evergreen purple-bronze foliage provides fabulous year round colour, and contrasts beautifully with the spidery, raspberry-red spring blooms. The flowers of Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum 'Fire Dance' are delicately scented, which only adds to its charms. This magnificent hardy shrub is ideal for sheltered borders and woodland gardens where it makes an eye catching specimen in spring and provides a beautiful backdrop for colourful summer perennials. Height and spread: 2m (79).
The unusual rose-tinged stems of this outstanding celery not only add a refreshing, crispy bite to your summer salads, but they look pretty too.
The unique, bicolour blooms of Echinacea 'Parrot' bring to mind the colourful plumage of exotic birds. Echinacea ?Parrot? is a most unusual coneflower with vibrant colours that stand out beautifully in hot, sunny borders.
Garlic chives, or Chinese chives, differ from ordinary chives in having flat leaves and have a delicate mild garlic flavour. They can be used in the same way as chives and are excellent in salads, stews, fish, egg or meat dishes. The flower buds are a Chinese delicacy and can be eaten raw, stir fried or added to scrambled eggs. A versatile and easy to grow perennial for the herb garden. Height: 50cm (20). Spread: 15cm (6).
Grow your own distinctly-flavoured, tender-stem broccoli at a fraction of the price of imported supermarket produce. A cross between selections of broccoli and kailaan (Chinese kale) to give deliciously flavoured, soft and tender, nutrient-rich stems and flower buds. The main or central head must be cut to encourage plenty of side-shoots
For all the year round production of delicious spring/bunching onions, Spring Onion Performer produces upright, dark green leaves and mild flavoured stems which do not bulb. You can successionally sow Spring Onion Performer throughout spring and summer, continuing into autumn. Prefers fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. A source of vitamin C and the B vitamins. Their pungent flavour indicates they are full of the polynutrients thought to endow onion. Height: 30cm (12). Spread: 23cm (9).
Chinese Leaves are quick maturing and form a cos lettuce type heart in under 9 weeks. Plants are very slow to bolt, so stand well over a long season. Use as salad leaves as you would a Romaine lettuce or as a full heart for salads, stir fries and as a cooked vegetable. Superb quality and garden performance without bolting. Mature heads can be cut and stored in a frost free shed