It has never been easier to buy house plants without ever having to leave your house! You can stay planted in your favorite armchair while ordering quality plants right to your front door. Not all house plant sites are created equal though, which is why we have created this handy guide to help you weed through them. Below we have compiled factors to consider when buying a houseplant online, the best house plant websites, and those websites' specialties and selections.
Factors to Consider When Buying House Plants Online
House plant websites vary greatly in their plant varieties, specialties, programs, and shipment methods. Below are some factors to consider when buying a house plant online.
Shipping Plants Can Be Expensive
The upside of online shopping is the convenience. The downside is the cost you pay for that convenience.
Some online plant shops have free shipping on orders over a certain amount, with that amount ranging from $25 to $75. Others charge separately for shipping with costs ranging from $7.50 to $25. Some even build the cost of shipping into the plant’s cost.
If you are looking to buy plants for a bargain online then you need to factor in the cost of shipping. A $20 plant with $15 shipping will come out to be just as much as the $35 plant with free shipping that you considered too expensive.
Some Online Retailers Have Limited Variety
Different plant shops will have different varieties to choose from and different specialties. Some may specialize in succulents while others may love larger plants. Decide what you are looking for before browsing, or if you are clueless, let the website guide you.
Plant Quality Varies Wildly
The saying that you get what you pay for has never been truer than when applied to plant shopping. If you pay low prices, you may get a plant that hasn’t been doted on, given the best quality soil, and hand-fed water collected in rain barrels. Perhaps you don’t need your plant to have received all of that special attention, but if you are a beginner gardener, take what you can get.
Shipping Quality Varies Wildly, Too
Not only should you consider the cost of shipping, but also the quality of shipping. Plants are delicate and shipping can wreak havoc on them. Make sure that the company you buy from carefully packages their plants, using cushioning and other structures to keep them safe, and that they quickly ship them, doing same day or next day delivery. It’s worth prioritizing when the price you could pay is the health of your plant.
If your houseplant is shipped to you in a temporary container you are going to need to repot it. Below is a guide to repotting house plants you bought online.
Disadvantages of Buying House Plants Online
Between the convenience and range of varieties, there are a lot of benefits to be reaped from buying house plants online. However, there are also some disadvantages that should be acknowledged.
Shipping Difficulties Are a Real Possibility
If you buy house plants from a vendor that does not package your plants correctly, they could end up damaged or disturbed. To prevent this from happening, only buy from trusted vendors that either guarantee that they will carefully ship the plants, or that they will replace any plants damaged from shipping.
Sometimes Much More Expensive than Buying Locally
Because of shipping costs, house plants you buy online can cost more than one’s you would buy at a garden center. However, that isn’t universally true, sometimes, when you buy from bigger vendors, they can be cheaper than one’s you would buy locally because of the huge amount of variety. If you buy from a vendor that offers free shipping, or free shipping after you spend a certain amount, that can also lessen the cost difference.
Online Sales Mostly Support Big Businesses
It can be tempting to order plants from big businesses like Amazon and Home Depot, since they are the cheaper online plant buying option. If this is something that is important to you, splurge on the small businesses operating online plant shops, especially if you have no local garden centers near you. Their plants tend to be worth the extra cost because smaller operations can really pay attention to each plant, ensuring what they send you is healthy.
Unable to Inspect the Plant Before You Buy
Being unable to see and touch the plants you buy can be intimidating. Because of this, I would recommend only buying from vendors that either have reviews, or have been reviewed by a trusted source like myself so that you know what is pictured is what you are getting.
Best House Plant Types to Buy Online
Some plants are better to buy online while others you should probably just get at your local garden center. Plants like succulents, air plants, and cacti are notably resilient and hardy and are therefore great plants to buy online. More delicate plants, like flowers, might do better if you buy them in person. Of course, some places take more care with shipping than others, so keep that in mind.
Benefits of House Plants
House plants not only look great, they can also improve your health! They cleanse the air of toxins, making the air cleaner in your home. Cleaner air means enhanced mental clarity, improved overall health, and better sleep. Just having a house plant can improve your mental health, giving you a sense of accomplishment when you successfully care for them, and they brighten up your indoor spaces.
Top 5 Places to Buy House Plants Online Reviews
Amazon
You can buy anything on Amazon. They recently launched their online plant shop, which features affordable plants from brands like JM Bamboo, Hirt’s Garden, and Costa Farms. Because of its long list of vendors, Amazon has a vast variety of plants. Whatever you are looking for, they probably have.
Amazon is certainly the cheapest place to get plants on this list, with inexpensive prices and free shipping on orders over $25 or for Prime members. They offer 2-day shipping, and do a fairly good job shipping them. But sometimes they don’t. People have been known to get plants in all sorts of states from Amazon, including pots empty of soil, plants with bruised leaves, and shocked, stressed plants.
