Yahoo Finance Best gardening subscription boxes for clever summer planting
One of the most positive outcomes from recent years is that we appreciate the restorative effects of being outdoors.
For many of us, the garden has become a place of sanctuary. Whether you’re a beginner gardener or have been pottering and planting for years, these gardening subscription boxes will bring even more joy to your green fingered life.
For new gardeners the scale and scope of planting can be overwhelming. The good news is subscription boxes and plant deliveries can help to ease any anxious feelings. Enjoy hand picked seasonal plants or seeds, alongside tailored guidance and tutorials to help you get the most from your outdoor space. Plus, most have a sustainable and seasonable focus. What could be better than helping the bees and butterflies to do their best work?
Long-time gardeners may feel that a subscription box wouldn’t enhance their existing knowledge, but many box founders say more experienced customers enjoy a chance to try different plant varieties. Plus there’s the bonus of escaping the weekend garden centre rush, and spending more time planting what has been delivered to your door. Don’t worry if you live in the city without any outdoor space, even in the smallest patches, there is room to grow flower and food seeds. If you have a window sill you can get involved.
Before shopping for a gardening subscription think about the amount of time you want to spend potting and planting. Some companies send boxes every three months which offers a gentle entry point, whilst others send lots of plants in a one off box, or a few seed packet monthly. Choose a box to suit your gardening needs from our selection below.
Lazy Flora Outdoor Plant Subscription
Founded by Claire Ransom after she struggled to find plants for the balcony of her London flat, Lazy Flora’s aim is to make plants accessible regardless of your garden size. After asking about my garden and the amount of sunlight it got each day, a box was customised to suit my requirements. This service felt highly personalised, and when eight beautifully packaged plants arrived on the doorstep a few days later it was a delight to unwrap each parcel.
A highlight was the wild strawberry plant that was already flowering. The box came with a planting guide and ID tags so each plant was clearly labelled. Unlike some other subscriptions on the market, this box comes with established plants rather than seeds, giving you a head start on planting. The plants we tested were beneficial for pollinators, and all looked full and healthy. Choose whether you would like a plant delivery every month or two months.
£45/month
Buy now, Lazy Flora
Seed Pantry Grow Club
Aiming to save subscribers 40 per cent on retail prices, this box is ideal for trying out a variety of flowers and food in your garden or allotment. Founded by Neil Whitehead who wanted to grow veg in his first floor London flat, this box includes everything needed to join the grow-your-own movement.
Subscribers can choose six items from an extensive list of plants, including everything from pretty gladioli and anemones to courgettes, cabbages and kale. Box choices change with the seasons, and each comes with grow guides that explain how to look after each plant.
Our box included a selection of customer favourites, including dahlias, ixia, dwarf french beans and even watermelon seeds, which made us smile. One of the key benefits of this box is the seasonality of the selection, and the versatility of choosing what goes in each box.
£12.99/month
Buy now, Seed Pantry
The Rose Press Garden Flower Seed and Bulb Subscription
Founded by Lizzie Fox during lockdown, The Rose Press Garden is a monthly flower subscription that aims to make gardening feel modern, fun and easy. Each box include five packets of flower seeds, or a bulb collection, ready to sow or plant that month. This box is a delight to receive through the post, with brightly coloured tissue paper protecting neatly wrapped parcels of seeds.
With it’s modern branding, we can see this being a winner with new gardeners who are taking their first steps into planting and potting. The box comes with five instruction cards that include step-by-step instructions on how to use each seed packet. Plus Lizzie has plenty go how to videos on her Instagram, blog and YouTube channel.
£15/month
Buy now, NOTHS
Flourishy Gardeners Subscription Box
These boxes came to life when founder Kerry struggled to find useful gifts for her dad. As a keen gardener, she thought a curated seasonal hamper would be a gift he would really appreciate. The business was born when friends asked to buy the hamper she had created.
With boxes sent out every three months rather than monthly, this subscription takes a slow approach to gardening with focus on relaxation and seasonal planting.
