UK Cold Snap Forces Temporary Pause on Plant Dispatches to Keep Your Plants Safe
- Jonny Balchandani
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
The UK has recently been hit with a significant cold snap, bringing freezing temperatures, frost, snow and icy conditions across much of the country. With overnight lows plunging well below zero in many areas—and the Met Office issuing snow, ice and cold-weather warnings—it’s been one of the coldest starts to the year so far.
“While dispatch is paused, the shop is still very much open. Our 40% off sale is live, so you can grab your plants now and we’ll deliver them safely once temperatures rise.”
How Cold Has It Been?
Across the UK, recent overnight temperatures have dropped far below the seasonal average. In parts of eastern England, the mercury fell to as low as -12.5 °C, the coldest night of winter so far, with other rural areas such as the Scottish Highlands also experiencing temperatures below -11 °C.
Even in cities like London, temperatures regularly dropped below freezing early in the morning as the arctic air mass swept south. The Met Office has maintained warnings for snow and ice, with forecasts indicating that freezing conditions may continue through much of the week.
Why This Matters for Your Plants
Many houseplants and young plants are sensitive to cold temperatures. Although we take great care when preparing orders for dispatch—adding one or two heat packs to parcels during colder weather—these heat packs are not designed to protect plants through prolonged or extreme freezes, especially when temperatures fall to -4 °C and below.
Given that recent nights have seen temperatures well under this threshold and forecasts suggest the cold weather will continue, we’ve made a difficult but necessary decision to temporarily pause sending out plant orders.
Our Decision: A Short Pause in Dispatches
Your plants mean as much to us as they do to you. We want every plant to arrive safely, healthy and ready to thrive, not damaged or worse, damaged by harsh sub-zero conditions in transit.
Although we were able to send out orders yesterday with added heat packs, the weather is continuing to get colder this week. Heat packs simply cannot maintain a safe temperature for plants if the overnight mercury drops into deep freeze conditions like those we’ve just experienced.
As a result:
We’ve paused sending out orders until the extreme cold passes.
We are monitoring the weather daily.
We hope to resume dispatching orders by next week, weather depending.
We will keep you updated on social media and via email as soon as conditions improve. Your plant’s safety is our priority.
What You Can Do in the Meantime
If you already have your plant and are dealing with the cold at home:
Keep plants away from draughts and doors.
Avoid placing plants directly on cold windowsills overnight.
Group plants together for mutual warmth where possible.
Ensure they are not overwatered during cold spells, as soggy soil + cold roots = increased risk of rot.
Thank you for your understanding as we navigate this unusually cold spell in the UK. We’re committed to delivering only healthy, happy plants, and we believe this temporary pause is the best way to ensure that happens.
Stay warm, stay safe—and we’ll be back sending out plants as soon as the weather allows.
“If you really can’t wait to get your plants, you’re more than welcome to book a free slot and visit the plant shop in person. You can browse, choose your plants yourself, and take them home the same day—no cold vans, no risky journeys, just happy plants straight into your care.”
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