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Helianthemum nummularium 'Common Rock-rose' 

[Ex. Gloucestershire]

Currently Unavailable

Helianthemum nummularium

Heracleum sphondylium 'Hogweed'

Currently Unavailable

Heracleum sphondylium

Hesperis matronalis 'Dame's Violet'

[Ex. Co. Durham]

Brassicaceae: a hairy biennial or short lived perennial to 90cm, associated with hedgerows, wayside places and riverbanks. The beautifully fragrant flowers come in violet or pinkish –white, in terminal clusters flower from May-August. The flowers are followed by long, flattened, pods. The leaves are narrow, pointed and untoothed. A wildly naturalised garden escape, in Britain. Native to Southern Europe to Siberia. 

The young leaves can be eaten raw, and are rich in vitamin C, they are used as a cress substitute in salads. They have rather bitter flavour, though many people like the extra tang it gives to salads. For culinary purposes, the leaves should be picked before the plant flowers. The seed can also be sprouted and added to salads. The seed contains 50% of an edible oil - there is a potential for cultivation.

The leaves are antiscorbutic, diaphoretic and diuretic, and are best harvested when the plant is in flower. An essential oil from the seed is used in perfumery.

Sow seeds in spring in an outdoor seedbed and plant them out in late summer. Germination should take place within 3 weeks. The seed can also be sown in early spring in a warm greenhouse. Easy!
One of my favourites, no garden should be without some!

Harvested: August 2014.


Approx. 200+ seeds £1.35

Hesperis matronalis

Hirschfeldia incana 'Hoary mustard'

Currently Unavailable

Hirschfeldia incana

Hyacinthoides non -scripta 'English Bluebell'

[Ex. Co. Durham]

Liliaceae: scented bulbous perennial that can reach 50cm in height, bluish purple bell-shaped flowers, with 6 recurved lobes at the mouth, 1-sided drooping-tipped spikes, blooming from April-June, long 15mm glossy green leaves. Found growing in woodland, hedgerows and coastal cliffs, it can form extensive and continuous carpets on the woodland floor, widespread throughout the UK.

The bulb has diuretic and styptic properties, it has been used as a remedy for leucorrhoea. A glue is obtained from the sap in the bulb and stem, simply cut open a bulb and apply the sap to whatever needs to be joined, it makes an excellent paper glue, and it does not work on non-absorbent materials such as plastics and glass.

Easily grown in a soil rich in leafmold, preferring semi-shade, but tolerating full sun. Bluebells can live in the dry shade of trees quite happily, bulbs like to be quite deep in the soil. 

The seed, which is naturally shed from July to August, requires moist warm conditions followed by a period of chilling before germination can take place. For this reason the ideal time to sow seed is probably in late summer, but with time, it will establish from seed sown at any time of the year. Sown seed may take 9 - 24 months to germinate. From germination to flowering normally takes about five years as the plant first has to grow a bulb.

Approx. 100+ seeds - £1.50

[Seeds collected from genuine Hyacinthoides non-scripta plants, Co. Durham. July 2014.]

Hyacinthoides non -scripta

Hyoscyamus Niger 'Black Henbane'

Solanaceae: this is the common form of black henbane which is can be an annual or biennial plant that normally grows to about 3 ft. (1 m) in height, the fetid smelling leaves are alternate, simple, toothed, up to 8 in. (20 cm) long and 6 in. (15 cm) wide, flowering occurs from spring through to early autumn. The flowers are normally cream to green, five-lobed, 2 in. (5 cm) wide and have purple throats. Black henbane is native to Eurasia and is poisonous to most mammals. It has been used medicinally for hundreds of years.

All seeds from this species will need a cold treatment or a soak in GA3 before they will successfully germinate, germination takes around 4 weeks.

Seeds can either be mixed with a little damp sand in a sealed bag and placed in the fridge for 4-6 weeks or you could try soaking the seeds in a solution of GA3, which can be found on eBay and other online retailers, this works really well with many plants of the Solanaceae family.

WARNING: The whole plant is very poisonous and is particularly dangerous for children!

APPROX. 100+ SEEDS - £2.00

Hyoscyamus Niger

Hypericum androsaemum 'Tutsan'

[Ex. Castle Eden Dene, Co. Durham]

Hypericaceae: upright, hairless, semi-evergreen shrub to 80cm. it has 2-winged stems, and oval leaves in opposite pairs. The flowers are about 2cm across, with 5 yellow petals, and appear from June-August. Flowers are followed by berries that ripen from red to black. Found in shady woods and hedgerows. Locally common in Southern and Western Britain and Ireland. The plants native range is from western and southern Europe, including Britain, south and east to Algeria, Western Asia and the Caucasus.

The leaves are diuretic, stomachic and vulnerary, they have antiseptic properties and have been used to cover open wounds.

Surface sow spring in a greenhouse or cold-frame. The seeds usually germinate in 1 - 3 months at 10°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Easy!

Harvested: September 2014


Approx. 500+ seeds £1.25

Hypericum perforatum 'St John's Wort'

[Ex. Kent]

Hypericaceae: perennial growing to 0.9 m (3ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in), hardy to zone 3,  golden yellow flowers which have black dots along the edge of the petals are in bloom from May to August. Found on a range of habitats including meadows, open woodland, hedge banks and roadside verges, native to Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa, the Azores, Madeira and W. Asia.

The herb and the fruits have been used as a tea substitute, the flowers have also been used in making mead. The plant has a long history as a remedy for nervous problems, also an analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aromatic, astringent, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, expectorant, nervine, resolvent, sedative, stimulant, vermifuge and vulnerary.

Seeds Available 2000+ -£1.25

Hypericum perforatum