Success or failure in buying indoor plants depends not only on a competent assessment of your capabilities and compliance with the selection rules. Where plants are bought often affects their original condition and increases or decreases the risk of plant loss and various problems. Today, online stores are added to the usual “real” shops and markets, clubs and exhibitions, the purchase of which requires special courage and careful checking, because it is not always possible to inspect the plant on your own.
Specialty shop for indoor plants
If you are going to decorate your home with a large or small, touching or bright, lush or modest houseplant, you will have to plan a lot. Indeed, one cannot do without a sound assessment of one’s capabilities and the conditions in which plants will grow. And the plants themselves need to be selected not only for aesthetic qualities. And a comprehensive planning and evaluation is best done before you go shopping.
The question of where to look for plants worries any grower, regardless of whether he lives in a metropolis or a small town. After all, there are so many options today that it is almost impossible to stop the choice in one place.
Indoor plants can be bought:
- in specialized flower shops;
- supermarkets;
- at floriculture and horticultural exhibitions;
- in clubs and florist societies;
- in markets and in places of spontaneous sale;
- from friends of amateur flower growers;
- remote orders – in online stores, ad services and forums, catalogs.
All “sources” have their own advantages and disadvantages. They differ in the degree of reliability, the likelihood of buying a healthy or infected plant, the ability to get advice and advice, the range of species presented. And in each case, you need to focus primarily on your tastes, budget and are not afraid to clarify and double-check the information. Analyze everything you see – and you will surely find your ideal option.
See also: Buying houseplants: from obvious things to unexpected questions
1. Buying indoor plants in specialized stores
Gorgeous flower shops, often combining floristry and indoor plant departments or specializing only in the latter, have been and remain the best places to buy them. It is in flower shops that the largest assortment of species and varieties is presented, in which experienced and qualified consultants will help you figure it out.
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but in any case, choosing a store with a good reputation is the key to success. Pay attention to how long this store has already existed, whether sellers change often in it, whether it is in demand. The best consultants have been building their network of clients over the years, and the shops created by those who really love their business have been gaining their reputation in the market for decades and do not “disappear”.
It should be clarified that a specialized professional store is not a tray with flowers in the market or in an underground passage, a small rack with plants in a household goods store and an open mini-department that is nestled in supermarkets and large stores. A professional approach, a narrow specialization and plant care even in the sales area, including special lighting, are the hallmarks of shops that you should trust.
The main advantages of buying in specialized stores:
- almost no risk of buying a plant affected by pests;
- low probability of buying a plant affected by diseases;
- the opportunity to get a full consultation, help in choosing a plant for your interior;
- availability of information about what kind of care the plant received before purchase (and in what conditions it grew), qualified advice on care;
- the ability to inspect plants;
- return guarantee in case of problems.
In such a store, especially if you become a regular customer, you will always have the opportunity to order species and varieties that are not available, including seasonal plants.
The only downside to specialty stores is perhaps the increased price – but it usually pays off with the benefits.
See also: 10 best flowering indoor plants
2. Buying plants at exhibitions and fairs
The chance to meet a collector of plants and loyal fans of certain rare species sometimes falls only at exhibitions and fairs. Here you can get acquainted with the latest novelties and unusual varieties, learn new trends, make useful contacts and find an exclusive decoration for your home.
Plants are brought to exhibitions and fairs in perfect condition, the risk of buying a diseased plant is practically zero. Along with the specimens, which can only be admired, as a rule, small seedlings, cuttings or children that can be bought are also on the shelves. And the price of plants is always below the market average. Even if there are no plants to buy, you can get contact information for ordering in the future.
3. Clubs, Societies and Organizations
Like gardeners, amateur flower growers often organize themselves into community organizations. And if you want not only to purchase a plant, but also to become part of a real community of enthusiasts, receive advice and advice, study the experiences and failures of your hobby colleagues, then these clubs are ideal.
They should be in the first place among the sources of rare species for those who are interested in special plants. But clubs and societies are not shops. And only those who are seriously interested in floriculture and want to communicate with like-minded people will be able to acquire plants there.
4. Supermarkets and hypermarkets
Indoor plants, along with millions of other categories of goods, can be found in any supermarket and hypermarket – both conventional and construction. Plants in the indoor flower departments of large retail chains are distinguished by an affordable price, large batches (single pots are rare), and delivery functions. Sometimes the area of such departments is so huge that it can cover dozens of varieties and specimens of each plant, and the larger the department, the more reliable.
