Shire Plants Blog

Native Primulas

5th Jan 2022

These Primulas are all related and evoke childhood memories of playing in hedgerows and The Common in springtime, near my home in rural Buckinghamshire.They work well in the garden, planted next to a … read more

Managing our land

16th Dec 2021

Over winter we spend time managing the land our nursery sits on. We strongly believe in managing it in a way which provides a good environment for our local wildlife, which happily also results in an … read more

First Snow

30th Nov 2021

We had a couple of days of early snow this weekend but it hasn't prevented us from dispatching this week's orders as it soon cleared up. We fulfil orders all year round (except for a couple of weeks a … read more

Harry Potter Herbology

19th Nov 2021

Fans of Harry potter may recall that Harry and his classmates were required to wear earmuffs while repotting mandrake plants in their herbology lesson. This, like much of Rowling's fiction, is based o … read more

Visit from a Goldcrest

18th Nov 2021

We had a friendly Goldcrest visit us in the potting shed today. The Goldcrest is the UKs smallest bird and we usually only see them flitting in and out of the hedges so this was a treat. We think it m … read more

Hardy Chrysanthemums

28th Oct 2021

Hardy Chrysanthemums come into their own at this time of year. Very useful when many other plants are shutting down for the winter. This one is 'Starlet' but we have many other varieties available too … read more

Autumn £2.95 Plant Sale

5th Oct 2021

Autumn is a great time to plant perennials, while the soil is still warm and rainfall increases. To coincide, we have reduced the price of some of our most popular plants to £2.95 for a limited time. … read more

Plant Foxgloves Now

1st Oct 2021

If you fancy some foxgloves in the garden next year, now is the perfect time to plant them, because they flower from their second year. Although the air temperature may have dropped, the soil te … read more

Pinks

18th Sep 2021

We have many old and interesting 'pinks', because they are one of my favourite plants and I love the strong clove scent of many of them. This is the latest addition to our range. It's Dianthus 'Tatra … read more

September Newsletter

13th Sep 2021

Our latest newsletter went out to subscribers this weekend. If you're not a subscriber, you can view it here.  … read more

Interesting leaves

10th Sep 2021

Taking cuttings today. If ever a plant was well named, it's Persicaria 'Painter's Pallet'. Each leaf looks like a decorators overalls :-)

Fascinating Foxglove

13th Aug 2021

We're very pleased to be able to offer this unusual foxglove (Digitalis purpurea 'Campanulata') now. It has the usual foxglove flowers most of the way up the stems, but the terminal flower of each ste … read more

Hollyhocks and Faeries

8th Aug 2021

Hollyhocks are the archetypal English (and wider UK!) cottage garden plant which has been loved for centuries. Gerard’s Herbal (1597) notes: “These Hollihockes are sowne in gardens, almost every where … read more

July Newsletter

3rd Aug 2021

Our July newsletter coincided with the BBC's Big Bee Challenge Weekend, so it features plants loved by bees and other pollinators.You can read it here. … read more

Calandrinia grandiflora

6th Jul 2021

The flower buds of Calandrinia grandiflora always remind me of snakeheads. They hang down from the stem and raise themselves up one at a time to open in all their bright pink glory. Being such open fl … read more

Plant Sale

20th Jun 2021

We currently have a large range of plants on offer at reduced prices. Don't forget, delivery is free for orders over £60 so it's a good time to stock up and fill some gaps in the garden! Plants p … read more

Rare Plant Fair

14th Jun 2021

We enjoyed being at the Rare Plant Fair at Waterperry Gardens yesterday. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and there were a lot of comments along the lines of "it's just nice to be able to do someth … read more

Night Scented Phlox

20th May 2021

The wonderful Night Scented Phlox has started flowering early this year. Fortunately it flowers for months so it'll still be flowering when the evenings are warm enough to sit outside. Plant … read more

Rare Plant Fair June 13th 2021

8th May 2021

We're looking forward to the Rare Plant Fair at Waterperry Gardens on the 13th June, where we'll be one of 20 specialist plant nurseries with a selection of plants for sale. This year, tickets must be … read more

A busy time

24th Apr 2021

We haven't posted much over the past few weeks due to being so busy. This is our busiest time, both for growing and for receiving orders. We dispatch orders every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (we don … read more