Gardening: Look to the exotics for variety

If anyone actually has spare time these days, it can be put to good use organising and sorting out flower seeds ready for sowing in March. Having a system for planting makes everything go so much smoother.

Weeks can drift away if you’re not careful so start by at least putting some Larkspur seeds in the freezer for a fortnight to trigger their germination and breaking their natural dormancy.

Do this now and they’ll be ready for the seed tray in early March which is less than a week away, hence the urgency to secretly enjoy a bit of seed admin.

Deciding what goes in the patch is one of the more exciting times in the gardening calendar and means you can consider plants you’ve never grown before, old favourites or a colour scheme you’re currently obsessed with.

Larkspur is an old stager and ‘Giant Imperials’ is ideal for cutting thanks to their height, colour and large flowers that wouldn’t look out of place in the oak panelled lobby of a country hotel.

They also look impressive at the back of a border and you can customise the colour of them. ‘Giant Hyancinth’ cover a range of purples from deep imperial purple to a diluted pastel lilac. Being taller, they can stand out and will set off white, yellow and green colours which can be everywhere when June arrives.

Other old favourites I couldn’t get through summer without are Nicotiana ‘White Trumpets’, the tall, scented tobacco plant that seems to think it’s a perennial. Digitalis ‘Foxglove Alba’ is another, being a pure snow white foxglove transforms even a bank of weeds into a cottage garden.

Statice ‘Sky Blue’ seems to keep its hyacinth and tiny white stars in the beds for much longer than its class mates. It’s probably best known for cutting and drying to keep things cheerful in the darker months but I like to keep it near the front of a bed.

I always find myself wandering down there in the evenings just to peer at its brightness wondering how that tiny seed makes so much blue ink for the petals.

The list of flowers to grow from seed is seemingly endless so it’s best to get ahead and make a few lists or rough sketches before it’s too late.

On the plot

While in planning mode, the allotment needs some serious organisation right now too. Think in terms of flavour and what you like to eat rather than the at times homogenous veg your neighbours grow.

The deeper you get into off the radar fruit and veg, the more gardening enjoyment you get.

One of the advantages of growing food is that you can be privileged enough to try food you can never buy locally such as Yacon, Kai lan, Chilean guava and Carolina allspice.

All these are straightforward to grow and might even surprise you so much that you significantly change your gardening and culinary direction.

Chilean guava can be bought as a small shrub and does well in a sunny but sheltered area. I’ve had mine in dappled shade and it has produced tiny strawberry and lime flavoured berries every year.

I actually laughed out loud the first time I tasted them it was such an exciting surprise. The variety ‘Flambeau’ is hardy enough to withstand our winters and fruits late in the summer for a lift just when you are giving yourself that ‘things will be okay’ talk when thoughts turn to autumn.

Growing veg can reach a point where you’re doing it habitually but it can develop into deeper, intriguing knowledge. Even Szechuan pepper will grow well enough here and you can’t think more exotically than when you’re planning what to grow.

Just casually bringing that back from the veg patch will definitely start making even the most huffy teenager take you seriously.