UK, Touchwood Seed List, Unusual, Rare and Cottage Garden seeds. Aquilegia specialist

* I collect, dry, clean and sort all my seeds in my small kitchen. For about 9 months I have to work around one, 2 or 3 worktops covered with pots of seeds. I've realised it's too much. My intention is to minimise seed collection to only a few choice plants. So buy this year for a full, wide and very desirable choice.

Seed of unusual, rare & cottage garden plants. OVER 140 TYPES

£1.50/packet

6 or more: £1.25/packet

20 or more: £1.00/packet

SOME SEEDS AVAILABLE AS JUMBO PACKETS FOR SCATTERING, email for info

I have a keen interest in unusual garden plants (okay, okay, I’m obsessed with them!!). I especially enjoy growing from seed as I am awed by the miraculous process of germination. I love aquilegias (granny bonnets/ columbines), and I have a special collection of rare sorts, here in Swansea. Perhaps you’ll be tempted by some of the seed, not just for singles, but also doubles, bicolours and scented forms.

TESTIMONIALS: "Your list of seeds is very impressive" " Congratulations again on a wonderful seedlist" I M Miller, Galashiels "Order received safe and sound. I appreciated your generous choice of plant seeds and the Aquilegia Connoisseur's Choice seeds included in my bumper bundle of Terrific Twenty* for £8, but I've noticed that Chiltern are selling them at £3.40/packet!" D Caldwell, Kent 2007. "A pleasure to deal with, I feel like visiting your garden - and I would love to see pictures of it. I hope to deal with you again very soon, kids, work, studying and of course - time permitting! Once again, thanks, and I wish you continued success!" "Parfait ,Bon Produit Conforme Bien Emballé Envoi Rapide RECOM. à l'INTERNATIONAL"

SCROLL DOWN FOR NON-AQUILEGIA SEED LISTS

AQUILEGIA SEEDS

SOWING INFORMATION

AQUILEGIA SOWING

HINTS, easiest to browse this long table on a PC. Looking for particular plant? It's alphabetical order... or use the 'find' dialogue box (on a PC hit ctrl &f)

Looking for something different? Do give something new a try, and you'll find lots of ideas here!

Wondering how to order? No, I don't use a basket and pay system, instead just email me your wishlist and I'll check availability and let you know. Payment direct bank transfer or cash (I cannot take cheques whilst shielding with Covid, sorry).

The bees have had their fun, and as all my plants are open pollinated, aquilegias and many other cultivars cannot to guaranteed to come true to type, I select seed from the correct seed parent.

Often, I may only have a few packets of seed of a certain type. So please give plenty of alternatives, or ring/e-mail for availability.

HOW MANY SEEDS IN A PACKET? Usually 'enough'! Unless stated otherwise, there is at least 25 seeds and sometimes even double that amount.

PHOTOGRAPHS are great, but COLOURS aren't always perfect: eg understand that ordinary photos tend to make blues look more purple and digital photos make the blues look clearer! So please use the photos with this in mind and take the written description as more realistic. However, MOST of the photos are taken of the actual plant from which the seed was harvested....that's good, isn't it?

KEY: 'NEW for 20xx'' means new this year, either for the first time or after a time of unavailability on the seedlist Carrie Thomas-

SEED-LIST 2023

Below are seeds of ornamentals EXCEPT Aquilegia by Alphabetical Latin-name.

To order: email me a list of seeds that you'd like, I'll check availability and confirm total costs with you.

