Houseplant shops: my green and red flags

I adore visiting houseplant shops, and there are many, many brilliant ones out there - I highlight as many of them as I can. There are a few things that get my heart racing though, in good - and bad - ways. Here's my list of houseplant shop green flags and red flags. Tell me yours! 

💚 Beautiful styling. Houseplants are gorgeous, but they are even more gorgeous when paired with just the right pot.

💚 There's a swap table/station or regularly held plant swap events. That's signs of an owner that genuinely loves plants.

💚 You feel totally comfortable going in for a look around without buying anything. Good houseplant shops know you will be back, after all.

💚 There's transparency about where plants come from and what they're planted in, and maybe even a place to bring plastic pots for recycling.

🚩 Radio silence If you walk into a shop and spend more than two minutes browsing without getting a 'hello' from a member of staff, there's a problem. British customer service is legendarily bad, but in a shop where planty people congregate, everyone should be up for a chat (it's also how you engage people and help them choose the right plant).

🚩 Label unable Inaccurate plant labels suck. If a plant shop is calling an Anthurium an Alocasia, it doesn't instil confidence in the buyer - no matter if it's a mistake by the grower. 

🚩Thirsty plants Dried up pots and wilting leaves are signs that not much care is being put into the products. LIkewise, plants with weeds growing on the surface are bad news.

🚩 Sleeve of death I've mentioned this before, but plants left in the cellophane wrappers they were shipped from the nursery in look really naff.

*Do tell me about your favourite houseplant shops and why they deserve a mention in The Plant Ledger!

This blogpost was taken from The Plant Ledger, my email newsletter about the houseplant scene. Subscribe here and get my free in-depth guide to fungus gnats.