Hard to Find Herb Plants in the UK: A Grower's Guide

There is a particular satisfaction in growing a herb that most people have never heard of. Not because obscurity is valuable in itself — but because the herbs that are genuinely hard to source tend to be the ones with the most interesting histories, the most devoted herbal followings, and the most reward for the grower who takes the time to find them and get them established.

This guide is for the serious herb grower. The plants below are not difficult to grow — in fact most of them are vigorous and undemanding once established. What makes them rare is simply that mainstream garden centres do not stock them, and finding a reliable UK source is harder than it should be. We grow all of them here at The Healing Herb Garden, and have done for years.

Why Are Some Herbs Hard to Find?

The UK garden centre trade is largely driven by volume — plants that sell reliably to a broad audience, that photograph well on a shelf, and that customers recognise by name. Herbs with serious herbal credentials but less mainstream name recognition simply do not make it into most retailers' buying lists. The result is a significant gap between what serious herb growers want and what is commercially available.

That gap is where we operate. Many of our most sought-after plants have been grown here for years precisely because customers told us they could not find them anywhere else.

Hard to Find Herb Plants in the UK

1. American Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

American Skullcap is consistently one of the herbs our customers have spent the longest searching for before they find us. A slender, graceful perennial with soft blue-violet flowers and a long history in North American and European herbal practice, traditionally associated with nervous system support and calm. It is genuinely difficult to source as a growing plant in the UK — and genuinely rewarding to have established in a herb garden.

Buy American Skullcap →  |  Find out more about growing American Skullcap →

2. Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)

Gotu Kola is one of the most important herbs in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese practice — used for thousands of years across Asia and increasingly valued by Western herbalists. A low-growing perennial with distinctive rounded leaves, it has a long traditional association with cognitive support and overall vitality. It is barely known in UK mainstream horticulture and extremely rare as a growing plant. We grow it here.

Buy Gotu Kola →  |  Find out more about growing Gotu Kola →

3. Elecampane (Inula helenium)

Elecampane is a magnificent plant — one of the largest in the herb garden, reaching up to 1.8m in ideal conditions, with broad basal leaves that can span half a metre and bold yellow daisy flowers in summer. It has been used in European herbal practice since antiquity and has a long tradition of use in respiratory and digestive support. It was once widely grown across Britain; today it is almost entirely absent from mainstream garden retail.

Buy Elecampane →  |  Find out more about growing Elecampane →

4. Wood Betony (Betonica officinalis)

Wood Betony has one of the longest herbal histories of any British native plant — it was among the most valued herbs in Anglo-Saxon medicine, and a medieval saying held that it was good for 47 different ailments. Today it is a quiet, understated perennial wildflower — spikes of reddish-purple flowers, deeply textured leaves, beloved by bumblebees — that has largely disappeared from the herb grower's repertoire without good reason. It is easy to grow, fully hardy, and deeply rewarding for those who know it.

Buy Wood Betony →  |  Find out more about growing Wood Betony →

5. Gypsywort (Lycopus europaeus)

Gypsywort is one of the least-known herbs in our range and one of the most interesting. A native British plant found naturally at the margins of rivers, ponds and fens, it has a long history in European herbal practice and a small but dedicated following among herbalists working with thyroid support. It is essentially unknown in mainstream horticulture and very rarely available as a growing plant.

Buy Gypsywort →  |  Find out more about growing Gypsywort →

6. Marsh Skullcap (Scutellaria galericulata)

Marsh Skullcap is the native British relative of American Skullcap — a compact, creeping perennial found wild at the edges of rivers and wetlands across the UK, with the same soft blue-violet flowers and a similar place in traditional European herbal practice. It is even rarer in cultivation than its American cousin and has an understated, quietly beautiful presence in a damp or partially shaded border.

Buy Marsh Skullcap →  |  Find out more about growing Marsh Skullcap →

Why Grow Rare Herbs?

Beyond the satisfaction of growing something unusual, rare herbs often represent the most interesting and historically significant part of the British herbal tradition. Many of them — wood betony, elecampane, gypsywort — are native or naturalised British plants that have simply been crowded out of the mainstream by more ornamental imports. Growing them is a small act of horticultural conservation as well as a practical herbal investment.

They also tend to be vigorous and undemanding once established. Rarity in the marketplace does not mean difficulty in the garden — it usually just means insufficient commercial incentive to grow them at scale. Most of the herbs in this guide will establish readily in a UK garden and come back reliably for years.

In This Cluster: More Growing Guides

• How to Grow Gotu Kola in the UK
• How to Grow Elecampane: Complete UK Guide
• How to Grow Wood Betony in the UK
• How to Grow Gypsywort in the UK
• How to Grow Marsh Skullcap in the UK
• Where to Buy Rare Herb Plants in the UK

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I find these herbs in garden centres?

Mainstream garden centres stock plants that sell in volume to a broad audience. Specialist herbs with serious herbal histories but less mainstream name recognition simply do not make commercial sense for large retailers. Specialist nurseries like The Healing Herb Garden exist specifically to fill this gap.

Are rare herbs difficult to grow?

Generally not. Most of the herbs in this guide are vigorous, fully hardy perennials that establish readily in UK conditions. Their rarity in commerce is a retail problem, not a horticultural one.

Do you deliver rare herbs across the UK?

Yes — all of the plants in this guide are available from us and delivered to mainland UK addresses.

The information in this article is intended for general interest and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before using any plant or herb for health purposes, particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medication.