Perennial vegetable plants
Showing all 18 results
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Alexanders
$8.50Add to cartAlexanders is a hardy biennial or short-lived perennial herb, growing 60–150 cm tall. Thrives in sun to part shade and a wide range of soils, including poor or coastal soils. Features glossy divided leaves, umbels of yellow-green flowers in spring, and edible stems, leaves, seeds, and roots. Traditionally used as a pot-herb, flavouring, and medicinal plant.
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Artichoke – Green Globe
$9.50Add to cartGlobe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus ‘Green Globe’) is a perennial in the Asteraceae family that grows in full sun and prefers rich, well-drained soil. It is cultivated for its large green flower buds, which are eaten as a gourmet vegetable, and adds striking architectural form to the garden.
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Artichoke – Imperial Star
$9.50Add to cartGlobe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus ‘Imperial Star’) is a perennial in the Asteraceae family that grows in full sun and prefers rich, well-drained soil. It is an early-maturing variety, bred to produce tender edible buds in its first year, and is excellent for both home gardens and kitchen harvests.
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Artichoke – Purple de Jesi
$10.50Add to cartGlobe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus ‘Purple de Jesi’) is a perennial in the Asteraceae family that grows in full sun and prefers rich, well-drained soil. It produces elongated purple heads with excellent eating quality and is treasured as both a gourmet vegetable and a striking garden plant.
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Artichoke – Purple of Romagna
$10.50Add to cartGlobe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus ‘Purple of Romagna’) is a perennial in the Asteraceae family that grows in full sun and prefers rich, well-drained soil. It is prized for its purple-tinted buds with a rich flavour and is valued both as a culinary delicacy and an ornamental statement.
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Artichoke – Violet de Provence
$10.50Add to cartGlobe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus ‘Violet of Provence’) is a perennial in the Asteraceae family that grows in full sun and prefers rich, well-drained soil. It is known for its deep violet buds and tender flesh, making it both a decorative and culinary variety.
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Cardoon
$10.50Add to cartCardoon (Cynara cardunculus) is a perennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae). It prefers full sun and well-drained, fertile soil, and is moderately frost-hardy in most of New Zealand. Growing 1.5–2 m tall and 1 m wide, it features striking silver-grey leaves and tall stalks of purple thistle-like flowers. Mainly valued as a culinary plant for its blanched stems with a mild artichoke flavour, a cottage garden ornamental for bold, architectural form, a pollinator plant attracting bees, and a medicinal herb supporting healthy digestion and liver function.
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Crosnes – Chinese Artichokes
$9.50Add to cartCrosnes (Stachys affinis) is a hardy perennial in the mint family (Lamiaceae) that grows to around 30–45 cm tall and spreads 30–60 cm. It prefers full sun to light shade and thrives in loose, fertile, well-drained soil with consistent moisture. This clumping plant is best known for its curious, spiralled white tubers, harvested in autumn–winter. Crosnes is mainly grown as a Culinary Herb/Vegetable, valued for its nutty, artichoke-like flavour and crisp texture. It also holds cottage-garden appeal with its mint-like leaves and small purple flowers that attract bees and other pollinators. In New Zealand, it is hardy, tolerating frosts well, but tubers should be harvested or mulched to avoid rot in heavy winter soils.
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Earth Gem – Ulluco
$9.50Add to cartUlluco (Ullucus tuberosus) is a tender perennial root crop in the Basellaceae family, grown as an annual in New Zealand. It grows to about 30–45cm tall and wide, forming mats of fleshy leaves. It prefers full sun to part shade and thrives in moist, well-drained, fertile soil. Ulluco is prized for its colourful, nutty-flavoured tubers, which are used as a culinary crop and harvested in late autumn. The leaves are also edible when cooked. Protect from hot, dry conditions; best suited to cooler NZ regions.
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Horseradish
$10.50Add to cartA PERENNIAL of the mustard family growing to 70cm. Prefers a moist and well-drained soil and can grow in very alkaline soils. Full sun or semi-shade.
The young leaves are distinctly different to older leaves, being asymettric spiky before becoming flat and broad.
The plant is cultivated mostly for its large, white, tapered root which is a vegetable and spice. It has medicinal use. -
Lovage
$8.50Add to cartGarden Lovage is a PERENNIAL growing to 1.8m. The plant is erect and tall with a basal rosette pinnately divided leaves, and flowers produced at umbels at the top of leafy stems.
Lovage smells somewhat similar to celery.
Prefers moist soil in full sun or semi-shade.
All parts of the plant is edible and it has domestic historical medicine use. -
Mashua – Tuberous Nasturtium
$12.50Add to cartMashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum) is a frost-tender perennial climber in the Tropaeolaceae family that grows to 2–3 m tall and spreads around 1–2 m. It prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade, and thrives in rich, moist but well-drained soils. This vigorous vine has distinctive round nasturtium-like leaves, orange-red flowers, and forms edible, knobbly tubers in late autumn. Mashua is grown as an edible and medicinal plant, with tubers eaten cooked and young leaves or flowers occasionally used in salads. It is also highly valued as a companion plant for its strong pest-repelling properties. In New Zealand, Mashua grows well in most regions but requires frost-free or well-mulched conditions for reliable tuber harvests.
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Nine Star Broccoli (Perennial)
$9.50Add to cartNine Star Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) is a perennial in the Brassicaceae family that grows to about 60–90cm tall and wide. It prefers full sun and thrives in rich, well-drained soil. It produces multiple creamy-white florets each spring, resembling a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. Nine Star Broccoli is used as a perennial food crop in permaculture and cottage gardens, valued for its extended harvest and resilience. It is frost-hardy in most New Zealand climates.
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Parcel
$7.50Add to cartA BIENNIAL growing to 60cm. Prefers moist soil in a full sun or semi-shade position and can grow in saline soils.
Leaves are eaten raw or cooked, mainly in soups, but can be eaten in salads in small amounts. It has historical medicinal uses for indigestion and for calming anxiety.
Looks like a cross between celery and parsley, hence the name PAR(sley)-CEL(ery). -
Rhubarb – Cherry Red
$9.50Add to cartA PERENNIAL growing to 1.2m. Prefers moist well-drained soil in full sun or semi-shade, and can grow in heavy clay soil.
The leaf stem is cooked and eaten with fruit in tarts. The leaf itself is toxic and should not be eaten. Roots are used medicinally.
Victoria is said to be the best cooking rhubarb with sweeter and milder slender green stems with a red blush that are very tender. -
Rhubarb – Glaskins Perpetual
$9.50Add to cartA PERENNIAL growing to 1.2m. Prefers moist well-drained soil in full sun or semi-shade, and can grow in heavy clay soil.
The leaf stem is cooked and eaten with fruit in tarts. The leaf itself is toxic and should not be eaten. Roots are used medicinally.
Glaskins Perpetual is an heirloom variety with large, long stemmed, bright red juicy stalks that are full of flavour. -
Sorrel – Red-veined
$8.50Add to cartBlood-veined Sorrel is a PERENNIAL plant growing to 60cm with deep roots, juicy stems and edible, red-veined leaves with a sharp sour taste. Prefers full sun or semi-shade position in moist soil. Edible leaves can be added to salads.
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Okinawa Spinach
$12.50Read moreA PERENNIAL growing to 90cm with a sprawling habit. Prefers a well-drained soil in full sun or semi-shade.
Eaten as a medicinal vegetable.