West Coast Seeds

Enjoy the three complementary Cupcake colours in a single blend. We've mixed Lemon, Orange and Sanguinea into the Cupcake Blend to make the most of these spectacular cut flowers. Zinnias are not hard to grow, and they offer so much in return. The tufted tops of the exotic looking 'Scabiosaflora' add structure to an already stunning blend of colours. The cut and come again plants just keep sending out more branches and buds right through summer into the cool weather of September. Deadheading keeps the plants productive. The seeds can be started indoors or direct sown — they are very easy to grow.

Annual.

Lathyrus odoratus. Its rich colour range is dominated by blues and purples, but accented by the occasional highlight of scarlet or pure white. The stems are long, sturdy and uncommonly straight for excellent cut flowers. The vines are not huge at five feet tall, but larger than described them in our catalogue. We have them on a trellis growing quite upright, and they are still very much in bloom in early August. We rate the fragrance at medium-strong (6/10), but as cut flowers, they are among the best. Keep cutting flowers or removing any seed pods that form in order to prolong the flowering period. Try Bijou sweet peas in large containers to bring colour and fragrance to your patio garden.

Annual

Lathyrus odoratus. Royal Family Blend sweet pea seeds produce tall vines that bloom after Mammoth and before Late Spencer, so they can be sown with these other varieties for a whole summer of cut flowers. These graceful and elegant plants have more heat resistance than the Spencer Series, very large flowers, and long stems on vines that reach 150-180cm (36-48"). Blooms of crimson, lavender, mid-blue, navy blue, rose pink, salmon pink, scarlet, and white appear over a long period, especially when plants have all their spent flowers removed. Try Royal Family in a hanging basket or decorative patio container.

Annual

Tagetes erecta. These vigorous, very upright marigolds feature large, deeply orange flowers with highly ruffled petals. Kees' Orange marigold grows to 60-70cm (24-28") tall, and works well in containers or in the vegetable garden where it makes a generalist companion plant for pretty much all crops. It attracts beneficial insects and repels pests. It is great as a long-lasting cut flower, and looks amazing planted in large groups. Space them carefully to allow for good air circulation.

Annual

Alcea rosea. Sow Indian Spring hollyhocks seeds in full sun. This is a selection of our most popular Hollyhocks seeds, blended for planting en masse to create a beautiful cottage garden. Tall spires grow to 2m (6') or more, with single, double, and ruffled flowers that fill in empty garden spaces with blooms in rose, pink, white, chocolate, purple, and lavender. This blend looks sensational from late spring to frost. Hollyhocks are both tall and drought tolerant, so they are a nice choice for xeriscaping. Avoid overhead watering with hollyhocks in order to delay foliar diseases, including rust and powdery mildew. These are not uncommon problems for hollyhocks, but rarely make much impact.

Biennial

Sunrise Bumble Bee Organic tomato seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Along with Pink and Purple Bumble Bee tomatoes, Sunrise has orange skins that are streaked with bright gold. They are strikingly beautiful, but also boast tremendous sweet flavour. The texture is succulent and the small cherry fruits are resistant to cracking. The Bumble Bee series will work in a 5 gallon (or larger) container, but be sure to keep the vines well picked so they keep producing right through late summer. And provide strong support for the vigorous plants to lean on.

Indeterminate (vine) Matures in 70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Purple Bumble Bee Organic tomato seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Super cute cherry tomatoes with red skins and purple stripes. The sweet round fruits have excellent flavour and grow to a uniform 4cm (1.5") across. They hang in long trusses from tall indeterminate vines. Try Purple Bumble Bee in a 5 gallon (or larger) container, but be sure to provide the support of a trellis or string, as the vines are vigorous. Keep the plants picked and snip back any suckers so the fruit production is limited to one central vine.

Indeterminate (vine) Matures in 70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Spicy Slice jalapeño peppers result from hybrid plant breeding, and produce numerous uniform, perfect green pods per plant. These will eventually mature to a sweeter red colour, but at the green stage they are pungent and hot — 4000-6000 SHUs, which substantially hotter than Jalapeño M, but with the distinct flavour of jalapeño chiles. This product was something of a hit in our field trials, with plants positively laden with peppers. Everyone who tried it agreed on the superior flavour and genuine piquancy that runs throughout the flesh, not just restricted to the pith and seeds. 

Matures in 65 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Wonderful flavour in a personal sized watermelon. Crisp, juicy melons with dark, striped, firm skin over rich red flesh. Black Beauty Mini Watermelon seeds grow nice and compact plants with excellent flavour. Fruits grow 2 to 2.5kg (4-5.5 lbs). Picking watermelons from the vine, when they are at peak ripeness, is really amazing. The fruit is at its maximum sweetness, and the flavour is intense. This is not like store-bought melons at all. To check for maturity, watch the tendril nearest the stem that leads to the fruit. As soon as it withers, the fruit has reached its top ripeness.

Matures in 80 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Red Iceberg lettuce forms a rosette of tasty, nutritious, and richly red outer leaves as it grows. Eventually a tightly-packed, pale green iceberg head forms at its centre, gilded with red markings on the outside. The interior is sweet and mild, with a very pleasant, crisp texture. The head holds well against the heat of summer with a delayed seed set. This was a standout in our seed trials and drew a lot of attention.

Matures in 50 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

SUMMER HARVEST. Copenhagen Market cabbage seeds are a Danish heirloom introduced by H. Hartman & Co. in 1909. This early variety forms round, solid heads 15-20cm (6-8") in diameter, making it the largest early round-head cabbage for summer harvest. This summer harvest variety has good keeping ability, excellent uniformity, and rich flavour. This variety is outstanding for coleslaw. It's a popular market variety that has the added benefit of shipping very well. Protect your cabbage row from the caterpillar of the cabbage moth by draping lightweight row cover over the plants.

Matures in 63 to 100 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Dating back to 1830, this heirloom is the oldest American lettuce still in cultivation, which speaks to its charms. Plant Tom Thumb lettuce seeds for the smallest lettuce of all - a tennis ball-sized Bibb that will fit in the palm of your hand. The small heads have creamy yellow centers with medium green, slightly crumpled wrapper leaves. This variety works well in containers - even window boxes! It's a good candidate for indoor growing under lights and does not need a large container to grow well. Try growing some Tom Thumb lettuce seeds in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse in the winter.

Matures in 50-70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Pomegranate Crunch Pelleted Organic romaine lettuce seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! This petite lettuce is like a cross between a romaine and a butterhead, with small, dense heads with cherry red leaves and light green hearts with a splash of red. The leaf ribs are very clean and uniform. The colour transition from the outer leaves to the heart is very smooth, creating a beautiful contrast. The heads of this variety have very uniform size and shape. Seeds are pelleted and sold by seed count. Be sure to keep the seed bed constantly moist until germination. Pelleted seeds require constant moisture.

Matures in 45 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Ramrod is a white bulbing Lisbon type scallion (or bunching onion) with stiff, erect leaves. Unlike Pacific 22, the bulb is small and forms late on this variety. Sow Ramrod scallion seeds successively through spring, summer and autumn. September-sown seedlings are very cold-hardy and overwinter well for early spring harvests. A high-performance, boldly flavoured scallion bred for English gardens, but perfect for the coast. Recommended by Alan Titchmarsh as a favourite scallion or "salad onion." To increase the blanched white lower portion, simply sow or transplant into a shallow trench and hill soil up around the stems as they grow.

Matures in 65 days, 150 days overwintered. (Open-pollinated seeds)