ACANTHUS		hp	Bear's breeches. Slowly becomes a wide-spreading plant, with unusual spiteds of flowers over 1M tall. Sorry very few seeds are set. 4 large seeds/packet NEW FOR 2023
AGASTACHE	ex 'Golden Jubilee'	(h)a	Delightful in all ways: golden foliage, bee-loved purple flowers and aniseedy fragrance to the leaves. Last year's seeds so double-sized packets
AQUILEGIA SEEDS TOUCHWOOD COLLECTION Granny's Bonnets Columbines	Follow this link for a whole page!	hp
ALCEA	HOLLYHOCKS MIXED	hb/p	The sheer height and floriferousness of hollyhocks always brings a smile to my face! Flowers the year after a spring sowing, and sometimes dies and otherwise comes back to flower again the next year. Seeds from reds and dark forms
ALYSSUM	saxatile newer name: Aurinia saxatile	hp	PERENNIAL yellow rock garden plant...or for the front of the border.
ANTHRISCUS	sylvestris 'Ravenswing'	hb/p	What a black-and-white beauty! Dark, filigree leaves topped with lacy white flowers. Last year's seeds so quadruple-sized packets
ANTIRRHINUM	Mixed pink & magenta snapdragons	hp	Snapdragon. Fun flowers, often flowering first year from seed... and then each year! Seed from all shades of pinks, magentas and cerises.
ANTIRRHINUM	ex white forms snapdragons	hp	Snapdragon. Here from white ones
ANTIRRHINUM	ex pink snapdragon	hp	Snapdragon. Here from pink one
ANTIRRHINUM	ex pink & yellow snapdragon	hp	Snapdragon. Here is seeds from a 2-tone pink & yellow one. Seeds from several plants, showing varying amounts of pink or yellow within them. NEW FOR 2023
ANTIRRHINUM	ex creeping pink snapdragon	hp	That's different, a creeping snapdragon. I'm putting mine on a rock garden and also to tumble over a wall. This is pink one NEW FOR 2023
ANTIRRHINUM	ex creeping red snapdragon	hp	Another creeping snapdragon, I'm putting mine on a rock garden and also to tumble over a wall. This is seed from a red one NEW FOR 2023
ANTIRRHINUM	ex creeping red-cerise & yellow snapdragon	hp	Another creeping snapdragon, I'm putting mine on a rock garden and also to tumble over a wall. This is seed from a red-cerise and yellow one NEW FOR 2023
ARMERIA	maritima THRIFT	hp	Our native wildflower that adorns cliffs especially here on the Gower, makes a great garden plant, seen here on my rock garden. Seed also collected from 'Armada Pink'
ARMERIA	maritima THRIFT ex WHITE FORM	hp	Seed from the white form of the above, and also from 'Armada White'. Cutting the photo for the website I noticed it has BLUE pollen!!!
ARMERIA	pseudoarmeria ex BALLERINA ex lilac form... sorry no seed collected this year, only from WHITE FORM Lilac form is 2022 seeds so double sized packets also no pic ex white form	hp	This Ballerina series is a recent introduction and brings in a wider range of colours and leaves that are wider and strongly growing. Sorry, poor pic....
ARMERIA	pseudoarmeria ex BALLERINA ex orangy-red form	hp	WOW WHAT A COLOUR!! This Ballerina series is a recent introduction and brings in a wider range of colours and leaves that are wider and strongly growing.
astILBE	rivularis	hp	Now this really is a tall Astilbe. You will be able to be face-to-face with it. Up to around 1M Yes it loves damp but mine grew in my clay soil and coped with the heat of 2022 just fine. NEW FOR 2023
astrantia	major	hp	Masterwort…now are you any the wiser? Very long flowering, whether in garden or in a vase. You will inspect each flowerhead for its delicate appearance, yet it’s robust enough to take your thumb waving through it to feel its structure. From the white form. Attractive leaves.
atriplex	hortensis rubra	ha	Purple Orache: a hardy annual that self-seeds each year. Ornamental foliage plant to 1m or more with luscious deep purple-black leaves. Luscious? Yes, edible as a leaf to mix into salads, where the almost black leaves contrast fantastically with green salad leaves. The colour is rather darker than the camera shows.The seed-heads are fantastic in flower arrangements. NEW FOR 2022
BRIZA	maxima	ha	Growing to about 1 metre, this is the extraordinary giant quaking grass. Absolutely enormous quaking lockets, loads to each stem. A hardy (naturalising) annual, great for fresh and dried flower arrangements. article link
CALENDULA	officinalis Pot Marigold Mix	ha/b/p	Cheerful Calendulas always make my heart sing. Here's a mix of singles and doubles, dark and light centres. BTW it's called POT marigold as it was used in the cooking pot. I like to sprinkle the petals in salads, and use the petals when cooking rice to impart a gentle colour and flavour.
CAMPANULA	ex punctata alba (I believe)	hp	Fantastic plant with clean white elongated bells. Watch out for slugs! Last years seeds so double-sized packets
CAMPANULA	persicifolia peach-leaved bellflower ex white form	hp	Easy from seed, slugs leave it alone (except for seedling stages) and should gently self-sow for you. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
CAMPANULA	persicifolia peach-leaved bellflower ex blue form	hp	Easy from seed, slugs leave it alone (except for seedling stages) and should gently self-sow for you. New for 2022
CAMPANULA	trachelium	hp	Blue-purple flowers. The nettle-leaved bellflower, 2-3', resplendent in early summer.. A good ‘doer’, which gently self-seeds. And is slug-proof.
CAMPANULA	trachelium ex white double form	hp	The nettle-leaved bellflower, here in white form and DOUBLE, isn't that lovely? I hope it comes true from seed, I understand it should do so. And is slug-proof.NEW FOR 2022
CAMPANULA	rotundifolia HAREBELL	ha/p	A native wildflower, this does well in gardens and will flower the first year from an earlish sowing. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
CENTRANTHUS	ruber Red Valerian, ex dark pink/red form	hp	Often seen growing wild, does great under hedges, sprawling over walls or in borders. Flowers almost non-stop over summer months. Beware enthusiastic seeding via the wind-blown parasols! Last years seeds so double-sized packets
CENTRANTHUS	ruber Red Valerian, ex white form	hp	See above. I only have one white plant, so it may have cross-pollinated. White seedlings are usually whiter-green stemmed. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
