Featured nursery: Crûg Farm Plants

“Crûg Farm Plants has an outstanding and unrivalled selection of plants, located in one of the most beautiful areas of North Wales” is what you can read on this exceptional nursery’s web site and I can’t argue about that. Although they don’t mention the edibility of their plants, they do have one of the best selections of novel perennial vegetables, particularly sansai and sannamul  plants from Japan and Korea respectively (i.e., wild foraged species). Often there are several selections of the different species, often collected by the owner’s themselves on their numerous plant hunting expeditions (see http://www.crug-farm.co.uk/plant_hunting-3.aspx )
I just wish I lived nearer…or maybe not, as my bank balance would be severely affected if I did  ;-)

I looked quickly through their plant list for 2015 and noted the following plant families with edible members, many mentioned in my book Around the World in 80 plants! Others I would love the opportunity to trial!

Actinidia – 13 different of 8 species

Adenophora (Bellflower family) – 12 different

Agastache rugosa ‘Korean Zest’

Akebia – 6 different

Anemone rivularis –  2 different

Angelica – 14 different

Aralia – 18 different, including 4 different selections of A. cordata (Udo), my biggest vegetable, A. continentalis and  A.  elata (all are in my book Around the world in 80 plants)

Asparagus – 2 different species

Campanula – 4 different

Cardamine – 14 different, including 3 accessions / name varieties of North American C. diphylla (would love to try that one)

Chengiopanax sciadophylloides (Araliaceae) – this is top of my list of wants, but it is currently out of stock

Codonopsis (Bellflower family)  – 18 different

Elaeagnus umbellatus

Eleutherococcus – 6 different

Fallopia multiflora v. hypoleuca

Farfugium japonicum – double flowered

Hemerocallis – 4 species

Hosta – 16 different species and cultivars like Big Daddy (see my book)

Hovenia dulcis

Kalopanax septemlobus v. magnificus (see my book)

Ligularia fischeri from India, Japan and from Korea (my favourite new perennial vegetable of the last 2 years, didn’t make it into my book). See http://www.edimentals.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=3114&action=edit (Ligularia fischeri, King of the Sannamul)

Lilium – numerous species including my favourite edible Lilium davidii

Luma apiculata

Matteuccia struthiopteris

Molopospermum peloponnesiacum

Oplopanax horridus and O.  japonica (see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=1161 for Oplopanax tempura)

Parasenecio – 8 different (I haven’t tried these yet, watch this space) (see my book, syn Cacalia)

Patrinia – 3 different (I haven’t tried these yet, watch this space) (see my book)

Petasites japonicus v. giganteus – Japanese Fuki, a very important early spring vegetable (see my book)

Polygonatum – numerous

Rheum – 4 species

Saxifraga stolonifera – 3 different

Schisandra chinensis – 3 accessions

Streptopus amplexicaulis and S. roseus (lanceolatus)

Trachystemon orientalis – See http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=1269

Zanthoxylum – 16 different, including Szechuan pepper and other edible species.

Zingiber mioga ‘Crûg’s Zing’ – Hardy perennial ginger for the forest garden

 

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Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden