Plant database
A library for small spaces
Edibles, herbs, fruit and flowers that thrive in pots, patches and windowsills.
Good picks for autumn
From our library — tuned to what's worth starting in September. Set your region for picks tailored to your climate.
Nerine
Shimmering pink lily-stars in October when little else is flowering.
Michaelmas Daisy
Drifts of lavender-pink daisies in October — late nectar for bumblebees.
Radish
Ready to eat in just 4 weeks – fastest reward in gardening.
Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
Succulent plates that turn from pink to brick — September pollinator buffet.
Herb
St John's wort
St John's wort is a hardy perennial herb with bright yellow flowers traditionally used for medicinal purposes. It thrives in sunny locations with minimal care and can spread vigorously.
Herb
Lavender
Lavender is a drought-tolerant perennial herb prized for its fragrant purple flowers and silvery foliage. It thrives in sunny, dry conditions and is ideal for small containers.
Flower
David Austin White Rose
David Austin English roses are renowned for their classic cupped blooms, fragrance, and disease resistance. White varieties like 'Claire Austin' and 'Generous Gardener' combine old-rose charm with repeat flowering.
Flower
Dutch iris
Dutch iris are spring-blooming bulbs prized for their elegant flowers in blue, purple, yellow, and white. They naturalize well and make excellent cut flowers.
Vegetable
Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Tender annual
Sun-loving fruit that thrives in pots with stakes or cages.
Vegetable
Chilli Pepper
Capsicum annuum
Tender annual
Heat-loving fruit – perfect for sunny balconies.
Root
Carrot
Daucus carota
Hardy biennial
Use deep pots and stone-free compost for straight roots.
Vegetable
Cucumber
Cucumis sativus
Tender annual
Train up a trellis to save space. Pick small and often.
Vegetable
Courgette / Zucchini
Cucurbita pepo
Tender annual
One plant feeds a household. Use a big pot (40 L+).
Root
Beetroot
Beta vulgaris
Hardy biennial
Two crops in one – roots and tasty leaves.
Allium
Garlic
Allium sativum
Hardy perennial
Plant cloves in autumn, harvest in early summer.
Flower
Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Half-hardy annual
Showstopper blooms — dwarf varieties grow happily in 25 cm pots.
Legume
Runner Bean
Phaseolus coccineus
Half-hardy annual
Twining climber with scarlet flowers — needs a tall wigwam.
Legume
French Bean
Phaseolus vulgaris
Half-hardy annual
Dwarf or climbing — fast cropper, pick young for stringless pods.
Legume
Broad Bean
Vicia faba
Hardy annual
Autumn-sown for an early hungry-gap crop — pinch tops to deter blackfly.
Legume
Pea
Pisum sativum
Hardy annual
Sweetest fresh from the pod — needs canes or netting to scramble up.
Legume
Mangetout
Pisum sativum var. saccharatum
Hardy annual
Flat pods eaten whole — pick every other day to keep them coming.
Legume
Sugar Snap Pea
Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon
Hardy annual
Plump crunchy pods you can eat shell-and-all — kid favourite.
Vegetable
Florence Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum
Hardy biennial
Crunchy aniseed bulbs — sow after midsummer to prevent bolting.
Vegetable
Celery
Apium graveolens var. dulce
Hardy biennial
Thirsty plant that loves a deep boggy pot — sweetened by self-blanching.
Root
Celeriac
Apium graveolens var. rapaceum
Hardy biennial
Knobbly nutty root — sow early indoors for a long growing season.
Brassica
Pak Choi
Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis
Hardy annual
Fast Asian green — sow successionally in cool seasons to avoid bolting.
Vegetable
Sweetcorn
Zea mays
Tender annual
Plant in blocks not rows for wind pollination — needs a big patch.
Vegetable
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
Hardy perennial
Plant crowns once, harvest spears every spring for 20 years.
Brassica
Broccoli (Calabrese)
Brassica oleracea (Italica)
Hardy biennial
Main head plus weeks of side-shoots — net it against pigeons and caterpillars.
Brassica
Cauliflower
Brassica oleracea (Botrytis)
Hardy biennial
Curds need shade — fold leaves over the head to keep them snow-white.
Brassica
Cabbage
Brassica oleracea (Capitata)
Hardy biennial
Pick the right variety and you can have cabbage in every season.
Brassica
Brussels Sprout
Brassica oleracea (Gemmifera)
Hardy biennial
Stake each plant — wind-rock is the difference between firm and floppy sprouts.
Brassica
Kohlrabi
Brassica oleracea (Gongylodes)
Hardy biennial
Looks like an alien turnip, tastes like a sweet apple-broccoli hybrid.
Brassica
Romanesco
Brassica oleracea (Botrytis, Romanesco)
Hardy biennial
Lime-green fractal florets — looks alien, tastes like nutty cauliflower.
Squash
Pumpkin
Cucurbita maxima
Tender annual
One vine, one big orange globe — feed weekly and keep off the ground.
Squash
Butternut Squash
Cucurbita moschata
Tender annual
Sweet keeper that stores for months — train up sturdy supports to save space.
Squash
Melon
Cucumis melo
Tender annual
Sweetest under glass or on a sunny wall — train and net the fruit.
Squash
Gherkin
Cucumis sativus
Tender annual
Pick at finger-length for pickles, daily, to keep the vine cropping.
Fruit
Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Hardy perennial
Pot-perfect — needs ericaceous compost and ideally rainwater.
Fruit
Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
Hardy perennial
Summer or autumn fruiters — pick autumn for the simpler pruning life.
Fruit
Blackberry
Rubus fruticosus
Hardy perennial
Thornless varieties are kid-friendly and crop heavily on a wall.
