About Plug Plants by Post
Hi, I’m Mike Halliday
I started Plug Plants by Post with a simple goal: to offer a good, honest service at a fair price by making smart use of time, materials and clear communication. While most businesses lean heavily on marketing and fancy packaging, I prefer to keep those things in the background and let the plants take centre stage.
My journey into selling plug plants began a few years ago as a way to earn a small, steady income doing something I genuinely enjoy while easing into retirement after a varied career. I’ve learned countless new skills, made plenty of mistakes, and discovered even more by learning from them.
My past experiences taught me there’s always a better, simpler, more efficient way to do things, and I apply that principle every day. It helps me offer a reliable, great-value service - and gives me the ongoing pleasure of learning and growing alongside my plants and my customers.
My Philosophy
On the “why”
Gardening and plant cultivation are, at their heart, a source of pleasure, wellbeing, and quiet satisfaction. While some enjoy creating gardens to share and celebrate, I’m especially delighted to work with gardeners who simply love the process of growing. Supporting that kind of enjoyment makes my work both meaningful and rewarding - a win for everyone.
On the environment
I try to keep the business as environmentally friendly as possible.I use recycled cardboard for packaging, repurposed timber for cold frame and poly shed construction and solar panels for energy production when and wherever I can. Posting orders weekly by second class and sending smaller orders as large letters also reduces both costs and environmental impact, helping keep the service efficient and sustainable.
On the “where”
All my plug plants are grown from seed here in the Cumbrian hills at an altitude of between 150 to 200 metres. These cooler, harder conditions produce naturally strong, resilient young plants - well prepared for life in real gardens across the UK.
On the costs
I work hard to keep costs low so you can get more plants for your money without compromising on healthy, well-grown stock. By using recycled packaging and simple, efficient processes, I avoid unnecessary expenses and pass those savings directly on to you. The mini and midi Plug Plant Strips are part of this approach: they’re economical to produce, fit easily through a letterbox, and keep delivery costs down. Combined with weekly second-class posting and a no-frills, environmentally conscious setup, Plug Plants by Post offers great value while staying true to honest, sustainable gardening.
None of this makes me perfect, mistakes happen, if they do please tell me and I’ll do my best to fix them, and learn from them. Learning is perhaps the greatest pleasure of gardening, though nurturing is a close second – which is why kindness is the root of so much happiness, and gardeners rank highly on the happiness scale. We don’t sell happiness, just some of the means to get there.