cERINTHE	major ex purpurascens	ha/b	This is at its most dramatic from overwintered plants, although you can also grow it as an annual. It's absolutely stunning. NEW FOR 2023
cheIRANTHUS	cheiri WALLFLOWER	hb/p	Wallflowers. Yes, you can grow these to use as spring bedding, but me, I love them as hardy perennials. ...and yes they can establish on old walls... that's what I am trying to establish in my garden. Sunset colours mainly rich orangey reds but also reds and a smattering of yellow. NEW FOR 2023
chelidonium	majus fl.pl.	hp	Double form of the native greater celandine (absolutely no relation to, and nothing like the lesser celandine). Perky yellow flowers decorate a mound of great foliage over a long flowering season. Generously self-sows (if you let it!).
CHRYSANTHEMUM now LEUCANTHEMUM	vulgare	hp	Wild flower. Oxeye Daisy, Moon daisy, Dog Daisy. Very easy, may flower the first year from seeds. NEW FOR 2023
COLLINSIA	heterophylla Chinese Houses	hha	I grew this myself for the first time last year (2021) and enjoyed the unusual flowers which I grew mainly in ,ixed containers. It's seeded about but I see it is a half-hardy so the baby seedlings won't make it through the winter. If they do, I'll let you know next year! Last years seeds so double-sized packets
CONVOLVULUS	tricolor MIX Dwarf Morning Glory	ha	These plants always attracted the interest of garden visitors. Ones in containers were bushily flofiferous but went over more quicklythan the stragly plants in my poor clay soil, which bore a few final flowers into November this year ... 2021 Loks of colours and markings, here's a purple and pink form. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
CONVOLVULUS	tricolor ex blue form Dwarf Morning Glory	ha	See above. These are seed collected only from the blue & white form, my favourite of all the varied colours and markings. Will they come true or a mix of other colours? I will have to find out! Last years seeds so double-sized packets
clematis	tangutica ex 'Bill Mackensie'	hp	The orange peel clematis, yet its yellow flowers suggest lemon peel to be a more accurate description! An extrordinarily easy-from-seed clematis, may even flower first year from an early sowing. And just look how attractive the seed heads are.....glorious tresses!
cRocosmia	ex 'Lucifer'	hp	This is a tall crocosmia, looking you in the face raher than being knee or waist high. Really stong (devilish) red. NEW FOR 2023
CYCLANTHERA	'Fat Baby' (8 seeds)	(h)ha	Achoca. Eye-catching large, decorative leaves on this ornamental climber. Fantastic green-hedgehog edible fruits! Down-under they are known as Bishop's balls. Seems a funny shape to play football with... No matter, they eat the young pods raw...with ginger and lemon juice. Larger fruits may be stuffed and baked. New for 2023
DIANTHUS	armeria Deptford pink	hb	Deepest pink flowers open individually over a long period. Deptford Pink article
Dianthus	barbatus Sweet William Mix	hb	Sweet William from the plants in my garden, mixed colours. These are the usual, knee-height (or taller) sorts
Dianthus	barbatus short, creeping Sweet William Mix	hb	Sweet William ex 'Persian Carpet' Mix. New to me, what a delight! shorter plants yet full sized flowering heads! NEW FOR 2023
Dianthus	carthusianorum Carthusian pink	hp	New for me in 2021 and pleasingly flowered the first year from seed. I've seen it elsewhere looking dramatic in a clump. My seed was from the named 'Rupert's Pink' Last years seeds so double-sized packets
Dianthus	deltoides ex dark red form	hp	These are so easy from seed, and grow pleasingly rapidly. So far I've found they come true colour from seed. Great rockery plant, or front of the border, you can also use it as a foliage 'lawn', but it shouldnt be trodden on.
Dianthus	deltoides ex dark pink form	hp	I'm widening the colour range that I can offer with this delight. Great rockery plant, or front of the border, you can also use it as a foliage 'lawn', but it shouldnt be trodden on. NEW FOR 2023
Dianthus	deltoides ex white form	hp	See details above. This is the form I grow as a 'lawn' under my lollipop box! Photo shows it the first year of flowering, 1 year after sowing, it's far more dense now.
Dianthus	deltoides ex 'Arctic Fire'	hp	See details above. Why have I never seen this before, it is absolutely stunning and so easy from seed, which germinated in just 2 days during a heatwave! Already a must-have plant for me.
DIGITALIS	lanata	hp	Woolly or Grecian Foxglove. Love the colours and netted markings. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
DIGITALIS	lutea	hp	Small yellow (or Straw) Foxglove. Smaller flowers but lots of them to make up for size! NEW FOR 2023
DIGITALIS	purpurea ex usual purple	hb	Foxglove. Easy from seed, just dont sow too thickly! From a large rosette of strong leaves in the first year, the next year/s up will shoot a tall flowering stem/s. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
DIGITALIS	purpurea ex white form	hb	Select seedlings with no purple in the leaf stem.
DIGITALIS	purpurea ex white spotted form	hb	I just cannot find my pic of the actual plant in my garden so put a similar one. The seed is one from larger spotted marks. With this form you cannot 'select seedlings with no purple in the leaf stem.' Last years seeds so double-sized packets
DIGITALIS	OOPS MIXES purpurea ex white form PLUS antirrhinums (snapdragons) mix of pinks & cerises. Why buy 2 packets when 1 will do!!!	hb	NO, DON'T LAUGH!!!!! Anyone could have done this.... put some antirrhinum seed pods in with the white foxglove pods! This is mix 1: approx 60% white foxgloves. Mix 2 is mainly white foxgloves, but a small chance of snapdragons. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
