Shire Plants Blog

Have you suffered from a dragon bite? If so, you may like to know that French Tarragon (Artemesia dracunculus) is alleged to have the power to heal their bites. On a more mundane level, it was tr … read more

Primroses are a quintessential sign of spring and the word means 'prime rose', or the first rose of spring. The flower has long been linked to faeries and it was believed that growing both red and … read more

It doesn't matter how many thousands of seeds I sow, lifting a seed tray cloche and seeing the first shoots pushing out through the soil never fails to excite me.... possibly I should get out more?&nb … read more

Woad has been an important plant for much of our history. Archaeologists have discovered the seeds in Iron Age pits in Lincolnshire and elsewhere but it's thought that it has been used since even e … read more

Regular readers will know that I am fascinated by the many and varied common names of plants and the stories and myths that surround them. One of the plants we sell, Selliera radicans, is known col … read more

Quaking Grass is a British native grass which is sadly less common than it once was. It is found across the country and, like most native plants, it has different 'common' names in different areas.For … read more

This is Galium verum, a native wildflower found in meadows and along roadsides. As ever with native plants it has many wonderful common names, including Lady's Bedstraw, Gold Dust, Robin Run the Hedge … read more

Happy New Year to all our customers. We continue to dispatch orders as usual, with our couriers collecting from us and delivering to you in a contactless manner. We send plants out all year around, wi … read more

We have been contacted by a production company who are producing a new gardening show for Channel 5 and they have asked us to share this information. It may be useful for a neighbour or relative whose … read more