10 Great Sources for Buying Plants Online (on a Budget)
You no longer have to leave the comfort of your couch to curate your houseplant collection or head into a nursery to pick up an extra hydrangea bush for your backyard. It’s great to shop local when you can. But if you feel like you need a fix of greenery right now, while we continue to shelter in place, all you need to do is take out your phone during your evening Netflix binge. And you can have anything from a Chinese Money plant to a Juniper shrub delivered straight to your front door — all without breaking the bank.
But not all online plant retailers are created equal. Ahead are some of the best places to buy popular houseplants online with your budget in mind. Now all you have to do is figure out how to keep them thriving!
1. Bloomscape
Bloomscape sends potted plants that and are shipped directly from their greenhouse, so you won’t receive any neglected warehouse ferns that look like they’re on their last legs. If you’re a plant novice, the site makes it easy to find what might be the best for you — you can narrow down your selection by choosing level of growing difficulty, pet friendliness, and whether or not you’re looking for something for your home office.
They also set you up with customized tips and tricks to make sure your newest additions survive. No more wilted Fiddle-leaf figs in the corner of your dining room! And if you still feel like your blooms are fading, they have real-time expert support where you can email, tweet, or call them for some guidance — as they say, “Plant Mom is standing by!”
Buy: Silver Pothos in a Small Pot, $35 at Bloomscape
2. The Sill
The Sill is all about — you guessed it — windowsill-friendly potted plants. You can choose between mini plants that sprout from one to three inches, small plants that grow from three to five inches, and medium plants that reach a manageable six to nine inches. Anything larger that’s live can only be ordered in the NY or LA metro areas. But what makes The Sill special is that it’s encouraging to those who think they’re cursed with a black thumb.
Not only do they have a curated collection devoted to beginners, but they also have lots of resources available for your entire “Plant Parenthood” journey. If you feel like your ZZ Plant is more work than you originally thought, you can get some pointers virtually with their consultation service. And the best part? Plants start at just $5.
Buy: ZZ Plant in Small August Sonora Planter, $44 at The Sill
3. Nature Hills Nursery
Nature Hills Nursery started out as a neighborhood tree nursery and has since grown into a place where you can get everything from rose bushes for your patio to avocado trees for your backyard to ferns for your balcony. You can choose between trees, bushes, fruit, perennials, grasses, and roses, and while they might not have a large selection of houseplants, you can get flower bulbs and grow your own. They ship nationwide, and your order will come complete with planting, care, and storage instructions, so you’ll know exactly what to do the moment you sign for it.
Buy: Maidenhair Fern, $28 at Nature Hills Nursery
4. Amazon
You can get everything on Amazon, including live plants, but know shipping delays are a possibility right now, even if you are an Amazon Prime member. At any rate, Amazon launched their garden shop back in 2017, and it lets you browse everything from parlor palms to trendy succulents and delicate orchids. You can filter between house plants, garden plants, and patio plants, depending on what you’re in the mood for.
Buy: Majesty Palm, $49 at Amazon
5. White Flower Farm
White Flower Farm has been a family-run nursery since 1950. This is a great spot to browse if you’re looking to update your front yard or wash your garden in color. You can scroll through daffodils, tulips, peonies, perennials, shrubs, and vines to find exactly what you need.
Buy: Lavender Rosea, $14 at White Flower Farm
6. Horti
Horti is designed for city dwellers, sending hardy, hard-to-kill indoor plants straight to your apartment. In the beginning you’ll get easy-to-maintain species, and as the months pass, you will be upgraded to more exotic varieties as your skill level, er, blooms. Or you can opt to purchase one-off plants instead of using the subscription model.
Plants arrive in hand-painted pots with artfully designed care cards that will help you keep your plant alive well after the month is through. Subscribers can choose to either get plants monthly or bi-monthly, and there aren’t any forced commitments, so you can cancel or skip a kit whenever you want.
Buy: Jade Plant, from $12 at Horti
7. Afloral
This online emporium not only stocks beautiful silk and dried flowers, but they also have nicely curated faux and live plant sections as well. We’re impressed by the look of the concrete and ceramic planters that some of the smaller live styles ship in. And prices are pretty competitive for the larger live varieties, which come in standard plastic grow pots. Note that live plant sales are final.
Check out the other sections of the site for floral arranging supplies or if you’re looking to upgrade your pot and planter collection.
Buy: Live Bunny Ear Cactus With Concrete Pot, $34 at Afloral
8. Costco
Believe it or not, Costco.com has a decent selection of live indoor and outdoor plants, including fruit trees, orchids, bulb collections, succulent trios, bonsai trees, and more. So you don’t have to make a trip to your local store to indulge your green thumb. In addition to offerings in plastic pots, there are also readymade terrarium and wreath options for those who like their plants to come with built-in display ideas.
Buy: 5-Inch Succulents, $30 for three at Costco
9. Urban Stems
If you want to gift a plant to a friend or loved one for a special occasion while you are unable to see them, try Urban Stems. Most of the houseplants they carry are easy-care, on the smaller side, and ship in cute ceramic planters. So whoever you send one to is certain to appreciate the gesture. Go ahead, and give the gift of greenery — or order something fun for yourself.
Buy: The Monet, $90 at Urban Stems
10. Plants.com
The name says it all — Plants.com is a one-stop shop for all of your indoor gardening needs. It isn’t quite as curated as some of the others on this list, but that just means you’ll have to do a little digging to find the right plant for you and your space. Sounds like fun to me! Use the navigation to shop for anything from low- to bright-light plants, browse by species’ size, and see a list of suggested plants to gift. Free shipping is available on all orders totaling more than $75. And right now, Kitchn readers exclusively get an extra 15 percent off of everything, with the code KITCHNPLANTS15.
Buy: Snake Plant, from $55 at Plants.com
This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: 10 Great Budget Sources for Buying Plants Online