We are continuing sending mail order daily. But the nursery is closed to visitors to protect the staff during the coronovirus outbreak.

The Shade Plant Specialists

Long Acre Plants is essentially a mail order plantsman's nursery, situated in a hidden triangle of Somerset that slides into Dorset and Wiltshire. We specialise in unusual woodland plants and plants for shade, by mail order. This includes Erythronium, Epimedium, hardy ferns, hardy geraniums, hellebores (Helleborus), snowdrops, Viola odorata and Hepatica amongst many other shade loving plants.
Plants are the reason for this business and with a very few exceptions we grow what we like, for all the usual human reasons of association, perception of what is beautiful or just inexplicable love.
We try and grow in an environmentally aware way, including peat free compost, collecting and recycling rain water and using recycled paper. Plus all electricity used in the nursery and office is generated by wind or hydro, not through burning fossil fuels. We endeavour to make our packaging as environmentally friendly as possible. The packing cases we use are made from recycled PET which can be recycled again so creating a closed loop and having the best carbon footprint.

Geranium
Hardy geraniums are amazingly good in shade, even dry shade. The geranium forms we offer are Summer flowering so often give colour to shady areas during the most difficult time. We find that hardy geraniums combine well with Spring bulbs; eg snowdrops through to Erythronium. Geraniums cover the gaps after the bulbs finish and give another season of colour. A few will even keep their leaves through a mildish Winter too!

Hardy Ferns

We offer an extensive and large range of wonderful hardy woodland or shady garden ferns, evergreen and deciduous. As a rule, ferns are best in shade, but some ferns will take almost full sun. Some are good in dry soils others in moist. Ferns fit into many different styles of garden, Japanese gardens, woodland gardens, cottage gardens, courtyards and containers, city gardens, tropical/ foliage style gardens even alpine gardens can look wonderful with a range of dwarf ferns, as well as pure ferns gardens or stumperies. Ferns fit into practically all garden situations and combine well with other plants. For example, deciduous ferns can be grown successfully in the same situation as a large Winter/Spring bulb displays, with aconites, Cyclamen, Galanthus, Narcissus and Erythronium etc.

Helleborus
We have a large range of hellebores available for immediate delivery. These hellebores are hand pollinated, vigorous breeding, line produced plants that are of a type but all slightly different. Hellebores are great plants for the woodland garden and come in a large range of colours and are pretty much trouble free. We do have some unusual forms such as Double Helleborus niger and Helleborus thibetanus available.

Tiarella

Tiarella is a lovely genus of plants, hugely developed over the last few years. The basic running Tiarella cordifolia, or foamflower, and the clump forming Tiarella wherryi, have been developed into a number of very shade tolerant, and once established, dry shade tolerant plants. The new Tiarella forms are evergreen but change throughout the year, with leaf colour and form. An incredibly verstaile and pretty plant.

Cyclamen
Cyclamen is a genus with a number of non-hardy species, but there are also some very hardy species of Cyclamen which thrive in a woodland or shady garden. Early Autumn flowering Cyclamen hederifolium will just about grow anywhere. Winter flowering Cyclamen coum is also is very tolerant of shade, even thriving under walnut trees, where growth in many other plants is greatly supressed.

New Woodland Plants

Primula sieboldii 'Oshibori' £4.95 A lovely for with rose pink backed pale pink / white flowers. Primula sieboldii are great primula for a woodland ... find out more		Caltha palustris Plena £5.80 The double form of the native king cup or marsh marigold. find out more		Polypodium calirhiza 'Sarah Lyman' £6.00 A species from Western USA and Mexico. Quite vigorous. In this form has a very upright habit with cut and acute ... find out more

Best Selling Plants

Athyrium niponicum 'Silver Falls' AGM

£5.60 (2 or fewer items) £5.20 (3 or more items)

Height 30cm Spread 50cm
The best silvered form we have come across, similar growing to the species.
find out more

Asplenium scolopendrium AGM