* I was invited to the Garden Press Event, a one day show which connects garden product suppliers with garden media, therefore I’m marking my blog posts from the event as 'Ad’ though as usual my views and opinions are very much my own.
There’s nothing more satisfying than sowing a seed and watching it grow is there - but there’s so many seeds available, so knowing where to start can often be overwhelming. But one thing that’s clear is that the seed companies I spoke to this week at the event are going all out to entice us to buy their seeds.
So whether you want to grow vegetables, herbs or flowers why not take a look at these brands
Stocks & Green
Based in Colchester, Iben and Trevor have built Stocks & Green as a reflection of their deep-rooted passion for the world of horticulture and along with their seeds they aim to fill gardener’s lives with vibrant colour, delightful scents and fresh home grown food. And with a display like this, it was hard to resist.
Their range often features personal favourites to give the home gardener a good selection, but avoiding that overwhelm that I mentioned before. They’ve refreshed their seed pack imagery ahead of the show, and the images on their seed packets are stunning.
The back of the seed packets are equally clear and informative, and including the aftercare information is really helpful for gardeners new and old alike.
Among the new flowers for this year include the fluffy looking Papaver ‘Black Swan’ (Opium Poppy), the arching stems of pink firework like flowers of the ‘Cerise Pearls’ Persicaria, and in their vegetable range they’ve added the yellow courgette ‘Goldena’ and a favourite of mine the ‘Black Beauty’.
I left the show with two packs of seeds - a white Echinacea elegantly called ‘White Swan’ which they advise is ideal for pollinators and the young flowers look equally good in a vas, lasting over a week. I’m looking forward to sowing these (under cover between February and June) when the temperatures are more consistently warm, given that I don’t yet have a greenhouse.
The other packet of seeds is a new to me wildflower, but with a name like Fiddleneck and the bee on the front of the packet, how could I resist? The flowers attract bees, butterflies and ladybirds and the plants can also be dug into the soil as a soil improver. Growth is fast, so they can help prevent weeds, but these need to be sown where they are to grow, but can be planted between March and September, so I’ve a bit of time before I start these ones. I think I’ll grow these in an empty spot in our outside border, but probably away from the buddleia which is good at attracting butterflies to the garden.
Mr Fothergill’s
I’m sure this is a brand that you’ve heard of before, and for me it’s a tried and trusted provider of seeds, but they also have a couple of other ranges which you might not be aware of, but which I think are interesting. Each of these is aimed at a different audience as you’d expect, but each is encouraging people to get involved and grow more from seed, whatever their skill level and whatever their interest.
So if you want to grow flowers for cutting, the Johnsons range is likely to appeal to you - and their seed packs are truly stunning, looking less like a traditional seed pack would.
I love a Cosmos, and am very tempted by both the white ‘Purity’ and unusually for me, the red ‘Dazzler’ shown above.
But if it’s vegetables you want to grow, then the D.T.Brown range could be for you. This offers a smaller selection of vegetables, for example only three or four carrot varieties, but those varieties are ones that can be relied on whatever your experience. Each of these seed packets has a QR code on the back providing more information, and the recipe for the dish shown on the lower half of the seed packet, so it really is a sow - grow - eat approach.
And if you’re new to growing from seed then the Oh Sow Simple range would be a good place to start - these are varieties good for starting off, and can be grown in a container or directly where you want them to grow.
You need very little experience for growing seeds, as they are programmed to grow! Just give them warmth, water, something to grow in - as many growers will tell you watching them grow can be magical, so why not try it for yourself?
As it says on the image above - Sow - Grow - Enjoy!
