Where to Buy Herb Plants Online

By
Amy Jeanroy
Amy Jeanroy

Amy Jeanroy is a master gardener and farm homesteader who has operated a greenhouse business since 1999. She served as the herbal gardening expert for The Spruce for eight years. Using her expertise in herbalism, she makes and sells herbal soaps, tinctures, salves, teas, and recipes at farmers' markets in Maine. She has also authored three books on canning and fermenting foods.

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Updated on 04/24/22
basil

The Spruce / Gyscha Rendy

Thanks to companies that sell herb seeds and plants online, it's possible to plan and start your herb garden without leaving your house. However, be aware of the risk in buying plants online, as you can't inspect them yourself to make sure that they're healthy. For some, though, the convenience may be worth taking that chance. If you're worried about the plant arriving safely, purchase it from a company that guarantees the plant's health upon arrival or choose to purchase seeds that you can start yourself at home.

  • 01 of 06

    Richters

    Richters sells seeds and plants for herbs such as basil, thyme, cardamom, sage, and vegetables. Seeds are sold in bulk and in packets, with most packets containing 100 to 1,000 seeds. If you don't want to start the seeds yourself, you can purchase plants, plug packs of 12, or plug trays of 90, depending on the plant you're interested in. Richters also sells dried herbs.

    Richters has taken the Safe Seed Pledge, which means they do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants. The website is also a wealth of information on herbs, offering up Q&As about culinary herbs, Chinese herbs, medicinal herbs, growing herbs, and more.

  • 02 of 06

    Mountain Valley Growers

    Based in California's Central Valley, Mountain Valley Growers only sells live herbs, vegetables, and ornamental plants. The company's website also offers a valuable resource for gardeners, such as botanical name cross-referencing and herb quick reference pages. You can research the plants you want to buy and learn if their growing conditions match your growing zone. There is nothing like having the security of knowing you can grow something before shelling out the money for plants that don't stand a chance.

    All of the plants sold by Mountain Valley Growers are USDA-certified organic. The company offers a shipping guarantee, which means that your plants will be healthy and ready to grow when you get them, and they will either send a replacement or offer a refund.

  • 03 of 06

    Companion Plants

    Companion Plants, based near Athens, Ohio, sells more than 600 common and exotic herb plants, including medicinal, culinary, ceremonial, aromatic, butterfly, fiber, dye plants, and more than 200 seed varieties.

    The plants ship in 2.5-inch wide by 3.5-inch deep pots that encourage root growth. The company guarantees the plant's safe arrival to your home. Companion Plants only ships live plants within the United States.

  • 04 of 06

    Grower's Exchange

    Grower's Exchange has been offering fresh herbs and other plants since 1985. If you know what herbs you want to purchase, you can search by name. However, if you're unsure, the Grower's Exchange website allows you to browse herbs by traits, such as herbs that attract pollinators, herbs that you can use in cocktails, easy-to-grow herbs, and herbs that grow well indoors. The company also offers herbal kits and gifts, such as sea salt bath kits.

    Grower's Exchange guarantees that the plants are healthy when they leave the greenhouses. They ship by zone, which means that you can order when it's safe to plant in your area—based on the last frost date and other data—as well as the availability of the plants. The Grower's Exchange website also offers a variety of resources on herb gardening.

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  • 05 of 06

    Burpee

    Since its founding in 1876, Burpee has offered many herb varieties, flowers, vegetables, and fruit plants. Burpee is best known for its seed packets but also delivers live plants. They are famous for developing up-and-coming breakthrough varieties from their historic home at Fordhook Farm in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania, including the original ‘Iceberg’ lettuce (1894), the first white marigold (1976), and the biggest beefsteak tomato ever bred (2014).

    All plant orders are timed to ship so they arrive at planting times that are suited for your area. Their website features a map and shipping schedule to identify each customer's growing zone, plus the date range for when products ship out. Herb plant orders are shipped via UPS using three- to 10-business day delivery. All herb plants have a 90-day return guarantee. Burpee will provide a replacement order or a refund for damaged or unsatisfactory products. 

  • 06 of 06

    Wilson Bros Gardens

    Founded in 1989, Wilson Bros Gardens is an online plant nursery based in McDonough, Georgia. It is operated by founding professional horticulturalists and twin brothers Brent and Brooks Wilson. They offer more than 180 varieties of herb plants for shipping. Wilson Bros Gardens provides free shipping and details its five-step shipping process to guarantee safe delivery of your plants.

    Wilson Bros Gardens guarantees that you will receive healthy, container-grown, landscape-ready, retail nursery-quality plants ready upon arrival to plant and thrive in your landscape. If you wish to return your plants, they give you 30 days to return plants that have not been transplanted into the ground or repotted into other containers. They provide USDA Plant Hardiness Zone ranges for each of their plants and will only guarantee plants being grown in their appropriate USDA Zone.

FAQ
  • Is it better to buy herbs as seeds or plants?

    It depends on what you're growing. It's cheaper and easier to grow dill, cilantro, basil, and mint from seeds since they germinate quickly and grow fast. Other herbs like lavender, rosemary, flavored mints, bay leaf, and white sage take a long time to grow from seed, so if you're impatient, it's best to get those as plants.

  • What is the easiest herb to grow?

    Dill, thyme, basil, and chives are among the easiest herbs to grow. They average about 14 days to germinate, although chives might take a week longer. Chives and thyme are cold-tolerant perennials, returning year after year. Dill and basil are annuals but are prolific self-seeders, often leaving behind seeds in their garden beds for the next growing season.

  • Can all herbs be planted together?

    Most herbs can grow together without issues as long as they require similar care, such as soil needs, light exposure, water, or fertilizer schedule. For example, basil and parsley like a lot of sun and water. Mediterranean herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, lavender, and oregano prefer drier soil and direct sunlight. Another good grouping is tarragon, basil, and cilantro; they also like moist soil and full sun.