The range of supermarkets is actively expanding today. If earlier the number of plants presented was very limited, today it is in supermarkets that you can most often find unusual species and varieties that cannot afford to distribute shops with a limited budget. But finding such plants is a very difficult task.
The advantage of buying houseplants from the supermarket isn’t obvious until you learn the names of the supplying companies. Large retail chains cooperate with the best, most famous floriculture companies, plants are purchased in large quantities and almost always the risk of infection or insufficient quality is very low. There is no better place to shop for seasonal stars like poinsettias for the holidays. After all, they are brought in in huge quantities and the price is much lower than the market price.
But the disadvantages of supermarkets are quite obvious. Plants in large stores are not properly cared for, if you do not buy them immediately after delivery, then holding at the point of sale will weaken the plant and worsen its condition. There can be no question of any individual care and selection of conditions. And if there is no extensive information on the package or price tag, then you will not be able to clarify the data about the plant, get advice or consultation in the supermarket.
When choosing plants in supermarkets and hypermarkets, you should be very careful not only to inspect, but also to read literally every word. Despite the fact that the assortment in the flower departments is usually very large, often even the names of plants are used incorrectly, and it is unnecessary to talk about the identification of varieties and decorative forms.
Here it is better to buy plants for experienced florists, whose knowledge is enough to verify the data and identify the plants on their own. Beginners should beware of shopping in supermarkets.
See also: Urgent transplant of indoor plants
5. Markets and stalls with flowers
Market trading in the sale of indoor plants is so spontaneous that the process itself is more like a lottery. Occasional sellers with home flowers, regular traders who display only the most popular species on the shelves and even stalls where houseplants are presented in a large assortment count on spontaneous, unplanned purchases.
Having seen a beautiful plant, and even more so after hearing an attractive price, it is difficult to pass by. But the market as a place to buy plants is only suitable in exceptional cases – for example, if you are looking for a plant that is simply not grown in nurseries, an outdated crop that is not in vogue today, or the task of landscaping is on a very limited budget. After all, this is the most dangerous of all possible options. Especially when it comes to selling in unauthorized places for trade and spontaneous markets.
Low price and sellers who are always ready to colorfully convince you are the only and dubious advantages of the market. Here, the risk of buying an infected plant is very high, even when it comes to summer houses. And there are no guarantees. Buying on the market requires attentiveness (it is better to trust only sellers whom you see constantly in one place), extreme caution and thorough examination. But even if you have experience, you can recognize pests and diseases at an early stage, this still may not save you from buying a sick pet.
See also: 8 most shade-loving indoor plants
6. Buying indoor plants on the Internet and absentee purchases
Despite the fact that the range of available plants is constantly expanding, new varieties and species appear all the time, and exotic plants, which one could only dream of a decade ago, are becoming public favorites, many indoor plants can be found only on the forums of various announcements, in the catalogs of companies specializing in the import of plants and online stores.
Buying online always comes with a certain amount of risk. And it’s not just fraud: you won’t be able to inspect the plant, you will have to trust the seller and hope for his good faith.
The only way to avoid disappointment when buying houseplants online is with your own discretion.
Compliance with simple rules will help to make a purchase that is safe for both you and the plant in an online store:
- Try to buy only from sites with a good reputation and resources that provide transaction protection services.
- Do not be lazy to read reviews about the work of resources and the quality of service, check the rating and status of the store, pay attention to how relevant the information on the site is and whether changes have been made to it over the past months (no updates to the news section or replenishment of the assortment for more than 2-3 months should alert you).
- Check if you are provided with all the information you need – legal address, money-back guarantee, information about the plant itself, the method of packaging during transportation. If some information is missing, please check it personally. Be sure to read the terms of payment and delivery, not forgetting about the guarantees that the seller provides.
- Services that provide a cash on delivery or partial prepayment option are preferable to prepaid-only resources. If you are negotiating a purchase with a private person, be careful with prepayment and ask for proof of shipment.
- Examine the plants, the quality of the packaging, traces of injuries during transit upon receipt, and never sign the delivery declaration prior to inspection.
Read Also: 10 Best Fast Growing Houseplants
7. Purchase from private florists
One of the easiest ways to get a plant that easily adapts to your home is to purchase the children he has grown from another grower, or simply ask friends for a cuttings or a cut. This option is suitable only for those who want to engage in independent plant propagation or are friends with those who are fond of it. But just like gardening, there is no greater pleasure than sharing and exchanging plants with those you know and trust well. After all, lovingly grown plants are guaranteed to fall into good hands.