Fruit
Gooseberry
Ribes uva-crispa
Hardy perennial
Bush or standard — pick under-ripe for crumbles, ripe for desserts.
Fruit
Blackcurrant
Ribes nigrum
Hardy perennial
Massive vitamin-C hit — leaves make a tea too.
Fruit
Redcurrant
Ribes rubrum
Hardy perennial
Jewel-like strings of fruit — train as a fan against a fence.
Fruit
Fig
Ficus carica
Hardy perennial
Restricted roots make figs fruit better — perfect for a big pot.
Fruit
Lemon
Citrus × limon
Tender perennial
Indoors over winter, out in summer — feed with citrus food.
Fruit
Dwarf Apple
Malus domestica
Hardy perennial
M27 rootstock keeps the tree under 2 m — fruit by year three.
Fruit
Dwarf Pear
Pyrus communis
Hardy perennial
Quince-rootstock pears stay compact and crop in 3 years.
Fruit
Dwarf Cherry
Prunus avium
Hardy perennial
Patio cherries on Gisela 5 rootstock — net against birds.
Fruit
Rhubarb
Rheum × hybridum
Hardy perennial
Force a crown under a bucket for tender pink January stems.
Vegetable
Cherry Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum (Cerasiforme)
Tender annual
Sweet bite-size truss — most productive variant for small pots.
Vegetable
Plum Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum (Plum)
Tender annual
Meaty low-seed variety — the one to grow if you make sauce or passata.
Vegetable
Beefsteak Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum (Beefsteak)
Tender annual
Hand-sized slicing fruit — needs a deep pot, sturdy stake and patience.
Vegetable
San Marzano Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum 'San Marzano'
Tender annual
Italian heritage plum — the gold standard for tomato sauce.
Vegetable
Yellow Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum (Yellow)
Tender annual
Low-acid sunshine-bright fruit — kinder to sensitive stomachs.
Vegetable
Bell Pepper
Capsicum annuum (Grossum)
Tender annual
Sweet, crunchy block-shaped peppers — ripen green → yellow → red.
Vegetable
Padron Pepper
Capsicum annuum 'Padrón'
Tender annual
Spanish tapas pepper — mostly mild, one in ten a fiery surprise.
Vegetable
Jalapeño
Capsicum annuum 'Jalapeño'
Tender annual
Medium-heat Mexican classic — pick green or red, both delicious.
Vegetable
Aubergine
Solanum melongena
Tender annual
Glossy purple Mediterranean staple — loves a sunny sheltered spot.
Vegetable
Tomatillo
Physalis ixocarpa
Tender annual
Tangy husk-wrapped fruit — heart of green salsa verde. Grow two for pollination.
Brassica
Tatsoi
Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa
Hardy biennial
Spoon-shaped dark rosettes — sweet mustard flavour, frost-sweetened.
Brassica
Mustard Greens
Brassica juncea
Hardy annual
Punchy peppery leaves — best picked young before they get fierce.
Root
Parsnip
Pastinaca sativa
Hardy biennial
Sweet-after-frost winter root — needs a deep pot and a long season.
Root
Turnip
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
Hardy biennial
Fast peppery root — also crop the leafy tops as spring greens.
Root
Swede
Brassica napus var. napobrassica
Hardy biennial
Hardy purple-shouldered winter staple — mash with butter and pepper.
Root
Salsify
Tragopogon porrifolius
Hardy biennial
Oyster-flavoured 'vegetable oyster' — gourmet winter root.
Root
Scorzonera
Scorzonera hispanica
Hardy biennial
Black-skinned salsify cousin — even more refined nutty flavour.
Root
Daikon Radish
Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus
Hardy annual
Long mild Japanese radish — central to pickles and stews.
Squash
Spaghetti Squash
Cucurbita pepo 'Spaghetti'
Tender annual
Cooked flesh strands like pasta — a gluten-free dinner-party star.
Squash
Acorn Squash
Cucurbita pepo (Acorn)
Tender annual
Ribbed-globe squash with sweet golden flesh — perfect roasting size.
Brassica
Savoy Cabbage
Brassica oleracea (Sabauda)
Hardy biennial
Crinkled blue-green winter cabbage — sweetest after a few frosts.
Brassica
Red Cabbage
Brassica oleracea (Capitata, Rubra)
Hardy biennial
Glossy purple drum — slaws, sauerkraut and Christmas red cabbage.
Brassica
Broccolini
Brassica oleracea × Brassica rapa
Hardy biennial
Slim sweet tender-stem — crops over weeks rather than one big head.
Vegetable
Globe Artichoke
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus
Hardy perennial
Architectural perennial — eat the buds young or let one flower for bees.
Vegetable
Cardoon
Cynara cardunculus
Hardy perennial
Spiny silver giant — blanched stems are an Italian winter delicacy.
Root
Jerusalem Artichoke
Helianthus tuberosus
Hardy perennial
Knobbly sunchoke tubers — also grows tall yellow sunflowers in August.
Brassica
Sea Kale
Crambe maritima
Hardy perennial
Coastal perennial — force the spring stems under a pot for white spears.
Vegetable
Samphire
Salicornia europaea
Half-hardy perennial
Coastal succulent — crisp salty 'sea asparagus' for fish dishes.
Vegetable
Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus
Tender annual
Heat-loving lady's fingers — gumbo and Indian curry staple.
Legume
Edamame
Glycine max
Tender annual
Young soybean pods — boil with salt and pop them straight from the shell.
Legume
Chickpea
Cicer arietinum
Half-hardy annual
Two peas per pod — needs a long hot summer to mature for drying.