Each season, subscribers receive a ‘gift for the garden, and a gift for the gardener’. This includes seeds or bulbs that are perfect for planting that season, biodegradable seed trays and seed pots for planting the seeds, along with wooden seed labels. They also include an information sheet which is printed on wildflower seed paper.
As an extra gift each box includes the likes of a watering can or an organic handmade soap. This box has been thoughtfully put together and a subscription would make the perfect present for new or experienced gardeners.
£39.95 per season
Buy now, NOTHS
Garden on a roll
This incredibly unique concept offers gardeners a ready-made border in a box. Plants are chosen by the team based on the amount of sunlight and type of soil in your garden, then delivered to your door. The truly ingenious part of this box is the bio-degradable planting template. Each plant is numbered is correspondence with the template and it offers a handy reference guide to ensure plants are placed correctly. Many gardeners are inclined to place plants too close together but the planting template gives you a professionally designed border, with minimal effort.
Personalise your order by choosing the width and length of the border you want to create. Unlike others on our list, this box is not a subscription, but a one time delivery, and an ideal low maintenance option for beginners. The best choice if you want a collection of curated plants delivered to your door, ready to full your border with ease.
£75 for a 40cm by 2m border
Buy now, Homebase
Seed Cell
Seed Cell is a one-off box designed for simple seed planting. Using clever plantable pods full of seeds that simply need to be placed in a pot with soil, this option is ideal for beginners who don’t have gardening tools and want to avoid mess in small spaces.
Seed Cell boxes include 12 varieties of seeds and each box has a different theme. We were particularly excited by the burger toppings box (Butterhead Lettuce, Beefsteak Tomato, Parsley, Gherkin, Cucumber) and the cocktail botanicals box (Cucumber, Rosemary, Sage, Lemon Basil). Once planted, the seed pods absorb and retain the moisture they need. The pod protects the seeds as they begin to germinate, before breaking down naturally leaving zero waste and high quality healthy plants.
Buy now £14.99, Amazon
Herboo Garden Beds Grow Kit
When this grow kit arrived, the attractive packaging immediately caught our attention. The design-led aesthetic of each branded seed packet made this box feel more creative and contemporary than others on the market.
Inside this letter box-friendly package was a collection of seeds to be grown outdoors, including rudbeckia for late summer colour, poppies, lupins, verbena, thyme and even globe shaped carrots. Just as happy inside as out, Herboo’s boxes have been designed to suit any home, even those without outdoor garden space. They provide organic compost pellets with all their boxes and plants can be grown on the windowsill.
Reassuringly for beginners, each packet has plenty of seeds (eg 2500 in the poppies packet) giving you the option to plant in small batches or replace any seeds that fail to grow. Seed packets are also sold individually should you want more of your favourite variety. A great starter kit for new gardeners, or those with limited outdoor space.
£18/month
Buy now, Herboo
Gardening Boxes The Gardening Box
With knowledge from an RHS expert behind you, you can’t go wrong with this subscription. Gardening Boxes are delivered monthly and contain a mixture of well established perennials and shrubs. Tell the team about your garden including the type of soil and amount of sun, and whether you require a pet-friendly option, and they will choose plants to best suit your needs.
Plants vary depending on the seasons, and those with smaller gardens can choose a container plant option. The box we tested included a beautiful scented deep purple iris ‘Langport Wren’, epimedium and a bee and butterfly friendly verbena. This box has a few extra features which give it an edge over others, including a helpful monthly online tutorial which includes guided planting and watering advice for each of the plants in your box.
This subscription is ideal if you feel confused or overwhelmed with choice at garden centres. A great way to build up your garden border with well-informed choices, over the seasons.
£39/month
Buy now, Gardening Boxes
Verdict
Lazy Flora’s outdoor plant subscription box was our favourite choice for high quality plants, attention to detail and thoughtful eco-friendly packaging. The design aesthetic and ability to buy seeds separately gave Herboo an edge. We can see new gardeners falling in love with the brand’s Instagram-worthy packaging.
