Rheum x hybridum 'Fulton's Strawberry Surprise'

While technically a vegetable, rhubarb is considered by many to be a fruit, owing to its sweet flavour and use in desserts. For first-time vegetable growers, rhubarb is the perfect choice. Perennial, it flourishes without too much attention, bearing delicious stalks to stew and eat with porridge at breakfast, or to use as an ingredient in crumbles and tarts. Rhubarb is ready to harvest in early spring, when little else is available, making it one of the most prized crops in the vegetable garden.

Rheum x hybridum 'Fulton's Strawberry Surprise' is a recent introduction, bearing vivid red stems on strong, vigorous plants. It was voted the best flavoured rhubarb in RHS Wisley trials, and also holds an RHS AGM.

Plant rhubarb crowns from autumn to spring in a sunny spot in well drained soil. Prepare the soil well by digging in plenty of well rotted manure and remove all weeds. When planting crowns, ensure the top of the crown sits 3cm below soil level, and space them at 75cm intervals. Keep plants well-watered in their first year and mulch annually with home-made compost or well-rotted manure.