Borage turns a corner beside the vegetable garden into a lively spot with nodding, star-shaped flowers. Alongside the familiar blue are white flowers and even a lower-growing perennial relative. Start small: a few well-placed plants look better than an unexpected thicket among your young lettuces.

Gardening guide

Beth: flavour and growing

Small, sweet, juicy fruit.

Gardening guide

Beurré Hardy: flavour and growing

Vigorous upright growth.

Gardening guide

Chives: varieties, growing and uses

A clump of chives is a small perennial supply that instantly finishes a plate of potatoes, eggs or salad. The fine green shoots are familiar; pink or white flower heads show that the same kitchen herb can also form a neat edge in the garden.

Illustrative species image of Beetroot: colour in your bed, from young leaves to firm roots

AI illustration

This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.

Gardening guide

Beetroot: colour in your bed, from young leaves to firm roots

Red is only the beginning of the beetroot world. There are also long, yellow and strikingly patterned forms. A short row lets you follow both young leaves and roots. First choose what you want to harvest; that determines how much room the plants and your kitchen plans need.

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Gardening guide

Big Ben: flavour and growing

Compact; large fruit.

Gardening guide

Birstaler Muskat: flavour and growing

Muscat; dessert and wine.

Gardening guide

Biscia Rossa: discover its flavour and cultivation

Biscia Rossa has bronze-green, deeply cut leaves and is grown as cutting lettuce. Its Italian alias describes curled leaves for cutting. Choose this selection if you want a traditional cutting lettuce with a bronze tint. This offering differs from a closed head lettuce.

Gardening guide

Bishop Crown: discover its flavour and how to grow it

A striking red crown-shaped chilli on a vigorous crop, with an unusual eating experience within one fruit. Choose Bishop Crown for unusual fruit and contrast between sweet edges and a hotter core, as an enthusiast's trial variety.

Gardening guide

Bishop of Llandaff: growing dahlias

Red flowers above dark foliage give a double contrast.

Gardening guide

Black Ball: growing cornflower

Very dark red-purple for striking contrast.

Gardening guide

Black Beauty: discover its flavour and how to grow it

The practical, classic courgette: a non-trailing plant for regular summer harvests of young fruits. Choose Black Beauty for a familiar courgette without a climbing frame; generous leaf space is still needed.

Gardening guide

Black Beauty: discover its flavour and how to grow it

The familiar broad, purple-black, glossy aubergine: recognisable, versatile and attractive beside white or striped varieties. Choose this classic if you mainly want recognisable aubergines for familiar dishes, rather than miniature or long, thin fruit.

Gardening guide

Black Cherry: discover its flavour and how to grow it

A dark cherry tomato about the size of a large cherry on a vigorous, trailing plant. A choice for lovers of small, sweet tomatoes who also want a harvest with a different colour from familiar red cherry tomatoes.