With spikes of beautiful blue flowers you would be forgiven for only using it as a cut flower if you can deprive the bees and butterflies that also love it! However this is a perfect salad herb whilst larger leaves are perfect flavouring, seasoning meats and sauces and for tea. A short lived perennial that can be semi-evergreen in milder areas it will grow between 60-80cm and should also treat you to flowers in its first year. Price for 100 seeds
SOW: perhaps best started indoor between February and April. Sow onto moist well-drained seed compost. Press seeds lightly into the soil but do not cover. They seeds germinate best with high humidity, so cover the planting tray with a piece of clear plastic, and at 18-20°C. Germination can be irregular 14-90 days but once it begins admit air to prevent damping off. Water only from the base. When large enough to handle transplant to 8cm pots. Harden off and plant out after danger of frost has passed with 30cm spacing.
GROW: likes full sun in any soil type that is free draining (dig in some gravel if necessary). Water every week or two. May require staking on windy plots. Cut back spent flowers to encourage a longer flowering window. This is a short lived perennial. This can self-seed but not freely so collect some seed for future sowings
ENJOY: use leaves as flavouring and, when young, chop & add to salad. More mature leaves are seasoning meats and sauces, try them in spicy dishes and fish stews, and for tea. The spikes of flowers will delight you, the bees and butterflies from July onwards.
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