Short answer: yes, plenty of shops sell garden plants, seedlings and spare seed packets — and for ordinary garden surplus sold in person, you don't need a plant passport or any other licence. That requirement is aimed at commercial nurseries and online plant sellers, not a charity table selling homegrown cuttings.
What the "plant passport" rules actually cover
UK plant health law requires a plant passport for certain regulated plants moved commercially between professional traders, or sold at a distance — online, by mail order, over the phone. But selling directly to a member of the public, in person, for their own personal use is generally exempt. That's exactly the situation with a charity plant stall or a shop selling donated garden plants over the counter: no distance sale, no commercial-to-commercial movement, no passport needed.
Where it can still apply
- A specific list of regulated, higher pest-risk species — mostly certain trees and larger nursery stock affected by known plant pests and diseases. Ordinary houseplants, perennials, herbs and vegetable seedlings from a home garden aren't on it. If you're ever unsure about an unusual or larger specimen, the UK Plant Health Information Portal has the current list.
- Stock bought in specifically to resell, rather than genuinely donated surplus — that starts to look like commercial trading rather than a charity accepting a gift, and the rules that apply to nurseries and garden centres are more likely to bite.
What about seeds?
Similar picture. The licensing that exists around seed — Plant Breeders' Rights, certified seed trading rules — is aimed at large-scale agricultural and commercial trade in protected or certified varieties, not a spare packet of nasturtium or sweet pea seed someone's donated from their own garden. Selling a few surplus seed packets over a counter isn't the scenario those rules were written for.
What actually makes a plant or seed packet sellable
- Plants: healthy, not wilting or diseased-looking, ideally potted and labelled with what it is. A struggling plant does neither the shop nor the buyer any favours.
- Seeds: clearly labelled with what they are and roughly when they were collected or bought — unlabelled seed is very hard for a shop to sell with any confidence, since a buyer has no way to judge freshness or germination chances.
- Sealed, shop-bought seed packets that are simply surplus (you bought two of the same, or changed your planting plans) are usually the easiest for a shop to sell, since they still show a use-by date and growing instructions.
Not every shop has the space or footfall for a plant table, so it's worth checking the directory or asking directly before turning up with a tray of seedlings.