Seeds and plants

Updated: October 2026Hub-Seite

Seeds and plants covers clover seeds, dry grass, lawn repair seed, rhubarb plant, climbing strawberry and sedum seeds, and the other product types on the cards below. Each comparison says what that product is for, and which checks still apply when the listings change.

Open a card when you know which product you need. Makers, star ratings and prices sit on that comparison, so they can be updated without rewriting this page.

Comparisons

Clover seeds

White and red clover, grams and species

Eleven clover seeds on amazon.co.uk, about £2.99 to £62.98. White clover for a mown lawn, red clover for meadow or cover, and claims that clash with the grams.

Comparison guides

Cucumber seeds

Greenhouse all-female or outdoor ridge

Cucumber seeds compared: 12 amazon.co.uk packets from about £1.49 to £4.99. Match a greenhouse all-female type or an outdoor ridge variety before sowing.

Comparison guides

Dry grass

Pampas, bunny tails and wheat stem counts

Dry grass comparison of seven amazon.co.uk bunches from £8.99 to £16.99: pampas, bunny tails and wheat, with stated stem counts, colours and review samples.

Comparison guides

Flower meadow seeds

Species lists, grams and coverage

Compare 12 flower meadow seeds on amazon.co.uk, from about £3.50 to £21.98. Species lists, gram weights and conflicting coverage claims decide the pack.

Comparison guides

Grass seed

Named mixes, coverage and review files

Grass seed compared across 12 amazon.co.uk listings, from about £4.99 to £56.70. Named mixes, stated coverage and shared review files, not a lab trial.

Comparison guides

Lawn repair seed

Sunny patches and small scars

Lawn repair seed compared for 2026: 12 amazon.co.uk listings from £4.99 to £31.98, with a sunny-patch top pick and a best-value 300 g box for small scars.

Comparison guides

Mushroom culture

Kits, bags and liquid culture

Four mushroom culture products on amazon.co.uk, £7.49 to £19.99. The top pick is a named shiitake kit; best value is a rye bag if you already have a culture.

Comparison guides

Rhubarb plant

Bare-root crowns and review pools

Twelve rhubarb plants on amazon.co.uk, about £9.99 to £19.99. Named bare-root crowns, conflicting counts, and which 778-rating lines are shared in this set.

Comparison guides

Shade grass seed

Named grasses and printed area

Eleven shade grass seeds on amazon.co.uk, from about £12.79 to £56.70. Check a printed area and named grasses before you trust a shade bullet on a sun mix.

Comparison guides

Sprouts

Jar kits, sprouting seed and Brussels

Seven sprouts on amazon.co.uk, about £1.48 to £16.99. Jar kits, sprouting seed and Brussels packets are separate jobs. Choose the crop before the score.

Comparison guides

Bonsai seeds

Starter kit, maple titles and silk tree

Bonsai seeds comparison: four amazon.co.uk listings from £5.99 to £12.40, scored on species name, pots in the box and review counts, not a germination test.

Comparison guides

Climbing strawberry

Long-runner seed packets, not a vine

Climbing strawberry comparison: eight amazon.co.uk seed packets from £2.08 to £8.99, scored on title, seed count and price per seed, not a fruit trial.

Comparison guides

Daisy seeds

Oxeye, English daisy and tender annuals

Daisy seeds comparison: nine amazon.co.uk packets from £2.95 to £5.99, scored on Latin name, one seed count and review sample, not a germination test.

Comparison guides

Fast growing grass seed

Quick cover and hard-wearing mixes

Fast growing grass seed comparison: twelve amazon.co.uk packs from £4.99 to £56.70, scored on reviews, stated area and price per square metre, not a lab test.

Comparison guides

Lamb's lettuce seeds

Corn salad packets, not lettuce

Lamb's lettuce seeds comparison: eight amazon.co.uk packets from about £1.35 to £3.41, judged on variety, count and whose reviews, not a germination trial.

Comparison guides

Sedum seeds

Spurium, acre and album packets

Sedum seeds comparison: ten amazon.co.uk packets from about £1.82 to £6.99, scored on species, sowing notes and UK review files, not a germination trial.

Comparison guides

Guides

View all articles →

These guides cover when to sow lawn seed in Britain, reading a UK seed packet label, and choosing clover or grass for a low-input lawn.

Maintenance7 min read

Shade lawn seed UK: what moderate shade can still grow

The lawn under the apple tree is moss, bare soil and a few pale tillers, and a bag marked shady is the fix you hope will ignore the branches. Shade la

October 2026Read

Comparison6 min read

Clover lawn vs grass: for wear or a low-input sward

The lawn is brown in July, the clover in the neighbour's patch is still green, and a goalmouth by the patio is already mud. Clover lawn vs grass is no

October 2026Read

Maintenance7 min read

Green manure UK allotment: clover before the crop

The bed is empty after the potatoes, the neighbours are sowing clover, and the packet in your hand might be a lawn mix. Green manure UK allotment cove

October 2026Read

Common questions about seeds and plants

When should you sow lawn seed in the UK?

The Royal Horticultural Society puts reliable lawn sowing in early autumn or mid-spring onto soil the seed can touch. Lawn repair seed and grass seed comparisons on this hub repeat that order: prepare the bed, then sow when moisture is steady. A hot, dry week can waste the bag even when the packet claims fast germination.

Should you choose clover or grass for a UK lawn?

White clover creeps and can be mown, so it suits a low-input sward you still cut. Red clover is a meadow plant the RHS puts at up to about 60 cm, so it does not belong in a closely mown lawn. Ryegrass in a family mix takes wear better than clover alone. Match the species to the job before you compare star ratings.

What is shade grass seed for?

Shade grass seed is for light to medium shade, such as a fence, a north wall, or ground under a deciduous tree. The RHS says most turf wants about four to six hours of full sun, and that a bed which never sees the sun is a moss decision, not a seed decision. Check named fescues or ryegrass and a printed coverage figure before you order.

Can you sow flower meadow seed into existing turf?

The RHS suggests about 2 g per square metre for a pure flower mix on weed-free ground in full sun. Seed sown into turf rarely survives. If you want a lawn, start with grass seed. Meadow packets differ on pictorial colour, perennial cuts and whether grass is included, so read the species list and gram weight before you buy.

How do greenhouse and outdoor cucumber seeds differ?

Greenhouse and polytunnel growers usually want an all-female F1 type. Outdoor ridge cucumbers need insects to pollinate and often carry more seed in the packet. Do not grow a ridge variety in the same greenhouse as an all-female type, because cross-pollination can make bitter, seedy fruit. Match the packet to the place before sowing.

When can you harvest rhubarb after planting a crown?

RHS guidance is to plant dormant crowns with the bud at or just above the soil and to take no stalks in the first year. A light pull comes in year two. Listings in the rhubarb comparison also warn that waterlogged soil rots crowns, and that rhubarb leaves must never be eaten.

Are home jar sprouts the same as shop-ready bean sprouts?

No. A home jar batch is not a ready-to-eat pack. UK safety advice treats standing rinse water as the usual way a batch turns sour, and vulnerable groups should cook sprouts thoroughly. Use seed sold for sprouting, not garden seed that may be treated. Brussels sprout seed is a separate winter brassica crop in soil.

What is the difference between a mushroom kit and liquid culture?

A ready kit already contains a working block of a named edible such as shiitake. Liquid culture is fungus in a syringe; it does not fruit in the bottle. A sterile substrate bag still needs a lawful culture added. Chicken of the woods culture on amazon.co.uk is a hardwood project, not a kitchen counter kit.