DIPSACUS	fullonum	hp 5-8'	The teasel. A biennial whose first year rosette suddenly ‘takes off’ in the second year to create a candelabra of masses of purple flower heads. Use fresh or dried in flower arrangements, or leave on the plant for dramatic winter interest, birds will be grateful for the feed of seeds. Self sows year-to-year. Unusual for the way it traps insects in leafy, watery graves to ensure nitrogen for growth. The photo shows how the leaf bases are joined around the central stem to form a watery moat.
ECHINOPS	ritro 15 seeds Blue Globe Thistle	hp	Rarely seen, especially for sale, this is a majestic plant, kindly offering up their stunning flowers at head height, all the better to see the intricasies of the flower and also admire the bumbles who delight in these! These seeds are, I think, the worst ones I have to harvest: from prickly sheaths I have to excavate to find if there is actually a seed there to liberate. Time consuming and prickly. So only 15 seeds/packet (OR YOU excavate on ones I've checked have seeds in and get a full 25 seeds/packet)
ECHIUM	pininana Link to my Facebook video: (20+) Facebook	(h)hp	Tan-tan-tara!!! This is the first time I've ever flowered this dramatic Echium. It's not easy to get them through their first 2-3 winters before they flower as they are not very hardy. The first winter you could probably have them in a pot somewhere protected (for me it's underthe verandah) and then use fleece over the growing point for frost protection in later years. EVEN IF IT DIES in winter it will have made a great exotic looking palm-like plant even in it's first year from seed. Sow when frosts unlikely in the spring. Bees love the flowers... do see my video! NEW FOR 2023
ERIGERON	karvinskyanus	hp	A willing, enthusiastic flowerer for months on end, this daisy looks great tumbling down walls or lining steps. It self-sows gently and then you'll find it in all sorts of nooks and cranny's that you'd never have thought a plant would fit!
ERYNGIUM	eburneum	hp	A perennial sea holly, with an exceedingly good winter rosette. The leaves are long with softish spines, looking quite exotic in the winter garden, and stunning in a pot. In summer, architectural 5’-6’ high flower stems sport masses of green flower-heads. Oh, and it’s slug-proof.
ERYNGIUM	giganteum also known as 'Miss Wilmott's Ghost'	hb	Great seaholly with large, architectural flowerheads that can be dried. NEW FOR 2023
EUPHORBIA	oblongata	hp	BALKAN SPURGE Rather rare. Bright yellow flower bracts around May and June. Explosive seed pods means Euphorbia seed is difficult to harvest. You will only get 10 seeds, but believe me they have taken a great deal of time, dedication and effort to harvest and clean them. NEW FOR 2023
FOENICULUM	vulgare, bronze form	hp	BRONZE FENNEL The filamentous leaves are especially beautiful in the spring as they unfurl, darkly. Reaching head-height, all parts are edible, including the multiheaded flowerheads and the seeds. Oh, the roots, are they edible? Anyone know? But then you'd not want to eat them and loose a long season of interest: April 'til the frosts, and even then as seedheads for winter architectural interest and for feeding the birds. NEW FOR 2022
FRANCOA	Bridal wreath.	hp	Low clumps of fresh foliage with tall wands bearing flowers that are pink but well marked with deep pink/red at the centre. Charming anywhere, incl dry shade.
GALEGA	officinalis French Lilac, Goat's Rue This I call '2-tone lilac', one customer said it was like wisteria... yeah!!!	hp cl	What a stunner! Smothered in flowers each year for a long season, and the foliage is rich and green. Dying down to the ground each year, the new growth will CLAMBER up to about 2M, 6' (support appreciated, not self-clinging). Being a legume it fixes nitrogen and does superbly even on the poorest soils. All my plants were clones and I never had seeds. Then I also grew the white and purple form (from white seeds) and hey presto! I got seeds on all, so I assume it is not self fertile. Therefore seeds will be hybrids and there's no way of knowing which flowers will come from them. 20 seeds
GALEGA	officinalis French Lilac, Goat's Rue This I call '2-tone purple', and is subtley different from 2-tone lilac one.	hp cl	See above, note these seeds will be hybrids and there's no way of knowing which flowers will come from them. just 10 seeds/packet Last years seeds so double-sized packets
GALEGA	officinalis French Lilac, Goat's Rue This is seed from white form (pic also has some of the 2-tone purple with it.	hp cl	See above, note these seeds will be hybrids and there's no way of knowing which flowers will come from them.
GERANIUM	palmatum (20 seeds)	(h)p	Very unusual and quite rare in gardens is this magnificent Geranium. It's not totally hardy, so plant it in the most sheltered space, possibly under the edge of a shrub that protects from winter cold. Lovely leaves, looking particularly good in the spring before much else has awoken, and swathes of pink flowers standing strongly above the foliage.
GERANIUM	pratense striatum (12 seeds)	hp	Known as ‘Splish-Splash’. Streaked blue-&white flowers, very different. Usually comes true from seeds. It's difficult to collect these seeds as the plant catapults them when ripe! So only 12 seeds... but look at what other sellers charge for them! NEW FOR 2022
GERANIUM	pratense ex Dark leaved form (6 seeds)	hp	Beautiful purple-leaved Meadow Cranesbill. Easy to select the ones with PURPLE leaves just after germination. Delightful and different! Horrendously expensive as I harvested few seeds before they exploded away, even so I believe 6 seeds for £1 is very good value, and even at £1.50 is competitive. Last years seeds so double-sized packets, so now 12 seeds/packet
GERANIUM	pyrenaicum ex f. albiflorum	hp	Cranesbill. Masses of white flowers, and as good as its standard pink brother in all other ways. A must-have!
GERANIUM	pyrenaicum ex white- eyed purple (20)	hp	Pyrenean Cranesbill.Masses of small and cheerful white-eyed purpley-blue flowers, very desirable! As with all of these, they will flower in the 1st year of sowing.
