This Japanese favourite is easy to grow at home! A staple of sushi, the rhizomes of wasabi are grated to add a fresh, aromatic yet sweet pungency to dressings, sauces and meat or fish dishes. The leaves and flowers of wasabi are also edible, with a milder, fresh taste compared to the spicy, hot rhizome. Leaves and stems can be finely chopped to make a quick, milder version of wasabi paste. In March-April, the plants will produce clusters of delicately scented white flowers; these can be added to salads or fried in tempura batter for a Japanese delicacy you can't buy in the shops.Preferring a shaded, damp spot that doesn't get too hot, wasabi can be grown at the edge of a pond or even in containers stood in a saucer of water. Hardy to -5C, plants can be brought under cover or covered with leaves for the winter, when they will drop their own leaves. Harvest April-Oct. Height and spread: 40cm (16in).