Product Update
Is Willsow Ltd Still in Business? (2026 Update)
Is Willsow Ltd from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Willsow Ltd today.
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A children's book that turns into a vegetable patch is the kind of idea that either lands instantly or gets talked out of the room in thirty seconds. Willsow's pitch in series 18 landed. Tom Willday and James Coulthurst walked in with the world's first plantable children's book, a story about a vegetable or herb printed on a cover impregnated with around 500 seeds, and years later the company is not just still going, it has crossed the Atlantic. The short answer is yes, Willsow is still in business.
The short answer
Willsow is still trading and, if anything, has grown considerably since its Dragons' Den appearance. The company has expanded from a single book concept into a wider range including a plantable calendar, exports to the United States, and even had its product featured at the Chelsea Flower Show in front of King Charles III.
The pitch
Willsow Ltd appeared in series 18, episode 8. The founders asked for 20,000 pounds in exchange for 15 percent of the company, pitching a genuinely novel product, a storybook where the pages themselves grow into real plants once the story has been read.
Novelty products can be a hard sell to Dragons who have seen thousands of pitches and are quick to spot a one hit gimmick. What tends to separate the ones that get funded is a credible plan for repeat purchases and wider retail, rather than a single clever product with no obvious sequel.
The deal
Sara Davies backed Willsow for the full 20,000 pounds asked, at the 15 percent equity on the table. Davies built her own business, Crafter's Companion, around craft and creative products sold through demonstration and retail, which makes plantable, craft adjacent children's books a close fit for her expertise.
Her backing also gave the founders access to retail relationships built over years in the gift and craft sector, exactly the kind of channel a product like this needs to find its customers beyond a direct website.
Growth since the Den
Willsow has used its television exposure to build genuine international reach. The company has exported its plantable books to the United States with Davies's continued support, and expanded its product range to include a plantable calendar that launched in 2024.
Perhaps the clearest marker of how far the brand has travelled is its appearance at the Chelsea Flower Show, where the company met King Charles III, a level of profile that a small children's publisher rarely reaches without a sustained, credible growth story behind it.
Why the plantable concept keeps finding new customers
What makes Willsow's product genuinely reusable as a business idea, rather than a one off novelty, is that it sits at the intersection of two things parents already buy regularly, children's books and gardening activities for kids. That gives the company multiple retail categories to sell into, gift shops, garden centres, bookshops and educational suppliers, rather than being confined to one narrow shelf.
The move into a plantable calendar shows the founders applying the same seed embedded paper concept to a different, recurring purchase occasion, which is exactly the kind of product range extension that turns a single clever idea into an actual company with a repeatable catalogue.
Where you can buy it
Willsow's plantable books are sold through the company's own website and through specialist children's and gift retailers such as Little Whispers. There is no indication the brand currently sells through Amazon, which is common for a product that relies on careful packaging and storytelling around the plantable concept rather than a straightforward marketplace listing.
Where things stand now
Willsow pitched in series 18 for 20,000 pounds at 15 percent, secured that exact deal from Sara Davies, and has spent the years since expanding internationally and adding new products to its range. Exporting to the US, launching a plantable calendar, and a Chelsea Flower Show appearance in front of the King all point to a brand that used its Den moment as a genuine launchpad rather than a peak.
If you came here wondering whether the plantable book company made it, it did, and it has grown a good deal further than the single product it pitched with.
Where to buy Willsow Ltd
Still selling as of 28 March 2026. Check today's price and availability.
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See the full Willsow Ltd deal breakdown and term sheet →
