About Wyse Worts

Wyse Worts is a small independent organic plant nursery, specialising in medicinal and culinary herbs, and wildflowers. Our aim is to make these plants available, as well as share skills and knowledge for growing and working with herbs and wildflowers, to enable more people to incorporate them into their lives and gardens.

We propagate and sell plants, many of which are otherwise hard to find. We also offer occasional courses and workshops on growing, harvesting and preparing herbs and incorporating them into everyday lives for enjoyment and health. Part of our small demonstration garden includes a seed saving area, where we grow herb seed crops for Vital Seeds, as well as for our own propagation. Being part of the seed sovereignty movement is an important part of what we do.

Our approach

Our plants are certified organic, grown in peat-free compost, in recycled or re-used and recyclable pots, using seed saved on site, or bought from other small seed companies such as Earthsong Seeds. We compost, make our own comfrey and nettle feed, and nurture the worms and soil microbes to support healthy, happy plants.

The nursery

We are based on a small plot of land on an organic community market garden - School Farm CSA. The nursery consists of the propagation area and a small garden demonstrating some of the herbs growing.

Why Wyse Worts?

The name and logo honour the generations of herbalists and plants-people who have come before us. Wyse, as well as being an archaic spelling of 'wise' has another meaning of 'ways' or 'path'. Wort is a traditional word meaning ‘a plant’, often used in the context of plants which have a particular relationship with humans such as St Johns' Wort or Woundwort. It’s origins are in the word ‘wurtiz’ or ‘wyrt’ meaning root. So ‘Wyse Worts’ is a celebration of the wisdom and the ways of plants. The logo was designed by Lucca Benney, and based on the illustrations of plants in early ancient manuscripts.

Melissa

Melissa is a grower, teacher, community herbalist and trainee medical herbalist with Betonica. She has been a lover of plants her whole life and, following several years working in agroecological research, she trained in practical horticulture. Since then, as well as developing her work with herbs, she has been growing vegetables as part of School Farm, as well as teaching practical horticulture and working in community composting.

She recognises plants as the facilitators of life on Earth through creating the air we breathe and the food we eat, and works towards empowering people to create their own connections and confidence in working with plants themselves.