As more of us do our shopping online, this increasingly includes buying indoor and outdoor plants. Many nurseries now offer a mail-order service via their website, allowing us the opportunity to purchase plants that we may struggle to find in our local garden centres.
There is a lot to be said for shopping for plants in person . . . as well as being enjoyable, it allows you to see the health of the plant (for instance, checking that the roots aren't pot bound and the leaves aren't diseased). But online retailers are so subject to reviews that it's rare to receive an unhealthy specimen in the post, and many people don't have time to schlep around their local nurseries in search of the specific species or variety they want. Therefore, online nurseries are doing a roaring trade. We picked some of our favourites for beautiful, reliable, and unusual plants.
For a range of plants
Some suppliers offer a wide selection of different types of plants, from trees down to plug bedding plants, allowing you to do your season plant shop in one simple payment. Crocus is one of the best, for both indoor and outdoor gardening. Beth Chatto has an excellent range, especially if you are on the hunt for something a bit different or for a specific area, such as gravel borders or shade. Burncoose sells an extensive range of plants and specialises in rhododendrons and magnolias. Sarah Raven is another quality supplier, with an extensive offering of different plant types and specialising in bulbs, plants for cutting, and clematis.
For perennials
Herbaceous perennials (such as Salvia, Achillea, and Sanguisorba) emerge in the spring and die back in the autumn, producing a mass of bloom during summer. Beeches nursery offers a satisfying range, including many hard-to-find varieties. Claire Austin also has a superb selection of perennials and specialises in irises and peonies. Some nurseries only offer one or two types of plant and are worth seeking out, for particular forms and for quality. For instance, Blackmore and Langdon specialises in delphiniums.
When to buy: Perennials can go in the ground at any time, but are best planted in autumn or spring.
For roses
Roses can fill your garden with scent all summer, but there is such a vast number available, with disease often an issue and many varieties unscented, that it is well worth buying from a specialist rose nursery. Peter Beales offers an enormous choice of different types of roses at reasonable prices; Trevor White specialises in old, historic roses, which are often more romantic and more scented; and David Austin has an excellent collection of climbers and shrub roses, including the brand's own English roses – these can be very expensive, but offer impressive disease resistance and flower power.
When to buy: Container-grown roses can be planted at any time of year, but roses are best planted between November and March; during that time, bare-root roses (which establish faster and cost less) are available.
For grasses
Ornamental grasses, when planted with floriferous perennials, create a naturalistic meadow look and extend the season through the autumn, when many take on blonde, gold, or copper tints. Knoll Gardens offers a first-class selection, and Beth Chatto (mentioned above) also has a good range.
When to buy: The hardiest grasses (including Stipa and Deschampsia) can go in the ground in autumn, but less hardy types (such as Miscanthus and Panicum) are best planted in late spring.
For herbs
When planting up a bed of herbs, especially to use in the kitchen, it's worth shopping from a specialist herb supplier, which can offer less common flavours, such as lime mint and chocolate mint. Norfolk Herbs is very reliable and also has a great stock of scented pelargoniums.
When to buy: Depending on the type, herbs can be planted at different times of year, but April is a safe bet for most, with September the second-best time.
For fruit
Growing your own fruit means tastier produce than most shop-bought alternatives, as well as pretty clouds of blossom in spring. However, fruit trees can be complicated purchases, if you're a beginner, so buying from a specialist nursery removes the headache. Both Keepers and Blackmoor are fantastic. They can suggest the best variety and rootstock options for your garden's soil, size, weather, and so on.
When to buy: Most fruit trees and bushes can be planted between autumn and spring, with bare-root plants available between November and March.
For ornamental trees
A tree keeps you company all year round and is by far the best plant for injecting a garden with character and attracting birds. Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery offers a fabulous range, including a varied selection of acers, birches, cherries, and rowans.
When to buy: Container-grown trees are best planted between autumn and spring. Bare-root trees are usually only available between November and March.
For climbers
Clad façades, walls, fences, pergolas, arches, and outbuildings with colour and scent by growing climbers. Thorncroft offers an extensive range of clematis that flower at different times of year, alongside other climbers, including a good choice of honeysuckles and jasmines.
When to buy: Most climbing plants are best planted in spring or autumn.
For bulbs
These flower bombs are generally easy to grow and fill the garden with colour throughout spring. Because bulbs, tubers, and corms need to be stored well, buying from a specialist bulb supplier, such as Broadleigh, is advisable. Some even specialise in just one type – for instance, Trecanna focuses on crocosmia. Both Crocus and Sarah Raven (mentioned above) offer a great range of bulbs.
When to buy: Spring bulbs should go in the ground in autumn, with daffodils preferring September, and tulips responding better to October and November. Many summer-flowering bulbs can be planted in spring.
For houseplants
There is now a good choice of online retailers selling indoor plants. Both Beards and Daisies and Happy Houseplants are reliable. Crocus (mentioned above) also offers a good choice. When buying cacti, ensure you buy UK-grown plants (for instance via C&V Cacti), rather than plants that may have been plundered from the wild.
