WELCOME TO ALTERNATIVES, a tiny home-based mail order nursery in the Forest of Dean, specializing since 1997 in unusual and ornamental forms of common wildflowers and garden weeds.  Most are British natives but the list also includes a sprinkling of non-native introductions.   

Here you will find variegated clovers, golden nettles, purple campions and proliferous daisies as well as an ever-expanding collection of creeping buttercup (the natural variation within this species is astonishing).  Many of the cultivars listed are of local provenance.

Whether beautiful, bizarre or just a bit different, these forms have occurred naturally and are interesting on that account alone.  If some of them are too vigorous to keep company with more conventional garden plants, they can still be appreciated in pots, in the lawn, in gravel, paving or walls.  Alternatively, you can accept their exuberance and grow them with suitable competitors.  

Many common wild plants have greater potential in the garden than is generally thought but are automatically rejected as 'weeds'.  While some control may be unavoidable, it is still possible to consider each plant on its merits in a particular setting.  There are wonderful plant combinations to be found just by observing, experimenting and taking more inspiration from Nature.

An added delight is growing plants that are beneficial to wildlife, of finding caterpillars on nettles, butterflies on thistles and bees on bugle.   Given the nationwide loss of habitat, gardens are becoming increasingly important as nature reserves.  By making more use of native plants, gardeners can give local biodiversity a much-needed boost. 

Last but not least, many of these common plants are edible.  I grow a variegated form of sorrel that looks and tastes superb in a salad.  With the help of Ulrike Paradine, a gardening friend with a passion for edible plants, I am beginning to nibble my way through many more species and cultivars and will be reporting on some of them in our edible plant diary.

STOCK AND MAIL ORDER INFORMATION

By clicking on Plant List 2002 you will find an alphabetical list of plants which are either currently available or which we expect to become available (sometimes things go wrong!) during 2002.  Stocks are grown in the garden in the ground or in pots and are very small in some cases, so early ordering is strongly recommended.  Even then, quantities may be restricted to one or two per customer.  Some plants are propagated to order. 

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY WITH YOUR ORDER AS WE WILL INVOICE YOU WHEN THE PLANTS (AS WHOLE OR PART-ORDER) ARE READY 

UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE, PLANTS ARE SENT OUT IN THE FORM OF BARE-ROOTED CUTTINGS OR DIVISIONS, MAINLY IN SPRING OR AUTUMN.  THE MINIMUM ORDER VALUE IS £8.00. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF ORDERS IS NOT USUALLY SENT UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED.

Unless stated otherwise, seed is £1.50 per pack.

All prices include UK first-class postage and packing.  Prices for plants sent to EU countries can be given on request.

Bare rooted plants need extra care from the customer.  This will almost always mean potting them up prior to planting them out, as well as taking the necessary precautions against pests.

- We supply plants by mail order only and are not open to visitors.

PLANT LIST BY POST

A new plant list is prepared in January or early February. To receive a copy of the current Plant List please send 3 x 1st Class stamps to: 

R. Castle, alternatives, The Brackens, Yorkley Wood, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TU.      Tel.: (01594) 562457

We hope you enjoy your visit to this site.

Rosie Castle, 16 May 2002