Shade Plant Specialists

Long Acre Plants is essentially a mail order plantsman's nursery, in the 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.

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. The geraniums cover the gaps after the bulbs finish and give another season of colour.

Hardy Ferns

We offer a large range of wonderful hardy woodland or shade garden ferns, many evergreen and others 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 style of gardens, 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 thibitanus 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.

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

Acanthus mollis £4.95 A very tough plant that will do well in all semi shaded situations almost evergreen large shiny leaves with spikes of ... find out more	Geranium macrorrhizum 'Spessart' £4.95 A medium growing form with white flowers with pink calx. Very tolerant of dry soils and conditions. One of the most ... find out more	Hosta 'White Feather' £5.50 Established pots of this amazing hosta which emerges white and later developes some green streaks to the foliage. Lights up shady ... find out more

Aquilegia vulgaris 'White Star' £3.50 A lovely strong growing strain of semi double bonnet shaped flowers. Mid green foliage will seed true if kept isolated and ... find out more	Vinca minor 'Ralph Shugert £4.20 A good flowering silver variegated form, good ground cover but not invasive. Large clear blue flowers over most of the ... find out more	Chasmanthium latifolium £3.50 Northern oat grass is a fine grass for a shady spot in the garden, very to tolerant. Good winter form and ... find out more

Helleborus x hybridus 'Double Pink Spotted Red' £8.50 A new strain with pink flowers heavily spotted and blotched red. find out more	Aquilegia brevistyla 'Fruit and Nut Chocolate' £3.00 A selection of this very early flowering Aquilegia, frequently in flower in March and for a further two months with milk ... find out more	Geranium sylvaticum 'Birch Lilac' £4.95 Deep blue flowers with a white eye on this lovely form of the native woodland cranesbill. To 45cm high and 30cm ... find out more

Best Selling Plants

Galium odoratum

£3.50

{About}
We're asked for sweet woodruff often enough that we have started growing it. Mythical thug for a shady spot where it can spread and display its white flowers in Spring. Will tolerate dry soils.
{Description}
Galium will spread quite vigorously. So a plant that will survive in difficult situations
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Viola odorata 'Baroness Alice de Rothchild'