GERANIUM	sanguineum Bloody cranesbill (6 seeds)	hp	Known as Bloody Cranesbill not for its colour but because it stanches blood!. Kids delight in naming this wildflower, seed here is from shown cultivar. Horrendously expensive as I harvested few seeds before they exploded away, even so I believe 6 seeds for £1 is very good value, and even at £1.50 is competitive. Last years seeds so double-sized packets, so now 12 seeds/packet
GEUM	ex 'Mrs Bradshaw'	hp	Seems to come true from seed, a gorgeous scarlet-red, semi-double flowers.
GYPSOPHILA	cerastioides	hp	Great rockery perennial, does extremely well in my rock garden, expanding satisfyingly as a large cushion of foliage, and looking even better in flower. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
HESPERIS	matronalis ex hint of lilac form	hb	Sweet Rocket. Cottage garden biennial: sweet rocket, with clove scented, edible flowers at 1m or more, will self seed gently if allowed. Seed from hint of lilac form. Expect some cross-pollination to have occurred so other colours also likely! Last years seeds so double-sized packets,
IBERIS	umbellata Candytuft	ha/b	Great annual (even better if sown autumn and overwintered), with perky and pretty flowers in pinks, purples and white. Easy peasy plant, and will self sow if you let it.
IMPATIENS	balfourii	ha	Is that an orchid? I often get asked about this unusual annual. No, it's actually related to busy lizzies! Really willing and able, giving loads of pleasure from the dolphin-buds to the delicate flowers and even the scary-to-collect explosive seedpods. Will seed around if you let it. NOTE: This is like a small and bushy version of the dire Himalayan balsam that cloggs our riverbanks. Just in case these seeds can also survive water logging, I ask you not to grow where seeds can enter watercourses, and that includes plants throwing seeds where they can be washed into drains.
IPOMOEA	tricolor (mainly violets)	hhcl	MORNING GLORY Absolutely beautiful flowers adorning annual climbing vines. So beautiful we can easily forgive them curling up later in the day. Enjoy their glory in the morning! Sow and put them outside after frosts, I like them climbing up through my runner beans. NEW FOR 2023
LATHYRUS	perrenial sweetpea	hpcl	Perennial sweetpeas are strong growers, dying back to the groud each winter before exploding into growth in spring. Great masses of flowers, good in a vase, they just miss the scent of the annuals.
LAVATERA	arborea variegata	hb/p	The variegated leaved tree mallow, with pink flowers. The beautifully variegation develops during the first autumn, the leaves are large and very tactile, being softer than velvet. Will you be able to keep the leaves on the plant all winter or will the flower-arranger in the family strip it? Deep pink mallow flowers on bushy, shrubby 5-6' plants. Highly recommended.
LAVATERA	ex 'Bredon Springs'	hp tree shrub	Tree mallow Sometimes known as 'Brendon Springs', and I've no idea which is correct.
CHRYSANTHEMUM now LEUCANTHEMUM	vulgare	hp	Wild flower. Oxeye Daisy, Moon daisy, Dog Daisy. Very easy, may flower the first year from seeds. NEW FOR 2023
LILIUM	Unknown yellow, tall (4-5') and strong, has thrived and increased in 3 years.	hblb	Most lilies I plant are expensive yet soon dwindle and die off, so for this one to have increased in 3 years is a miracle! Mine grow in poor soil under an apple tree in a bed of mixed planting. Growing lilies from seed is a challenge... sow as soon as possible outside in autumn/winter and expect a spring germination, and then wait a few years to flowering size.Last years seeds so double-sized packets,
LILIUM	regale Regal lily may be the all-white form, the usual with darker buds, or a mix of both!	hblb	This one does quite well in my garden, beware slugs with all lilies when they start to emerge in spring... then beware the dire red lily beetle and they horrid excrement-covered larvae. Hope I've not put you off.... Growing lilies from seed is a challenge... sow as soon as possible outside in autumn/winter and expect a spring germination, and then wait a few years to flowering size. Last years seeds so double-sized packets,
LINARIA	alpina	ha/p	Alpine toadflax Lovely glaucus foliage and beautifully marked flowers. This is a short, alpine, rock- garden plant which I grew for the first time in 2022. It flowered the first year from sowing though is said to be perennial. I expect it will also seed itself. NEW FOR 2023
LINARIA	purpurea	hp	Tall, slim spires of massed purple flowers...so easy from seed that it will flower the first year!
LINARIA	purpurea ex 'Springside White'	hp	Just as easy as the above from seed but collected from plants with white flowers.
LINARIA	purpurea MIX ex purple form & ex 'Springside White'	hp	Just as easy as the above from seed but here with pink flowers. The white form will not have purple tinge to stems so you can select a balanced mix at seedling stage. Bumbles love both colours!
Lunaria	annua ex dark-leaved, dark pods	hb	Honesty. Whoops, I can't find my pics. So this has dark leaves and dark seedpods, with the usual purple flowers. Peel the seedpods to reveal the dried 'flower' of silver pennies, they last indoors for MANY years. sorry, poor poc taken from a much wider view!!! NEW FOR 2023
Lunaria	annua ex alba	hb	Honesty. Seed from my white flowered plants.
Lunaria	annua ex alba variegata	hb	Honesty. Seed the variegated white form. Don't be disappointed (like I was) when all the seedlings are green-leaved. They will slowly change as winter arrives. NEW FOR 2023
LYCHNIS	chalcidonica	hp	Maltese Cross With bright red flowers. NEW FOR 2023
YCHNIS	coronaria, this is ex cerise form	hp	With cerise flowers, and contrasting grey felted foliage Note I grow 3 colours in my garden, so you may get some surprises!
LYCHNIS	coronaria ex alba	hp	Lovely furry, soft foliage. With white flowers, very cool. Note I grow 3 colours in my garden, so you may get some surprises!
LYCHNIS	coronaria occulata group ex 'Angel's Blush'	hp	Pink-centred white flowers. Absolutely lovely. Note I grow 3 colours in my garden, so you may get some surprises!
