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Medieval Seed Collection
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  • Medieval Seed Collection
  • Medieval Seed Collection
  • Medieval Seed Collection
  • Medieval Seed Collection
  • Medieval Seed Collection
  • Medieval Seed Collection
  • Medieval Seed Collection
  • Medieval Seed Collection
Medieval Seed Collection

Medieval Seed Collection
$16.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.

Bring the past to life with the Medieval Seed Collection, available exclusively from Sanctum. Discover the forgotten world and flavors of the Middle Ages with five rare and otherworldly sounding plants: Orach, Sorrel, Borage, Chervil, and Lovage. Each packet is wrapped in artwork pulled straight from real medieval manuscripts, bringing you closer to the real Middle Ages than ever before.

Whether you're into gardening, history, aesthetics, or just discovering something new, this collection lets you own something truly unique and experience a piece of medieval life. 
FEATURES
  • KINGDOM IN A BAG — real plant varieties grown during England’s Middle Ages
  • RECREATE THE PAST — experience the genuine tastes and scents of the Middle Ages in your own home.
  • COMPLETE STARTER COLLECTION — includes five core plants with completely unique tastes and features.
  • PERFECT GIFT — for gardeners, collectors, and fans of history, fantasy, or medieval life.
  • EASY TO GROW — fast, beginner-friendly varieties with clear instructions.
  • HEIRLOOM & GMO FREE — 100% unmodified, non-GMO seeds.
  • EXCLUSIVE TO SANCTUM — the first collection of its kind. Get yours now.
SPECIFICATIONS
What’s Included
  • Complete medieval seed set featuring Orach (Atriplex horetnsis), Sorrel (Rumex Acetosa), Borage (Borago officinalis), Chervil (Anthriscus cerefollium), and Lovage (Levisticum officinale) seed packets.
  • Minimum 100 seeds per packet excluding Borage (50 seeds)
Packaging Details
  • Individual Seed Packets (×5)
    Five paper seed packets with manuscript inspired detail and easy growing instructions.
  • Outer Jute Pouch
    A soft and reusable jute pouch with a natural woven texture, designed to hold and protect the full set of seed packets. Evokes the rustic charm of a medieval satchel and features a drawstring closure for secure storage and easy display.
  • Hanging Tag / Booklet
    Attached to each pouch is a small printed tag or mini booklet, featuring product details and historical context for the collection. Designed as a collectible keepsake, it provides a concise introduction to the plants within and the manuscripts that inspired them.
INSTRUCTIONS

BORAGE

  • Grow: Easy annual prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Direct sow after last frost (borage dislikes transplanting). Plant seeds 1/4–1/2 inch deep, keep soil evenly moist; sprout in 5-10 days. Space 18–24 inches; plants reach 2–3 feet. Water regularly at first, then as needed. Deadhead to extend bloom and limit self-seeding; stake if plants flop.

    Harvest: Begin at first flowers, about 6–8 weeks after sowing. Pick open blue flowers often. Take young leaves 2–4 inches long for best texture and flavor; older leaves get prickly. Cut leaves from the outside and let the center keep growing.

CHERVIL

  • Grow: Cool-season annual prefers part shade and moist, well-drained soil. Direct sow early spring or late summer. Plant seeds 1/8 inch deep, keep evenly moist; sprout in 7–14 days. Thin to 6–9 inches; plants reach 12–24 inches. Water steadily and remove flower stalks to delay bolting.

    Harvest: Begin 4–6 weeks after sowing when plants are 4–6 inches tall. Snip outer leaves or tender sprigs above the crown and leave the center to regrow. Best flavor in cool weather before flowering.

LOVAGE

  • Grow: Hardy perennial prefers sun to part shade and rich, well-drained soil. Start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last frost or direct sow in spring. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep, keep evenly moist; sprout in 10 to 21 days. Space 24 to 36 inches; plants reach 4 to 7 feet. Water regularly at first, then as needed. Remove flower stalks to keep leaves tender.

    Harvest: Begin once plants are 8 to 10 inches tall. Cut outer leaves and stems at the base and leave the center to regrow; take at most one third at a time. Best flavor before flowering.

ORACH

  • Grow: Cool-season annual prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Direct sow as soon as soil can be worked or start indoors 2 to 3 weeks before last frost. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep, keep soil evenly moist; sprout in 7 to 14 days. Space 12 to 18 inches; plants reach 3 to 5 feet. Water regularly at first, then as needed. Cut off flower stalks to delay bolting.

    Harvest: Begin 4 to 6 weeks after sowing when leaves are 3 to 6 inches long. Pick outer leaves often or clip tender shoot tips; leave the center to regrow. Take at most one third of the plant at a time. Best flavor in cool weather; you can sow again in late summer for a fall crop.

SORREL

  • Grow: Cool-loving perennial prefers sun to part shade. Sow 1/8 inch deep in spring (start indoors 2–4 weeks before last frost or direct sow after frost); keep soil evenly moist; seeds sprout in 7–14 days. Thin or space plants 12–18 inches apart, water consistently, and cut off any flower stalks to prevent bolting.

