In my second ‘make a change to your plant choices’ article I’ll be showing you some superb varieties that have the edge of other plants and vegetables in our range.

Make a change to your plant choices - 2

Runner Bean Moonlight – self-fertile beans

Grow Runner Bean Moonlight, not Lady Di

Why?

Bad weather and unpredictable summers can mean runner bean flowers often don’t set, giving disappointing (or absent) crops and perhaps discouraging you from growing your own beans again.

When it’s wet there are fewer insects, so the beans don’t get pollinated, and when it’s too hot the flowers can fall before setting.

The French bean blood in Moonlight means the blooms are self-fertile, so will set and produce beans whatever the weather! Why grow any other runner bean?

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Make a change to your plant choices - 2

Dianthus ‘Endless Love’ – extremely hardy plants

Grow Dianthus ‘Endless Love’, not other dianthus varieties

Why?

Many of the newer pinks and carnations are very pretty, but not necessarily as hardy as their ancestors.

‘Endless Love’ is a new strain from Germany, which combines 100s of sweetly spiced blooms with bone hardiness, up and down the country.

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Make a change to your plant choices - 2

Sunflower ‘Inca Gold’ – perfect for baskets

Grow Sunflower ‘Inca Gold’ in baskets, not petunias and begonias

Why?

Hanging baskets can become a chore during the height of the summer and will often need watering at least once a day.

Sunflower ‘Inca Gold’ is a brand new specimen, which is makes a resilient basket plant, needing less water than most. And the reward for this apparent neglect is an absolute flurry of sunny blooms from June to October!

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Make a change to your plant choices - 2

Nasturtium ‘Orange Troika’ – vibrant blooms on marbled foliage

Nasturtium ‘Orange Troika’, not ‘Climbing Mixed’

Why?

Nasturtiums are a mainstay of gardens, but until now haven’t really been suitable for use in hanging baskets.

Nasturtiums usually tend to become giant and cabbage-like, trailing half-way down the garden the minute you turn your back! ‘Orange Troika’ is a new, more manageable type, which keeps itself in check, so works well in hanging baskets.

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