- The best overall retailer for online plant purchases is Bloomscape.
- The Sill is the best online retailer for popular houseplants.
- Amazon is the best online retailer for a wide selection of plants.
- The best online retailer for large plants is 1-800-Flowers.
How can I begin purchasing indoor plants?
Consequently, you now have the plant bug. You’ve spotted something leafy and green that will transform your house into a magnificent jungalow. Yes, purchasing houseplants can help you feel less stressed and anxious. So it’s understandable if you leave the nursery with an empty wallet. In actuality, though, not all of the nursery’s indoor plants are as healthy as they appear to be. Therefore, you frequently wind up with an indoor jungle full of sick or struggling houseplants.
These advice on purchasing houseplants is therefore vital, especially if you are a novice. You can return home with gorgeous, healthy houseplants that will live for years with a little preparation and knowledge.
Plan Before You Buy
Okay, so before you go to the nursery, you need to prepare, investigate, and analyze the environmental factors in your home as well as the kinds of houseplants that will thrive there. You should be aware of the following shopping recommendations for houseplants:
Light: Various indoor plants require different amounts of sunlight. Some indoor plants require direct, bright light, others need full sun for at least six to eight hours per day, and yet others can survive in shaded or somewhat sunny environments. Examine your home at various times of the day to determine how much light it receives, paying special attention to the areas where you wish to exhibit your houseplants.
How would you describe your soil? Before you buy houseplants, test the soil. The three major soil types are clay, loam, and sandy. At your local hardware store, get soil test kits. It’s neither challenging nor expensive. To determine the type of soil you have, it will only take 15 minutes and less than $15.
What kind of space do you have? We advise hanging plants or small houseplants for city dwellers who most likely have limited floor space for them.
The amount of time you have is: Some houseplants need more upkeep and care. It is preferable to choose drought-tolerant and difficult-to-kill houseplants if you are a forgetful plant parent who frequently travels. Purchase indoor plants that are compatible with your level of dedication and style as a plant parent.
Avoid Impulse Plant Shopping
However, where would that Tradescantia Nanouk fit in your home despite its stunning appearance? Will it thrive in the conditions of your home? If not, it is advised to avoid purchasing it because it might not last. One piece of advice for purchasing houseplants is to constantly plan, investigate, consider, and consider again before making a purchase.
Read the Label
One of the most crucial pieces of advice for purchasing houseplants is to pay attention to the little plant tags, as they often include crucial details that can help you determine whether the plant is the perfect choice for you. You will learn about the necessary amounts of light, water, height, hardiness zone, spacing, depth, and maturity. To properly care for your new plant baby, you can also conduct your own study.
Learn the Signs of an Unhealthy Plant
Unhealthy plants are unfortunately frequently sold in some plant stores, but you can avoid these plants by becoming familiar with the symptoms of a sick houseplant.
Spots or speckling on the leaves, which might indicate damage from diseases or pests, is one of the telltale indicators of an unwell plant. Pests often lurk in the spaces between the leaves or on the stems, so check there.
Plants that have been in their nursery containers for a while often have roots that are growing in circles, which makes it difficult for the roots to absorb nutrients and water. Root-Bound Plants: Inspect the roots of the plants at the nursery. In order to verify the root system of your chosen plant or to see if its roots are growing through the drainage holes in the nursery container, one of the recommendations for buying houseplants is to ask the nursery specialist to carefully remove the plant from the nursery container. The sides and bottom of plants that are root-bound are covered with a dense mat of roots.
Wilting Leaves: When the edges or tips of the leaves start to turn brown, the plant hasn’t received enough water.
Yellowing Leaves: The plant either needs fertilizer, has been overwatered, or both.
Choose Buds Over Blooms
Undoubtedly, flowering plants are appealing, but if you want to enjoy a plant’s flowers in your house for a long time, it’s better to get a plant before it blooms. Replanting fresh plants is also stressful—trust us, it may make blossoms fade. So choosing plants with unopened blooms is one of the shopping advice for houseplants.
