We Compared 130+ UK Nurseries So You Don't Have To

ComparePlants started because I couldn't find a straight answer to a simple question: where's the best place to buy a Cornus kousa?

I'd found one I liked at a large online garden centre for £34.99. But something made me check a few more sites. The same variety, same pot size, same specification — £22.50 from a nursery in Cornwall I'd never heard of. A third had it for £28 with free delivery over £50.

That £12.49 difference on a single plant is the kind of thing that adds up fast when you're planting a new border.

The problem with plant shopping online

The UK has hundreds of nurseries selling plants online, and there's almost no easy way to compare them. Unlike books or electronics, plants don't have universal product codes. A Cornus kousa 'China Girl' at one nursery might be listed as Cornus kousa var. chinensis 'China Girl' at another, and simply as 'China Girl Dogwood' at a third.

Pot sizes aren't standardised either. Some nurseries sell in 3-litre pots, others in 4-litre. Some quote height including the pot, others from the soil line. It's a mess, frankly, and it means most gardeners just buy from whoever appears first on Google.

That's a shame, because the price differences are significant.

What we actually found

Over the course of several months, we checked prices for over 200 popular garden plants across 130+ UK nurseries. The nurseries ranged from large operations like Crocus and Thompson & Morgan to specialists like Burncoose Nurseries in Cornwall and Ornamental Trees in Chelmsford.

Here are some of the patterns we noticed:

Large online retailers are rarely the cheapest. The big names — the ones spending heavily on Google Ads and glossy photography — tend to sit 15-30% above the median price. You're paying for convenience, brand recognition, and often very good customer service. That's not necessarily bad value, but it's worth knowing.

Specialist nurseries often have the best prices for their speciality. Burncoose, which has been growing camellias, magnolias, and rhododendrons for generations, consistently offered competitive prices on acid-loving plants. A nursery that grows its own stock rather than buying in from Dutch wholesalers can usually undercut the generalists.

Delivery costs change everything. A plant that's £5 cheaper becomes £3 more expensive once you factor in a £7.95 delivery charge versus a competitor's free delivery over £40. We found delivery charges ranging from free (rare) to £12.95 for a single plant. Several nurseries offer free delivery thresholds between £40 and £75, which rewards buying multiple plants from one place.

Thompson & Morgan and Crocus serve different markets. Thompson & Morgan tends to be strongest on seasonal bedding, seeds, and smaller perennials. Crocus leans toward premium shrubs and specimen plants with excellent plant information and photography. Neither is universally cheapest, but both have areas where they're genuinely competitive.

The independents you've probably never checked

Some of our most interesting finds came from nurseries that most gardeners haven't encountered. Places like Farmyard Nurseries in Carmarthenshire, which grows an extraordinary range of herbaceous perennials at prices that made us double-check. Or Larch Cottage Nurseries in Cumbria, where the rare plant selection rivals any specialist.

These nurseries don't have the marketing budgets to appear at the top of search results. They don't run television adverts or sponsor garden shows. But they grow excellent plants, often propagated on-site rather than imported, and their prices reflect lower overheads.

You can find our full list of tracked nurseries on the retailers page. We're adding more regularly.

Why this matters

The average UK household spends around £200-£400 per year on plants and garden sundries. If comparison shopping saves even 15% on plant purchases, that's £30-£60 back in your pocket — or, more realistically, another two or three plants you wouldn't have bought otherwise.

We built ComparePlants because we think gardeners deserve the same price transparency that exists for almost every other product category. You wouldn't buy a washing machine without checking a few prices. Plants should be no different.

What we're not doing

We're not trying to push you toward the cheapest option every time. A well-grown plant from a reputable nursery with good customer service is worth paying a little more for. What we want is for you to make that choice with full information — knowing that the £35 plant is available for £24 elsewhere, and deciding whether the extra £11 buys you better quality, better packaging, or simply a nicer website.

The nurseries we track are all legitimate, established businesses. We don't include marketplace sellers or anyone we wouldn't buy from ourselves. And we're always open to adding nurseries we've missed — if you know a good one, get in touch.