On 23 April I was Lesley Dolphin’s guest on BBC Radio Suffolk. It was great to share my garden with her and the listeners. I mentioned my ‘Little Green Book’ of plant resources for this lockdown time in 2020…
‘The Little Green Book’
Here is my mini guide to plants, seeds, info and ordering for the greenfingers that are doing the talking! This is not a comprehensive list by any means but contains many that I have used or have come to me with recommendations.
Some of my choices are very local to me in Suffolk and others are further afield. Check websites and discuss delivery times etc if there are long delays shown. Remember there are so many more of us who are now looking to our gardens, window boxes, balconies and window ledges for plant relief.
My Herb List
Jekkas
Online shop for seeds, Seed sowing kits and Jekka’s Herb Teas
W: jekkas.com
The Edible Garden Nursery
W: theediblegardenursery.co.uk
E: ediblegardennursery@gmail.com
T: 016474 00301
Only edible plants
2 litre pots and a limited range of 1 litre pots
Postage £9.95
Minimum order 4 pots
The Cottage Herbery
W: thecottageherbery.co.uk
E: thecottageherbery@gmail.com
Salad mix seeds online and providing a delivery service to local areas plus Ludlow, Leominster, Bromyard up to Clifton. Free delivery over £25 within 10 miles of the Cottage Herbery; over 10 miles orders need to be £35 or over. Payments by BACS.
Hooksgreen Herbs
W: hooksgreenherbs.com
Mail order deliveries are running at 7-10 days dispatch and new stock is coming in all the time.
Norfolk Herbs
W: norfolkherbs.co.uk
E: info@norfolkherbs.co.uk
T: 01362 860812
Keep checking the website as stock is constantly being reviewed.
Urban Herbs
urban-herbs.co.uk
The website is up each day and taken down at a certain point so that online sales can be fulfilled for despatch, so check it daily.
Pepperpot Nursery
pepperpotherbplants.co.uk
Check the website daily as there are times when the company suspends activity so they can catch up on getting deliveries out in five working days.
Poyntzfield Herbs
W: poyntzfieldherbs.co.uk
T: 01381 610352
Mail order plant sales closed until autumn but seeds available via an online order form.
Downderry Nursery
W: downderry-nursery.co.uk
Owner and lavender specialist Simon Charlesworth explained that the website is in lockdown temporarily to give him and the plants time to catch up with orders.
Local to Where I Live in Suffolk
Houseplants, flower and veg seedlings and cut flowers, perennials
Nell and Green are new to me and I am looking forward to trying them out soon. They opened a shop in Sudbury just a few weeks before the C-19 lock down was announced. They have very quickly risen to the challenge and instead of selling through their high street shop are doing mail order (contact-free delivery) firstly to CO10 postcodes but planning to roll out nationally. Free delivery on all orders over £10. And what do they sell? Well, houseplants… and if you don’t have outdoor growing space then houseplants are the way forward for your greenfingers and sanity levels.
John Smith, Constitution Hill, Sudbury of ‘everything a £1’ fame is taking orders and delivering. You have to email sowninsuffolk@outlook.com or growninsuffolk@outlook.com to get on the mailing list to receive their weekly availability list.
They are also selling cut flowers, which are lovely. See my recent purchase of their parrot tulips (above) and you will see why I recommend them.
Suffolk Flower Farm has wonderful spring bouquets available for purchase and collection from the farm.
Dominic Sullivan sold plants in Sudbury’s twice weekly market and is now doing home deliveries. Contact him on dominicsullivan50@icloud.com for his plant list and details of delivery charges.
Paugers Plants
Highweek
Bury Road
Depden
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk IP29 4BU
T: 01284 850527
E: enquiries@paugers-plants.co.uk
Beeches Nursery
Ashdon, near Saffron Walden
Essex CB10 2HB
T: 01799 584362
E: sales@beechesnursery.co.uk
Hollow Trees Farm
Semer
Ipswich
Suffolk IP7 6HX
Sells a tempting selection of shrubs as well as seeds – and will deliver to your car in their car park.
Willow Tree Farm Shop
1 Lower Road
Glemsford
Sudbury CO10 7QU
T: 01787 280341
E: info@willowtreefarmshop.com.uk
Produce and plants
Beth Chatto also doing mail order.
Oliver’s Plants, Earls Colne, near Colchester has been delivering manure and compost.
Where I Am Getting Veg Plants
Delfland Organics Veg
Delfland Nurseries Limited
Benwick Road
Doddington
March
Cambridgeshire PE15 0TU
T: 01354 740553 and 01354 741200
E: orders@organicplants.co.uk
Marshalls for veg plants and seed
E: contact.us@marshallsgarden.com
Bloggers and Podcasts
Various bloggers have got useful posts about mail order, but the situation is fluid and changing like everything else around us.
Catherine Hughes is growingfamily.co.uk and her recent blogs on veg and gardening through the situation have lots of resources.
Anna Greenland, a fellow Suffolk gardener and writer who I follow on Instagram, is just lovely to read and hear. Her Instagram videos and blogs have so much info and many links.
Ade and Sophie Sellars
IG: @agentsoffield
Listen to EllenMary and Michael Perry‘s Plant Based Podcast.
Buying Plants Mail Order
For plants generally: download the app Candide (free from the App store). Candide is a gardening community where you can upload photos, look at virtual garden tours and there are articles… and I am one of their writers/contributors. They have taken a huge hand in trying to help the horticultural industry… see their marketplace in connection with plants and nurseries.
See also Steve and Val Bradley’s link for garden-related home-deliveries (bit.ly/2Kn6QwY).
Royal Horticultural Society is listing the exhibitors at its now-cancelled shows.
HTA (Horticultural Trades Association) has launched a website and scheme making it easier to find your local plant stockist: plantsnearme.hta.org.uk
And Did I Mention Chocolate?
Chocolatier asks you to… Support Your Local Chocolate Makers (but order online)
There is also bchocolates… who are in Suffolk.
Interesting list Barbara
Tulips from Constitution Hill garden are fab-u-lous. I will email for a list of plants from John Smith.
Good photo alongside ‘I WOULDN’T BE WITHOUT’!
Very Useful Barbara, thank you and lovely to hear your voice too.
Love Marysa xx
Hello, Barbara,
I stumbled upon your lovely website whilst trying to find John’s (Constitutional Hill) phone number. Thanks to your website I now have an email address. I called there today and was disappointed not to be able to wander freely. I’ve asked for their plant list to be emailed to me.
I hope you are keeping well at this difficult time. No Sudbury plant market this year but I put my plants out at the front of my house that weekend and raise some funds for The Quay.
Keep safe and carry on.
Kind regards
Bryan