LYCHNIS	flos cuculi ex 'White Robin' white form of ragged robin.	hp	Most people love the fancy fringed flowers of our native wildflower ragged robin. Here's the white form, it's easy from seed. It appreciates a spot in the garden that won't dry out in heatwaves (we wish!)
Malva	moschata Musk Mallow	hp	The musk mallow. This perennial has pretty purpley-pink flowers over a long season. Attractive spring growth. Flowers first year from seed. Edible flower and leaf (very tasty, reminiscent of the smell of nettles when you cut them down).
Malva	moschata Musk Mallow ex alba, white form	hp	The white form of musk mallow (open pollinated). This perennial has pretty purpley-pink flowers over a long season. Attractive spring growth. Flowers first year from seed. Edible flower and leaf (very tasty, reminiscent of the smell of nettles when you cut them down).
MATTHIOLA	PURPLE FLOWERED fruticulosa perennis ... I believe	hp	Well, whatever it's called, it's a great plant in the garden. Yes it has a froth of deep purple flowers over a long period but just as importantly it has attractive glaucus-white foliage that looks good even in winter. To left is white form, it better shows the leaves though seed is of the purple form.! NEW FOR 2023
MAURANDIA	antirrhiniflora	hha/p	What a lovely, delicate climber. Grown in 2022 it put on an amazing display right through that long mild autumn. NEW FOR 2023
meconopsis	cambrica (yellow)	hp	The native wildflower: Welsh Poppy. A hardy perennial with yellow flowers on waving wand stems. If you want to buy the Welsh Poppy, where better than from Wales!
meconopsis	ex cambrica aurantica	hp	The pretty orangey-red form of the Welsh Poppy. Note there are varying shades of orange in my collection.... May be doubles as well.
meconopsis	cambrica Oranges & Lemons Mix	hp	Mix of the yellow and orange single forms.
melissa	officinalis	hp	Lemon Balm. Easy herb, forms an ever-increasing clump. Wonderful tea: use 3-4 sprigs in boiling water, drink hot or chilled.
Milium	effusum 'Aureum'	hp	Bowles' Golden Grass. Brightest yellow springtime foliage, airy flower-heads.
Myosotis	forget-me-not seed from good blue cultivar	hb	Who would be without cheery forget-me-not in their garden? It will self-sow year to year if you let it, so you need never be without this harbinger of spring. New for 2022
NICOTIANA	mutabilis	hha/p	A tobacco flower with a difference! How's this for multi-coloured flowers on the same plant!
NIGELLA	damascena Love-in-a mist ... or Devil-in-a-bush for the seedpods! ex BLUE FORM	ha
NIGELLA	damascena Love-in-a mist ex WHITE FORM	ha	Great self-sowing hardy annuals New for 2023
OENOTHERA	biennis	hb	Evening primrose. Large, bright yellow scented flowers. Last years seeds so double-sized packets,
OnopordUm	acanthium	hb	Scots' Thistle. Fantastically woolly-soft silver leaves (with prickles) that form a rosette in the first year. The next year the flowering stem quickly grows....well above head height ... and showers of purple, architectural flowers bloom over a long period. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
ORIGANUM	marjoram ex pink flowers	hp	MARJORAM. Wonderful richly scented foliage on this indispensible herb. Beloved by bees.. Don't know proper names, but this one has pink flowers.
ORIGANUM	marjoram ex white flowers	hp	MARJORAM. Wonderful richly scented foliage on this indispensible herb. Beloved by bees.. Don't know proper names, but this one has white flowers... sorry for the poor pic of actual flowers.... but bees of all sorts love both types. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
OXALIS	valdeviensis	ha	Oh boy, am I pleased to finally offer these seeds! An extremely pleasing, self-sowing annual with a continuing succession of yellow flower heads on 1' high stems. Hard to collect seeds as the seed capsules, being explosive, catapult seeds around before I even know they are ready!
PENSTEMON	hirsutus ex pygmaeus Hairy Beardtongue	hp	A delightful rockery plant that was easy to grow from seed. It has really smooth leaves so I couldn't understand why its specific name is hirsutus. Then I discovered the even more weird common name was beardtongue, what on eath is that about? Turns out there's a hairy staminoid in the throat of the flower... a bearded-tongue!!!
PENSTEMON	hirsutus ex pygmaeus Hairy Beardtongue from a taller plant, about 25cms/10-12" so perhaps not pygmaeus???	hp	HAIRY BEARDTONGUE, see it? Next year I'll try to get a close-up pic of this plant and a flower, meanwhile this is the best I can do!
polemonium	Unknown sort I got it as 2 different sorts of Polemonium, they both came out the same... sorry, I only have a poor pic.	hp	Jacob’s ladder. Attractive, ladder-like leaves and heads of blue flowers during the summer months. About 18"-2' The flower really is lovely...yellow-centred blue-purple blooms, and the polemonium's dstinctive ladder-like foliage.
polemonium	ex white form	hp	Jacob’s ladder. Attractive, ladder-like leaves and heads of white flowers during the summer months. About 18"-2' New for 2023
POTENTILLA	recta	hp	Many potentillas creep but this is erect ('recta') to about 12-18", and so the flowers can better be appreciated. Has a quiet charm and is a perfect foil for other flowers over most of the summer months. Can flower first year from seed.
POTENTILLA	recta alba	hp	WHITE FORM Many potentillas creep but this is erect ('recta') to about 12-18", and so the flowers can better be appreciated. Can flower first year from seed. New for 2023	Whoops, sorry no pic (yet!)
PRIMULA	vialii	hp	The most surprising primula of them all. Lilac-pink flowers open upwards from red buds. I've had them flower 1st year from seed! New for 2023
SAXIFRAGA	mossy, ex 'White Pixie'	hp	Charming and easy rock garden plant, spreads horizontally but always neatly. White flowers, but red buds! Last years seeds so double-sized packets
schizostylis Though I hear we should call it Hesperantha coccinea now.	coccinea	hp	The astounding and slug-proof Kaffir Lily, with crimson flowers in October when most plants are going to sleep for winter. Trouble-free, beautiful, and evergreen.
