Empress of India Nasturtium

With its brilliant crimson-scarlet flowers set on a canvas of dark blue-green foliage, this variety quickly became a Victorian era favourite when introduced to English gardeners in 1882. At the time Gardeners’ Magazine proclaimed it to be "without question the most valuable annual for bedding purposes introduced in recent years". It is still popular today, not just among the flowers, but also in the kitchen garden, for use in salads and as a garnish. Like other nasturtiums, it is very rich in vitamin C, a fact that led to the widespread use of nasturtiums to prevent scurvy among the seafaring nations of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Easy to grow in any sunny or partly shaded area. Ht. 30cm/1ft.