Shire Plants Blog

​British grown, not imported!

20th Oct 2022

These Acanthus root cuttings were taken from our stock plant a few weeks ago. I've potted them up today and they've gone into one of our polytunnels to grow over the autumn and winter to be ready to s … read more

Plants for the Royal Horticultural Society

5th Oct 2022

We are proud to be trusted to supply plants to some large organisations, including The National Trust and English Heritage. This week we have supplied Hardy Chrysanthemum 'Mary Stoker' to The Royal Ho … read more

Dainthus 'Allspice'

28th Sep 2022

We were very pleased to be reunited with this 17th century pink earlier in the year, thanks to the generosity of a kind customer. Dianthus 'Allspice' has always been popular but, like so man … read more

Customer Feedback

28th Sep 2022

We love receiving positive feedback from happy customers! This came in yesterday and you can read more recent comments from customers here. … read more

September Newsletter

16th Sep 2022

Our September newsletter is out now. In addition to featured plants, we spotlight the Artemisia plant family and highlight their drought-resistant advantage.You can read it here if you are not a … read more

September Seed Sowing

5th Sep 2022

September is a good month for sowing and germinating hardy perennial seed. It's especially good if you have freshly collected seed from the garden, because fresh seed usually germinates much faster.&n … read more

Japanese Anemones

2nd Sep 2022

Japanese anemones make a wonderful show in late summer and autumn. Tall stems of white or pink flowers stand above attractive green foliage, which is very drought tolerant.  We have some growing … read more

August Newsletter

22nd Aug 2022

Our latest newsletter went out to subscribers at the weekend. You can read it, and past editions, here.If you'd like to subscribe, enter your email address at the bottom of any page on our websit … read more

Cow Slops

18th Aug 2022

I love the common names of Caltha palustris (which we've just added to our range): Marsh Marigold; King Cups; Cow Slops; Water Blobs; Golden Cups; Crazy Betty; Molly Blobs. Different common … read more

Plants suitable for cut flowers

19th Jul 2022

We are often asked for recommendations for plants which are good for cut flowers so we have now created a new category on the website for just that. These plants are known to provide flowers suitab … read more

St John's Wort

13th Jul 2022

St John's Wort is the latest addition to our range. It's a wild flower which also makes a good garden plant. "It groweth every where in untilled pastures and fields, which are somewhat moist especi … read more

Perennial Sweet Pea

7th Jul 2022

Lathyrus chilensis is a stunning perennial sweet pea. A vigorous plant, it will climb a structure or sprawl through a mixed bed and is covered in masses of pink flowers for much of the summer. It … read more

Are you dull and old?

29th Jun 2022

Are you, or do you know, a dull old person? Well read on because Sweet Cicely may be the cure! John Gerard was an Elizabethan physician and gardener, who published what became the most famous … read more

Wild Chicory

23rd Jun 2022

The origin of Chicory is described in a German folk tale. A young woman sat down at the side of a road to weep for her dead lover. None could console her, and so great was her grief that she resolved … read more

Pillow Talk

17th Jun 2022

Matthiola incana 'Pillow Talk' has the most heavily scented flowers and just a few stems can fill a room with a lovely fragrance. This plant has long been a cottage garden favourite, grown in the … read more

Fox and Cubs

16th Jun 2022

This wonderful plant is called Fox and Cubs because of the dual appearance of bronzy-orange open flowers (the fox) alongside red-brown flower buds (the cubs).  Tall stems hold the flowers above … read more

Beautiful wildflowers

14th Jun 2022

Our British native plants have some of the prettiest flowers. This is Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris), which has coral-pink buds which open to beautiful fluffy white flowers. Eminently suited to our B … read more

Erysimum Sale

31st May 2022

For a limited time, all of our Perennial Wallflowers (Erysimum) are reduced by 25%. Now is a great time to get them into the ground, or into containers, for flowers this year and then several years to … read more

The Chelsea Chop

31st May 2022

It's Chelsea Flower Show, so it's time to go around the garden doing the Chelsea chop. This isn't a new type of dance, sweeping the gardening world, but a method of pruning for herbaceous perenn … read more

Robins Nesting

26th May 2022

We've had to temporarily fence one off one of our potting benches because a pair of Robins have built a nest in a rubbish bag (on the ground in the corner). She's been sitting in the nest for a whi … read more