SEDUM	rupestre ex 'Silver'	hp	One of the quicker spreading sedums, looking good all year round with its silvery leaves. Then in spring it will burst into its yellow flowering glory. New for 2023
SIDALCEA	ex 'Party Girl'	hp	I was delighted not to be able to tell the difference between offspring and my original plant. Very easy and satisfying to grow.
SILENE	'Ray's Golden Campion'	hp	I love this. Strong golden foliage and pink flowers over an amazingly long period. I've cut mine back in June towards end of flowering and was rewarded by some more flowers in Aug-October.
sisyrinchium	striatum	hp	Flowers the year after sowing, with cream-and-yellow flowers up 50 cm flowering spikes. Clumps in flower are an arresting sight! Evergreen iris-like foliage.
TANACETUM	parthenium FEVERFEW syn Matricaria	hb	Aromatic foliage. Masses of yellow-centred daisy flowers in summer and autumn...and this year even now on December 12th 2012!	I
TANACETUM	parthenium FEVERFEW ex Golden Feverfew	hb	Can feverfew be improved on? Well here's one answer, let's have golden leaves! Select golden seedlings when young.	I
TANACETUM	parthenium FEVERFEW ex Double Form	hb	Or how about this variation... one with DOUBLE daisy flowers!	I
TELLIMA	grandiflora .	hp	Fringecups. Evergreen shade-lover that also does well in the sun! Tall waving wands of tiny fringed flowers with a delicate scent that I liken to azaleas.
TRIFOLIUM	panonicum, I believe	hp	I am so very pleased to have plants of these now, I'd seen them many years ago in gardens open in Llanmadoc and desired them ever since. I tested the seeds this autumn (2021) and got germination, so here we are, you won't have to wait as many years as I did! Trifolium? Yup... a large relative of the humble clover, this stands a lot taller, around 2' / 60cms.
tropaeolum	majus, variegated, probably 'Alaska'	hha	Nasturtium. Extraordinary! Not just the ordinary nasturtium but with white-splashed foliage. Spectacular in a large pot! And just think how you can perk up the looks of a salad or garnish - using these marbled leaves and resplendent flowers. 15 seeds only, sorry New for 2023
Valeriana	phu	hp	I love the scent of these flowers gently wafting across my garden. About a meter tall, this will form a slowly growing clump in your border. Bee-loved. New for 2023
verbascum	chaixii yellow	hp	A perennial, steadily increasing clump, a verbascum with many spires of flowers with yellow petals, and purple centres. Each exquisite flower has a central tuft of furry (yes, furry) purple stamens. Why? I guess we'll never know, but the bees should appreciate the way they have a remarkable landing-platform during their sorties for nectar and pollen.
verbascum	chaixii album	hp	In this version, the spires of flowers have white petals to offset the purple centres. Brilliant!
VERBENA	bonariensis	(h)h a/b/p	Sometimes perennial, or self-sowing each year, is this wonderful plant for attracting butterflies. 3-5' but 'airy' so you can place it towards the front of the border if you wish.
VESTIA	foetida	(h)hp sh	Extraordinary: almost fuchsia-like yellow flowers in spring, arch down from this evergreen shrub, which is hardy in sheltered spots. If cut back by the cold, it may well sprout from ground level. Astonishing...and arresting.HINT: I may over-winter first-year seedlings under cold glass/my verandah, letting them grow in a sheltered spot in the open garden from then on. They also self-sow. New for 2023. Just 10 seeds/packet
VIOLA	cornuta alba	hp	Highly desirable, this is the white form of the horned violet. All forms of the horned violet are TRUELY PERENNIAL and particularly floriferous for over six months. Position them where you can have all their faces looking towards the sun, ...and you! Horned? Yes, can you see it's horn, sticking up behind to the right? It's where the nectar is stored, and also gives it its Latin epithet CORNuta like uniCORN. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
			LET'S HAVE SOME VEGGIES!
	CRESS	hha	As easy to grow as cress! Broadcast quite thickly in a small area of the garden and keep cutting-and-coming-again over many weeks. I love this spicey flavour, totally unlike the 'growing salad' punnets from supermarkets which is usually mainly rape seedlings. And yes, good to grow indoors in winter on wet kitchen towels in a saucer. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
CYCLANTHERA	'Fat Baby' (8 seeds)	(h)ha	Achoca. Eye-catching large, decorative leaves on this ornamental climber. Fantastic green-hedgehog edible fruits! Down-under they are known as Bishop's balls. Seems a funny shape to play football with... No matter, they eat the young pods raw...with ginger and lemon juice. Larger fruits may be stuffed and baked. New for 2023
BARBAREA	Land cress American cress	hb	Easy self-sowing beinnial. Closest flavour to water-cress without any need for damp soil let alone running water. Stands up to all winter weathers here. Flowers are tall masses of yellow, and edible. Last years seeds so double-sized packets
Chenopodium giganteum	Magenta Spreen Oriental Tree Spinach to 6' / 2M !!	ha	Also known as Mexican tree spinach, and purple goosefoot although I choose to use the name Magenta Spreen. Whatever you decide to call it this is a MAGNIFICENT plant. From slightly fat hen type leaves grows a most startling tip of magenta, rich red-purple. The shoot colour continues until flowering point. Harvest young for salads and cook older leaves like spinach. Also stirfries, etc.
atriplex	hortensis rubra	ha	Purple Orache: a hardy annual that self-seeds each year. Ornamental foliage plant to 1m or more with luscious deep purple-black leaves. Luscious? Yes, edible as a leaf to mix into salads, where the almost black leaves contrast fantastically with green salad leaves. The colour is rather darker than the camera shows. The seed-heads are fantastic in flower arrangements. I also listed this in ornamentals, above.
LAMB'S LETTUCE			Corn salad. Unassuming saladling grown over very long season. Yup... seems to tolerate winters... that's great ... a salad leaves in winter! New for 2023