Dont Be Afraid of Small Houseplants
Larger is not always better, unless you have selected a plant that grows slowly. However, because they are more resilient to the strain of transplanting and are less expensive, we advise purchasing tiny plants. Furthermore, smaller plants initially develop more swiftly than larger ones. All you require is a little bit of time and patience.
Buy Local Whenever Possible
Did you know that since the conditions are similar, plants have a far better chance of surviving if they are planted close to where they were purchased? Ask your nursery professional for plants that come from local farmers or gardeners, as this is one of the recommendations for purchasing houseplants from Houzz.
Check for a Warranty
You may not be aware of this, but some larger nurseries give warranties because there are instances where plants pass away months or even just a few weeks after being planted. Some nurseries, particularly smaller, local nurseries, don’t, and we perfectly understand why; they have no control over how the customer will care for the plant, which could cause it to die.
One advice for purchasing houseplants is to pick a nursery that will provide a warranty for the plant, especially if you plan to purchase any that are difficult to cultivate. Most likely, you won’t need a warranty any more if you purchase easy-to-grow houseplants.
Ask a Certified Nursery Professional
One piece of advice for purchasing houseplants is to ALWAYS seek the advice of a registered nursery professional or horticulture if you have any queries regarding plants due to their extensive experience and expertise. Asking the appropriate questions can enable you to choose the best kind of plant for your residence.
Choose the Nursery That Suits Your Plant Needs
There are various types of stores where you can purchase plants, including:
Big-Box Store and Large-Chain Nursery: This establishment has the lowest costs, receives regular deliveries of fresh plants, and also provides warranties.
Botanical Garden Plant Sale: This is a sale of both common and uncommon plants that you may have spotted in your neighborhood. Sales tend to occur more frequently in the spring than the fall.
Since houseplants are dispersed around a city, the local nursery is where the majority of people purchase them. Additionally, they provide a huge selection of locally cultivated plants. The crew is also quite educated about the specific plant problems and solutions in your area or region.
Bonus Tips for Buying Houseplants
Buy Off-Peak: Alright, one piece of advice for purchasing indoor plants is to go shopping during “off-peak times,” such as at noon, at night, or on weekdays. If you purchase plants during “peak hours,” the salesperson will have many other clients to entertain in addition to you, and the plants have probably already been poked quite a few times. So for stress-free plant shopping, purchase your plants at “off-peak hours.
Plants on Sale: Plants that are on sale may be excellent bargains, but you should check them out carefully before spending your money on every sale item. Most often, plants that are on sale are unhealthy plants that have one or more diseases, such as those that are root-bound, drought-stressed, or that have a lot of pests and weeds hiding under the leaves.
We hope that our buying advice for houseplants will enable you to build the stunning and thriving plant collection of your dreams!
For additional information on various houseplants and advice on how to keep your plants alive and healthy, visit our blog on plant care.
Which plant ordering website is the best?
Top choices
- The Sill is the best overall online plant store.
- Amazon is the best value website to purchase plants from.
- UrbanStems offers the fastest online plant delivery.
- The best website to purchase plants as gifts is Bloomscape.
- Etsy has the best online selection of plants.
- The Bouqs Company is the best place to buy plants online if you enjoy surprises.
Is it a smart idea to buy plants online?
The following are a few benefits of ordering plants online:
- You have far more choice with online nurseries. This could introduce you to a whole new gardening world!
- It’s a fantastic way to find what you’re looking for.
- Online stores frequently offer good bargains like free delivery, buy one get one, etc.
- You won’t have to deal with lugging plants and dirtying your automobile when they are delivered to your door.
When purchasing plants online, there are, regrettably, a number of drawbacks to take into account:
- For the size of the plant you receive, ordering plants online is significantly more expensive than buying them locally.