    Harvest: Begin 6–8 weeks after sowing when leaves are 4–6 inches long. Cut outer leaves at the base and leave the center to regrow; take at most one-third of the plant at a time. Best flavor in cool weather.
SHIPPING & RETURNS

Each product is prepared to order in limited runs. Please allow up to 2-3 business days for processing before shipment.

Economy Shipping - $5 USD

  • Estimated Delivery 5-8 working days. *Once your order has shipped.
  • Free Economy Delivery on orders $50+

Express Shipping - $15 USD

  • Estimated delivery 3 working days. *Once your order has shipped.

Returns

  • Due to the perishable nature of seeds, returns and exchanges cannot be accepted for quality and safety reasons.
  • In the unlikely event that something isn’t right with your order, we are happy to provide a full refund or replacement at no cost to you.
DISCLAIMER

Our products, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are contemporary from licensed suppliers. We do not sell excavated, “ancient,” or museum-provenance goods, and we make no claim that any lot is a direct or genetic continuation of a specific period stock.

References to leechbooks and other medical texts are provided for educational and historical interest only. Do not prepare, consume, apply, or otherwise use any plants or recipes as described in these sources. If you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or intend to use any plant for purposes beyond ornamental or standard culinary use, consult a licensed healthcare professional first. Nothing on this site is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Commentary reflects interpretive views, not definitive academic consensus unless available. Translations and reconstructions are best effort. Historical names, recipes, and translations are based on surviving sources that can be incomplete or ambiguous. References identify the closest available species or cultivar if necessary, when exact varieties may no longer exist.

Historical alignment is determined by:

  1. taxonomic match to the accepted Latin binomial recorded in period texts or archaeobotanical reports
  2. use of the closest extant lineage where original cultivars are extinct or uncertain
  3. clear labeling when a listing is a best-fit substitution based on credible scholarship.

Cultivar names, forms, and traits can change over centuries through selection and open pollination. Phenotype varies by climate and culture. Where taxonomic names have changed, we use the current accepted name and note historical synonyms when relevant. If improved evidence emerges, we may update listings and copy without notice.

ORACH (Arā̆ǧe)

Atriplex Hortensis

Medieval leafy green with tender, edible leaves and a fresh, spinach-like flavor. Listed among Charlemagne’s royal gardens and later appearing in King Richard II’s cookbook, orach was a staple of medieval cuisine. It has broad, flat leaves that range from deep green to red-purple and grows upright on sturdy stems. The young leaves were eaten like spinach, served fresh or cooked in pottages and stews.

Medieval Orach Stew Recipe
(Image provided by The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)

SORREL (Sǒur-dokke)

rumex acetosa

Medieval leafy green with edible leaves valued for its tart, lemony flavor. It has arrow-shaped leaves that grow close to the ground in bunches. The leaves were eaten like spinach, either fresh or cooked in soups and even pastries like medieval Nysbek fritters from King Richard II's cookbook. It was also named in medieval charms against “leprous body” and “water-elf disease,” earning its place in both the kitchen and folklore.

Medieval Sorrel Fritters Recipe, "Beat sorrel with flour to a thick paste..."
(Image provided by The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)

Borage (Borāǧe)

BORAGO OFFICINALIS

Medieval herb with leaves and bright blue flowers that taste remarkably like cucumber. Believed in medieval times to fortify courage and calm nerves, borage was a favorite in royal gardens and noble estates. It has coarse, hairy leaves and striking blue star-shaped flowers that bloom through summer. Both leaves and flowers are edible fresh or cooked, used in dishes like the herb stew Eowtes of Flessh and the salad Salat from King Richard II’s banquets, with the flowers often floated in wine cups at feasts.

Medieval Borage Vulnerary
(Royal Danish Library)

Chervil (Cerfille)

Anthriscus cerefollium

Medieval herb with delicate, lacy leaves and an aromatic flavor similar to parsley crossed with anise. Grown in Charlemagne’s royal gardens and featured in medieval cookbooks like Le Ménagier de Paris (1393), chervil was a valued kitchen herb across the Middle Ages. It has slender stems, fine green fronds, and small white flowers that appear in late spring. The leaves and tender stems are edible and were used fresh as garnish or in pottages, salads, and tarts.

Medieval "Nine Herbs Charm", "Chervil and fennel, a very mighty two, these worts the wise lord shaped..."
(British Library)

lovage (lǒv-āche)

Levisticum officinale

Medieval herb with a strong, celery-like flavor and an entirely edible plant. Recorded extensively in early English texts such as the Lacnunga and Bald’s Leechbook, inlcuding a remedy for “elf-suck” disease. It grows tall with hollow, ridged stems, large jagged leaves, and clusters of yellow-green flowers. The leaves were used fresh or cooked in soups and stews, the roots and stems eaten like vegetables and celery, and the seeds dried for seasoning.

Medieval Lovage "Elf-Suck" Remedy
(British Library)