LAST YEAR'S SEEDS My 'old' seed is often fresher than the normal lots from many seed companies! Let me choose from all my left over last year's seeds, and go for: LUCKY FIVE £2.50 A lucky dip of 5 packs of last year’s seeds TERRIFIC TWENTY £8 or FANTASTIC FORTY £14 Strictly my choice, but I won’t include anything that you order at the same time, & you can choose categories you want/don’t want from: annuals, biennials, perennials, trees and shrubs, alpines, bulbs, vegetables, climbers, herbs, Aquilegias, Geraniums. Yes, choosing all aquilegias is fine!

'Hi Carrie, What a pleasure to come across a homegrown website, a garden in itself. ' Malcolm Allum, (Manchester)

AQUILEGIA SEEDS	Top of THIS PAGE	PLANTS & SEEDLINGS
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Touchwood seeds: fully automated seed packeting system

LABELS

Good quality white labels …….30 for £1 ................65 for £2

‘Invisible’ green labels……….20 for £1 .................45 for £2

‘Highly visible’ yellow ....……. 20 for £1 ..................45 for £2

or mix yellow and green…….20 for £1 ..................45 for £2

or mix 5 colours…………......….20 for £1 .................. 45 for £2

Label postage: they are relatively heavy, so, for UK, 50p per 50 (or part thereof)

But labels sent free with plants-by-post orders.

GUARANTEE

I fully expect you to enjoy a good germination from my seeds. If that is not the case, please let me know, for either information and advice, replacement seed or a credit note. But when you do get good results…please tell your friends and let them benefit from good seed of cottage garden, rare and unusual plants at a brilliant price!!

Touchwood's seed is grown, harvested & packeted here in Wales

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