- Online plant purchases are frequently MUCH smaller than those made in a nearby nursery. Most of the time, especially in the first year, you will be considerably satisfied with the size and performance of the plant(s) you buy locally.
- You might have to wait a while to receive your order because shipping is not always immediate. Cancellations and backorders are also frequent.
- There is always a danger that plants won’t survive or be damaged during transportation, no matter how careful the nursery is.
- An online plant nursery is not necessarily trustworthy just because it has a refund policy (read more here).
How are indoor plants transported?
Successful plant shipping requires careful packing, acclimating the plant, and sending it with enough water to last several days. Insulation will help plants that are transported to hot climates or throughout the winter. You can use the US Postal Service or any shipping firm that best suits your requirements. You can learn how to package them for the best delivery and the least amount of breakage in any case.
Four fundamental rules apply when shipping live plants. The main considerations for sending plants by mail include readiness, packing, labeling, selecting a delivery firm, and speed.
Preparing The Plant For Shipping
The first step in preparation is to take the plant out of the soil and shake off the excess. However, avoid washing the roots because some leftover soil will assist the plant migrate more easily by providing familiar bacteria from its home soil. Put the roots in a plastic bag after wrapping them in several damp paper towels. If the journey will continue a while, prepare a slurry by mixing a few tablespoons of polymer moisture crystals with water, then apply it to the roots before putting it in the plastic bag. Utilize twist ties, rubber bands, or plant ties to secure any stray growth to prevent it from breaking. The plant’s tips and stems can also be protected by simply rolling it in some newspaper.
Packing The Plant
When mailing garden plants, pick a package that can withstand severe handling. Boxes are kicking, hurled, and dropped literally. Choose a box that can withstand a beating if you want your plant to arrive intact.
Additionally, pick one that the plant can fit into with just a little area to spare so that it won’t have much opportunity to move around when being handled. If there is any spare space inside the box, more padding is a good idea. Fill any pockets with paper, shredded cash, or foam. Use strapping tape to reinforce the box’s edges if you are concerned about how it will be handled. Last but not least, don’t forget to include a label or tag inside with the plant’s name.
Use bubble wrap to protect the pot and the roots when mailing plants that are in containers. To retain the soil in the container, place a collar of cardboard over the dirt and around the base of the plant, then close a plastic bag around the base of the plant. If at all possible, stand the plant upright while packing around it and marking “This End Up” on the box. But keep in mind that shipping the soil and container will significantly raise the cost of sending the plant.
Labeling
Put a label on the outside that reads “Live Plant” and “Perishable” so that people would know to handle it with some care. While there is no assurance that this would stop misuse of the box, it might convince some package handlers to take extra precautions.
Today’s shipping regulations demand that you include both the sending address and the return address on the outside of the package. If you’re utilizing a box that has already been used for shipping, be sure to remove or cover all previous labels to prevent the shipment from being inadvertently sent to the incorrect destination.
When and How to Ship Plants And Choosing a Shipping Company
Plant shipping is effectively handled by the post office. An alternative is to use a private shipping service. Finding the person who can do it most quickly and safely is the key. Pick at least priority mail from the postal service.
Have the plants picked up by a service if you ship frequently so you can keep them cool until they are ready to depart. This will make their journey easier.
Also keep in mind that, depending on the service you use, many shipping firms don’t deliver on Saturdays or Sundays. Plan on shipping early in the week, such as on a Monday or Tuesday, to ensure that the shipped plant spends the least amount of time possible in the box. This will prevent the sent plant from sitting around in the box over the weekend.
Additionally, be sure to verify the weather in both your location and the recipient’s location. If either you or the recipient expects severe weather, hold off on shipping plants. It would be a tragedy to lose a plant just because it was left on someone’s front porch while they were at work, or because it froze to death in a transport truck amid temperatures of 100 F+ (38 C+).
Getting unusual specimens or rare cuttings can be inexpensive and enjoyable through plant swapping. If you pack your plants properly, they will arrive ready to make someone’s day.