The Michaelmas Daisies are starting to come into their own and brightening up tired borders. This is one of my favourites - Aster 'Little Carlow' (https://shireplants.co.uk/aster-cordifolius-little-carlow/).The perennial Asters, which include Michael...

This is Stevia rebaudiana, otherwise known as The Sugar Plant or Candy Leaf. It is said that the leaf has 300 times the sweetness of sugar and it is now used in the food industry in some areas of the world, as a sugar substitute.It is a native o...

This unusual monkey flower, Mimulus naianadanus, is not often offered in the UK which is a shame as it's most striking. Large white, cream and purple flowers, with purple spotted tongues adorn the plants from late spring to early summer. This hardy p...

This is Dianthus 'Messines Pink', one of the Mule Pinks, dating from before 1933. There is a story told of this 'pink' which is that a soldier, wounded in the Messines Ridge area, was found holding a piece of a plant in his hand. When he was returned...

Dianthus 'Brympton Red' is a beautiful pink and one that we can trace back to its humble origins, growing in a workhouse garden. It was spotted in the Beaminster workhouse garden by Lady Lilian Digby of Lewcombe and she passed cuttings to Mrs Clive o...

This is Dianthus 'Hope' - an Old Fashioned Pink dating from 1946 and its name probably reflected the feelings of hope following the end of the war. Now very rare, like a lot of the old pinks, but we're doing our best to preserve them. 'Hope' has...

These Woad (Isatis tinctoria) seeds have been collected today. The leaves of the woad plant were used to produce a blue dye that the ancient Britons used as body paint when going into battle. Woad is also apparently an antiseptic and it is likel...

We were honoured to fulfil an order for the Royal Horticultural Society's Hyde Hall Garden this week.Among the plants heading to RHS Garden Hyde Hall is Berkheya purpurea 'Zulu Warrior' (pictured), a drought-tolerant, attention-grabbing plant from So...

Meet our employee of the month! Freddy Frog is one of many frogs who help keep the slugs at bay. This is just one reason why we don't use nasty chemicals :-)

We were pleased to be asked to write an article on Heritage Pinks for the Rare Plant Fair website and newsletter this month. Available to read now!Read more...

So excited that after several years of 'sowing' mistletoe berries on our apple trees, I finally have one that has taken (shown in the photo).Mistletoe is semi-parasitic, meaning that it can produce it's own food via photosynthesis, but also attaches ...

The wonderful variety of heritage pinks (Dianthus). They make long-lasting cut flowers and the scent is heavenly. These are cut from our stock plants and are currently brightening up the office.View our range here

I love the contrast of the jet black Viola 'Molly Sanderson' next to the pearly white Viola 'White Pearl'. Just two of the twenty or so Victorian violas we currently sell. So much better than the modern bedding varieties, these perennials give years ...

This Helenthemum is looking stunning in our alpine sink at the moment. Such an easy and rewarding plant.Full plant details

This wonderful plant is not often offered in the UK. It can be difficult to find a tall, flowering perennial that grows in shade and has impressive flowers but this does just that.Related to hollyhocks, it can grow up to 8ft high with unusual, vine-l...

This Night-Scented Phlox is looking stunning at the moment. They are fantastic patio plants, either in the border or in a container, because the flowers release a beautiful fragrance in the evening, to reward you just when you're enjoying a glass of ...

This wonderful plant is not often offered in the UK. It can be difficult to find a tall, flowering perennial that grows in shade and has impressive flowers but this does just that.Related to hollyhocks, it can grow up to 8ft high with unusual, vine-l...

One of our passions is to preserve wonderful plants which, for various reasons, have slipped into obscurity and are no longer commercially available. In many cases, these plants have stood the test of time in British gardens for generations and are i...

One of our goals is to ensure the continuation of plants which have been grown in British gardens for generations but have become either very difficult, or impossible to source.This is usually because most Garden Centres now import their plants from ...

On Friday last week, BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time's panel recommended one of the plants we sell; namely, Trachystemon orientalis. We agree that it's a brilliant plant for those dense shade areas that need brightening up. Within 24 hour...