Houseplant buying tips from a pro
Houseplant buyer Imogen Bell offers up her tips on how to get the best out of the houseplant section at your local garden centre.
I was introduced to houseplant buying when I was 18 and working in a garden centre. My manager showed me how to order plants and I enjoyed it so much that seven years later, I’m still a houseplant buyer and this year ranked among the top 100 buyers in the industry (so thank you, Elisabetta!).
Buying is driven by sales data, as well as market research to see what plants are trending. This information can be gathered from speaking to customers, attending industry events like trade shows and even social media. Some buying trends are driven by what's popular on Instagram or TikTok. After a while, you get in tune with your customer base, which is how I found out that orchids are a real love-them-or-hate-them plant, depending where you go.
Houseplant sales really rocket in the run up to Christmas. Poinsetties (pre-ordered in the summer) arrive and need to be kept constantly warm. In the last few years, I've noticed a shift from traditional red Poinsettia to marble, white or Princettia colours. Norfolk Island pines (Araucaria heterophylla) are becoming popular as a sustainable alternative to cut Christmas trees and I've also seen people decorate large ficuses or cacti. After Christmas, specimen plants are popular as people look to fill the space left by their Christmas tree.
The supplier’s websites are set up rather like online supermarkets and you can filter for species, size and colour. I probably browse though 8,000 options each week but only purchase about 1%. The bulk of the order is normally ‘core line’ plants – bestsellers like Ficuses, Spathiphyllums, Draceanas etc – but I like to include more unusual plants too. This is where knowing your customer base helps as I can take a risk on a new-to-market, relatively pricey plant, knowing it will sell (or hold out until the price eventually drops).
Plant prices fluctuate all the time – normally only by a couple of pence – and can be reduced by bulk buying. This is why a supermarket can be dramatically cheaper than a garden centre, despite buying from the same suppliers. However, garden centres have the advantage of years of horticultural knowledge.
Here are my tips for getting the best out of your local garden centre...
Always speak to the staff in the plant area. We're generally always happy to talk about houseplants and, depending on the size of the centre, you may even be speaking to the person responsible for buying plants. In which case, they may be happy to try and source any specific plants you're looking for.
It's worth trying to get damaged plants at a discount, but it depends on the garden centre. Some are more than happy to sell damaged plants at a discounted rate, while others see this as devaluing the remaining stock.
Visit on a Thursday or Friday. Lead times from ordering to delivery vary from a day to a month, but delivery day is always exciting. Going on Thursday/Friday means you’ll beat the weekend crowds and get first pick of fresh stock.
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.