Photos

	Bugle, a native perennial Date: 18th May 2010 Ajuga reptans. I have a soft spot for the spikes of vibrant purple flowers that seem to glow in evening light and loved by bees, Most useful as a ground cover tolerant of dry shade, it also has medicinal properties and is edible though bitter
	Welsh onions. These alliums are like larger, vigorous chives Date: 18th May 2010 All of the allium family are perennial and if left to grow with not too much competition from other plants, will slowly multiply their bulbs over the years and produce onion-flavour greens, flowers and small bulbs every year
	Costmary, tanacetum balsalmita, in a raised bed in Chris' garden Date: 18th May 2010 Strongly flavoured of musky bitter warmth, this is a traditional culinary herb used sparingly and has a number of medicinal uses, including a mild wormer. Also once used to flavour beer
	Perennial kale in a raised bed Date: 27th April 2010 This kale was grown from a cutting last summer. It has been very productive all winter and continues to produce tasty crispy leaves
	Scurvy grass Date: 26th April 2010 This small, creeping perennial produces masses of very spicy, mustard flavour leaves in early spring, followed by watercress-like white flowers. A no hassle salad plant and easy to grow from seed
	Once planted, perennial food plants are less work Date: 26th April 2010 Did you know that wild rocket is a short-lived perennial? This one (on the left) in its second year and very productive. Very close to it is a sea beet plant, another perennial with edible leaves
	A campanula plant with mild tasting, crispy leaves for salad Date: 26th April 2010 I started harvesting leaves from the plant this spring. In June it produces beautiful blue harebell flowers that are sweet and tasty to eat, loved by my five-year-old son. To the right is a red-leaved chicory also in its second year
	Lovage and mallow seedlings Date: 21st March 2010 Tiny seedlings that will become important perennial edibles. Lovage is an umbellifer worth growing for its large, yeasty-flavoured leaves (yummy). Mallows are large plants with mild tasting leaves and flowers
	Clover seedling Date: 1st April 2009 Self seeds everywhere and often treated as a weed. The leaves of baby clover seem really unusual and can be variable. As a potential nitrogen fixer it's a good companion plant
	Elecampane seedling Date: 1st April 2009 A very tall perennial with yellow flowers and strongly scented, medicinal-edible roots. Easy to germinate, these are its baby leaves
	Fennel seedling Date: 1st April 2009 Fennel plants just popping their heads up and showing their baby leaves. Took about six days to germinate in a plastic mini greenhouse
	Goosegrass or cleavers seedling Date: 1st April 2009 A self seeder with trailing stems and 'sticky' textured leaves. Can be eaten raw or cooked, the tea is refreshing with mint and gently tonic for the lymphatic system. Can be used as a deodorant
	Hollyhock seedling Date: 1st April 2009 Showing distinctive, veined baby leaves and its (very different) first true leaf. A tall perennial with edible leaves and decorative, edible flowers. Germination seems to be erratic
	Wild service tree seedling Date: 1st April 2009 A two-year-old seedling from a wild collected wild service (sorbus tormentalis) fruit. Like many tree seeds, needs stratification (frost) before germination. When mature the tree produces small edible fruits which sweeten during the early winter
	Four self-seeded fruit tree seedlings Date: 1st April 2009 These are probably from apple pips in our kitchen compost, used in the growing area in January. The pips avoided being munched by mice, were stratified and have germinated! They were spotted during weeding and have been transplanted to a tree nursery bed
	Marshmallow (althea officianalis) seedling Date: 1st April 2009 A tall perennial with edible leaves and mucilaginous, edible-medicinal root. Photo shows baby leaves
	Mimosa seedling Date: 1st April 2009 Not an edible but good fun. This small tender perennial will move when its leaves are brushed. You can see the baby leaves and first true leaves here. Needs frost-free place, this one germinated on a windowsill
	Self-heal and oregano Date: 1st April 2009 Mature self-heal (prunella vulgaris) and oregano in the herb garden, looking very similar! They both have a similar ground covering habit but self-heal lacks oregano's taste and scent
	Bittercress seedings (cardamine hirsuta) Date: 1st April 2009 Wild cress but not bitter, in fact if growing in moist part shade is delicious. Self-seeds rampantly
	Wood sorrel Date: 1st April 2009 Native to the shady woodland floor, a mildly lemon-flavoured (and beautiful) salad herb
	Jack by the hedge, garlic mustard (allaria petiolata) Date: 1st April 2009 A slightly bitter, garlic flavoured, common wild plant
	Boggy ground - watercress, saxifrage, purslane Date: 1st April 2009 Young watercress transplanted from pot-grown. In background, wild yellow saxifrage and a self-seeded white purslane. Far right, valerian
	Basil seedling Date: 1st April 2009 Note square-ish shaped baby leaves and the first wrinkled, oval true leaves coming through
	Chive and couch grass (sorry about the out of focus effect!) Date: 1st March 2009 ... but spot the difference. The chive seedlings has a round stem and leaves; all the onion family look like this when they're small. Grass is deceptively similar but has flat leaves and sometimes a square stem. They germinate at a similar rate in spring
	Brassica seedlings Date: 1st March 2009 Three rows of different brassica seedlings. All brassica babies look identical, so don't mix the labels up unless you don't care!
	Beetroot seedling Date: 1st March 2009 Red-tinged beetroot seedlings. Chard seedlings look the same, but can be different colours. Take about a week to germinate
	Pansy seedlings Date: 1st March 2009 Pretty, easy to grow flowers, edible in salad
	Perilla (red shiso) seedlings + some weeds! A tender annual (luxury) salad Date: 1st March 2009 Perilla has a variable germination period (hence seedlings are different sizes). Treat like tomatoes: plant early in warmth. Note the basil-like, squareish baby leaves. Didn't weed these for ages but are doing fine anyway
	Chilli pepper seedling Date: These need to be planted early in the UK, around February. They need protection from frost, preferably heated, and sun; a windowsill is ok to start them off. Germinate easily
	Nettle seedlings Date: A nutritious edible self seeder; who doesn't know these? Note the baby leaves though, which are similar to some other seedlings and can fool you into thinking they're what you've planted if they come up in force.
	Sweet cicely (myrrhis odorata) - mature plant on left, seedling to right Date: Look to right of the onion top in the photo to see a baby, showing both a central true leaf and its first leaves. Excellent hassle-free perennial but won't germinate without stratification