Dill Seeds (Anethum graveolens)

Dill Seeds (Anethum graveolens) — 100 Seeds

Dill is one of the most recognisable plants you can grow. The feathery foliage, tall yellow umbrella-like flower heads (which is exactly where the plant family gets its name, umbellifers) and that distinctive warm anise scent make it instantly familiar at every stage of growth. So this is our umbellifer, our one deliberate choice from a family of plants we've thought carefully about stocking.

It's a brilliant annual for a wildflower border, attracting hoverflies, small bees, and beneficial predatory insects to its open flower heads. The leaves, flowers, and seeds are all edible, working beautifully alongside fish, potatoes, and pickles. Safe for dogs, cats, and horses. Avoid planting near sheep and other livestock.

There's a reason dill is our only umbellifer. Cow parsley, wild carrot, and their relatives are beautiful plants and we'd genuinely love to carry them. The problem is that in a mixed wild area they create a real identification risk alongside hemlock, one of Britain's most poisonous plants. Both produce white umbrella-like flower heads and the consequences of confusion in a grazing field or foraging situation are serious enough that we've made the decision not to stock them.

Dill sits completely outside that concern. The flower heads are yellow, immediately distinct from anything dangerous or confusing in the same umbellifer family of plants. The smell is unmistakable at every stage. The seeds are flat, oval, and striped in a way that makes identification straightforward from germination through to harvest. A gardener that plants dill will always know exactly what they've got.

Sow indoors all year round.
Sow outdoors March to June.

Growing instructions

Sow thinly in trays or pots, cover lightly and keep warm and moist. Outdoors, sow direct into a growing position and cover lightly with soil. Germination takes 14 to 21 days. Thin seedlings to 20cm apart as they establish. Harvest leaves, flowers, and seeds as needed through the season.