Shire Plants Blog

Bronze Celandane

Bronze Celandane

This is a beautiful form of Celandine with double bronzy-orange flowers which have attractive darker markings as they age. Green foliage with lighter markings completes the package.Celandine are one of the delights of early spring and among the first...
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In-TheGreen Bulbs Available Now

In-TheGreen Bulbs Available Now

Native plants can take a little while to establish but in-the-green bulbs provide instant plants that will naturalise to create large clumps of blooms for the spring garden. This method of transplanting bulbs is generally more successful and quicker ...
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​The Petticoat Daffodil

​The Petticoat Daffodil

The Petticoat Daffodil is a beautiful and unusual dwarf daffodil with delicate papery cream flowers, resembling petticoats, among dark-green needle-like foliage. It is perfect for containers, alpine garden or rockery. Sold by us as potted bulbs which...
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Interesting Mints

Interesting Mints

After Eight Chocolate Mint, anyone?"The savor or smell of the Mint rejoyceth the heart of man, for which cause they use it to strew in chambers and places of recreation, pleasure and repose, and where feasts and banquets are made." - Gerard's Herbal ...
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Asiatic Drumstick Primula

Asiatic Drumstick Primula

These Asiatic Primulas give great value. They flower for much of the summer and into autumn, if it stays mild like this year, sending up tall 'drumsticks' of purple-blue flowers above neat clumps of foliage. They are easy to grow in any soil that doe...
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Autumn Plant Sale

Autumn Plant Sale

The Shire Plants Autumn plant sale is now on! There's still time to plant hardy perennials to get established before winter. Autumn is the traditional time for planting, because they establish (root growth) quickly in soil which retains summer heat f...
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Cyclamen

Cyclamen

We have some lovely Cyclamen in flower now. These are Cyclamen hederifolium, which are the easiest and most reliable garden Cyclamen, are available in white or pink and have the added benefit of attractive markings on their leaves, adding intere...
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Hardy Chrysanthemum 'Bretforton Road'

Hardy Chrysanthemum 'Bretforton Road'

Hardy Chrysanthemum 'Bretforton Road' has been grown for generations in gardens in Worcestershire and proved its worth. It's flowering now and looks wonderful.Tough and strong growing, it doesn't require staking and makes a great late-flowering ...
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Sweet Violets

Sweet Violets

This is Sweet Violet, 'Bournemouth Gem'. In the early 1800s, there was a successful trade in sweet violet posies and this variety is one of many which were bred at that time, valued for its long stems and good scent. It has survived to this day and w...
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Hardy Geraniums

Hardy Geraniums

Hardy geraniums are reliable, long-flowering, easy-to-grow plants. They are commonly known as cranesbill geraniums, cranesbills or true geraniums and have been grown in British gardens for hundreds of years. Many hardy geraniums are excellent ground ...
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Old Fashioned Pinks

Old Fashioned Pinks

Old fashioned pinks, cottage pinks, old world pinks, garden pinks. All common names for Dianthus. The Greeks called the Pink, 'The Flower of Zeus' or 'The Divine Flower' and the word Dianthus is derived from Dios (God) and Anthos (Flower). Old names ...
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Autumn Planting

Autumn Planting

We are often asked if it is ok to put our plants in the ground in autumn. It is! Traditionally, autumn was the main time for planting hardy perennials, because they would be bare-rooted. The advent of cheap plastic pots made container growi...
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Root Cuttings

Root Cuttings

We grow most of the plants we sell ourselves and one way we produce new plants is by taking root cuttings. Pictured are Symphytum roots, taken today. With luck these will each turn into a small plant and be potted on before the winter and will be rea...
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Get planting now! Autumn is the perfect time.

Get planting now! Autumn is the perfect time.

We are often asked when the best time to plant is, or whether our plants can be planted in autumn.Our plants are all pot-grown and they can be planted at any time of the year, but autumn is the traditional time to plant hardy perennials and experienc...
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Dianthus 'Letitia Wyatt'

Dianthus 'Letitia Wyatt'

Dianthus 'Letitia Wyatt' is a double pink Dianthus with a lovely clove scent. Its tall, strong stems make excellent cut flowers. Unlike some 'Pinks', this is a strong grower and has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit as it makes an excellent ...
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Japonese Anemones

Japonese Anemones

Japanese anemones are wonderful plants for late summer and autumn flowers. Tall, multi-branched stems over lush green foliage hold many long-lasting large flowers in pink or white. These plants are drought-tolerant and happy in full sun or full ...
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Blue Fumewort

Blue Fumewort

This stunning new Fumewort has electric blue flowers and attractive grey-blue foliage. A really eye-catching plant which is not at all fussy and is easy to grow and scented flowers over a long period. It's most happy in shade, where it stands out wel...
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Chinese Blackberry lily

Chinese Blackberry lily

Known variously as Chinese Blackberry lily, Chinese leopard flower and Dwarf tiger lily, Belamcanda chinensis flowers for weeks on end. Distinctive leopard-coloured flowers are held on tall stems in summer. In autumn, pear-shaped pods burst...
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