Physic Garden Healing Herb Seed Kit

Name: Physic Garden Healing Herb Seed Kit
Price: 27.67 GBP
Availability: InStock

£27.67

The Physic Garden Healing Herb Seed Kit is a gift box of 10 traditional herb seed varieties once grown in the physic gardens of monasteries, apothecaries and early botanists. Give it at Christmas, sow it in spring, and grow a living collection of herbs valued by herbalists for generations.

Product Highlights

✔ 10 traditional herb varieties in one beautiful gift box
✔ Inspired by the historic physic gardens of Britain and Europe
✔ Easy to grow in beds, borders or pots
✔ Bee-friendly flowers from early summer into autumn
✔ Illustrated seed-to-harvest e-guidebook included
✔ Packed with care in Sussex, UK

What's in the Kit

Beautiful Giftable Box: ready to wrap or give straight away.
10 Premium Packs of Physic Garden Seeds: selected for their history, beauty and traditional uses (enough for multiple plantings).
Beautiful Illustrated Seed-to-Harvest E-Guidebook: easy-to-follow instructions from sowing to harvest. Preview it here
10 Seed Label Sticks: so you always know what is growing where.

The 10 Varieties Inside

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica): Silky orange flowers that open in the sun and close at dusk.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Flat flower heads loved by pollinators; a classic wound herb of old.
German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla): Apple-scented daisies, traditionally gathered for tea.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis): Glowing orange 'pot marigold', flowering for months.
Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata): A humble hedgerow herb with a long folk history.
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium): Button daisies with aromatic leaves; self-seeds gently.
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria): Frothy, honey-scented cream flowers for damp soil.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria): Soft grey-green leaves that cats adore; bees love the flowers.
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis): Velvety leaves and pale pink flowers; the original 'marshmallow'.
Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris): Low purple spikes, once known as 'heal-all'.

Why You'll Love It

A meaningful gift with a story behind every plant
Turns a corner of any garden into a living piece of history
Pretty, pollinator-friendly flowers as well as fascinating herbs
Enough seed for more than one sowing, so it keeps on giving

Folklore & Fascinating Facts

Britain's most famous physic garden, the Chelsea Physic Garden, was founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to train apprentices to identify medicinal plants.
Yarrow's Latin name, Achillea, comes from the Greek hero Achilles, who legend says used it to treat his soldiers' wounds.
Meadowsweet was once called Spiraea, and the name 'aspirin' was coined from it: a for acetyl, spir for Spiraea.
Feverfew's name comes from the Latin febrifugia, meaning 'driver-away of fevers'.
The first marshmallow sweets were made from the sap of the marshmallow plant's root.
Self-heal was so trusted in medieval Britain that it was simply called 'heal-all'.

Give It at Christmas, Sow It in Spring

Give the gift of a garden with a story. Wrap it for Christmas, then sow from late winter into spring, and by summer there will be a flowering physic garden to enjoy, learn from and share.

For growing and interest only. The traditional uses described are historical and are not medical advice. Seek professional advice before using any herb medicinally, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica): hardy annual, 30 cm. Silky orange flowers that open in the sun and close at dusk.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): hardy perennial, 60 cm. Flat flower heads loved by pollinators; a classic wound herb of old.
German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla): hardy annual, 40 cm. Apple-scented daisies, traditionally gathered for tea.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis): hardy annual, 45 cm. Glowing orange 'pot marigold', flowering for months.
Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata): perennial, 30 cm. A humble hedgerow herb with a long folk history.
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium): short-lived perennial, 50 cm. Button daisies with aromatic leaves; self-seeds gently.
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria): perennial, 90–120 cm. Frothy, honey-scented cream flowers for damp soil.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria): perennial, 60–90 cm. Soft grey-green leaves that cats adore; bees love the flowers.
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis): perennial, 120–150 cm. Velvety leaves and pale pink flowers; the original 'marshmallow'.
Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris): perennial, 15–30 cm. Low purple spikes, once known as 'heal-all'.

When to sow

Indoors: February to April on a bright windowsill or in a greenhouse.

Outdoors: April to May, once the soil has warmed. Calendula, California Poppy and German Chamomile can be sown straight where they are to flower.

How to sow

Fill small pots or trays with seed compost and water well.
Sow thinly. Chamomile, Feverfew, Self-heal and Yarrow need light to germinate, so press them onto the surface without covering.
Cover larger seeds such as Calendula and Marshmallow with a fine layer of compost.
Keep moist, not wet. Most seeds germinate in 7–21 days.
Meadowsweet benefits from a cold spell first: sow in a pot in late winter and leave outside.

Planting out

Harden off for a week, then plant out after the last frost (usually mid-May in the UK) in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Meadowsweet prefers moist soil.

Aftercare

Water in dry spells. Deadhead Calendula and California Poppy for more flowers. Perennials will return year after year.

Full step-by-step instructions are in your illustrated e-guidebook.

A beautiful, pollinator-friendly border with flowers from early summer to autumn.
A living history lesson: each plant has been grown in physic gardens for centuries.
Calendula and Chamomile flowers can be dried for crafts, pot-pourri and botanical displays.
Catnip is a favourite with cats, and many of the flowers are loved by bees and butterflies.
Traditionally, these herbs were used in teas, salves and infusions. For growing and interest only. The traditional uses described are historical and are not medical advice. Seek professional advice before using any herb medicinally, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.

Packed by hand with care in Sussex, UK.

UK delivery: orders are usually dispatched within [1–2] working days. [Add your courier, delivery times and prices here.]

Christmas delivery: order by [DATE] for UK delivery in time for Christmas.

Sending as a gift? Simply enter the recipient's address at checkout. We never include prices in the parcel.

Seeds are posted in their gift box, ready to wrap or give straight away. Store the kit somewhere cool, dry and dark until you are ready to sow in spring.