Amazon is a great option for people looking for bargain plants online, who feel up to the task of nursing a possibly stressed plant back to life.
This beautiful bonsai from Amazon is easy to care for and absolutely adorable.
- Inexpensive
- Beginner’s bonsai
- Lives for many years
- Possibly ungentle shipping
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This beautiful dwarf jade is a succulent plant that can store water within for long periods of time. Because of this, it’s a very easy plant to care for, especially if you tend to forget to water your plants or travel often. Due to its durable nature, and its normally stunted growth, this is an excellent bonsai for beginners.
It has beautiful greenery, twisting intricate bark patterns, and sprouts silvery-blue berries, all of which grow out of an adorable glazed, clay pot. Shipped at 6” tall, this bonsai will provide you with years of meditative care to complete. The only downside of this beautiful bonsai is that there have been quality issues in the past with the shipping methods.
Home Depot
Perhaps you think of Home Depot as the place to get toilet plungers and light bulbs, but they actually sell a wide variety of quality plants which are also purchasable online.
You can buy your plant, pot, soil, and tools all on the same website, and you are going to want to rack up some spendings, since if you spend over $45, it all ships for free.
Being a large company and store, Home Depot may not pay the same personalized attention to the plants they are shipping out that smaller companies do, however, their range of selections and prices are unbeatable. Whatever plant you are looking for Home Depot likely has.
Their plants are great for people who want a range of affordable house plants.
This indestructible ZZ plant from Home Depot is perfect for people with notoriously brown thumbs.
- Inexpensive
- Easy care
- Intricate leaf patterns
- Can’t ship in extremely cold weather
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ZZ plants are virtually indestructible, they are the perfect plant for people who can’t seem to grow anything. They don’t love the sun and can flourish in windowless office buildings or bathrooms. This plant, in particular, is well-grown, which is not hard to do, and quality, with a soil mix that was specifically created to help ZZ plants thrive. It will provide you with years of gorgeous indoor greenery, because, as I mentioned, ZZ plants have a hard time dying. They are the cockroaches of plants.
The downside of this plant is that if you live in an area with notably cold weather, you are going to have to hold off ordering one until things heat up. It has dark green, glossy leaves that grow in an intricate pattern, and is shipped to you when it reaches around 12 inches tall. This is an excellent plant to ship because ZZs are so resilient they can easily weather the shipping process.
Horti
A new trend in the online plant world is plant subscription services. Horti is a new company capitalizing on that trend who offers specific plant subscription services, based on location, plant care experience levels, and whether subscribers have pets.
You can choose to have 1 to 3 plants shipped to you every month or every other month for an affordable fee. Each plant comes in hand-dipped pots, and although you don’t get to pick out specific plants, they tend to send quality, trendy house plants that you would definitely want.
They also offer some plants you can buy by themselves, and plants you can buy in a “jungle” pack which includes up to 20 plants.
For these other options and the subscription service, shipping is not included so that is something to factor in when considering price. Something else to consider is that Horti sends planting tools, pots, dehydrated soil, and instructions with the plants, making the price much more worth it.
This subscription service from Horti is perfect for people who are new to planting and looking to gain some gardening skills.
- Gradually introduce harder plants
- Quality plants
- Hand-dipped pots
- Can’t pick specific plants
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The new to planting subscription service is perfect for people who are new to taking care of house plants and want to build up their collection.
They start with hard-to-kill plants like succulents and air plants, which will build up your gardening confidence, and then gradually introduce unique plants that require more care, supporting you with gardening tools and instructions along the way.
You will receive 6” hand-dipped clay pots and saucers, and planting tools and accessories. You can choose which color pot you want to receive, or, if you are looking to save money, can vie for an unpainted option.
You miss out on the flexibility of which plants you get, but trust me, the ones that you do you will love.
Bloomscape
Bloomscapes is the premier place to buy plants, with quality house plants that are expertly and safely packed. They not only use cardboard inserts to secure pots in place, they also use a coco fiber mate and a layer of Spanish moss to keep soil in its container. They only sell plants that are in peak condition so if you are a new gardener this is a great company to buy from. They are expensive though, with small plants starting at $35, but if you spend more than $75, which should be easy, shipping is free. They ship directly to you, ensuring the plants are healthy when they arrive.
They have an array of house plants that cover all of your typical bases. They do not have a lot of out of the box plants, but if you are looking for a trendy Pinterest-inspired plant for your sill, give them a try. Not to mention the adorable terracotta pots they offer in 5 beautiful colors.
Bloomscape is perfect for gardeners looking for trendy, beautiful plants that are a bit expensive, but absolutely healthy. If your plant dies within 30 days of shipping Bloomscape will replace it for free.
This premium prayer plant from Bloomscape has gorgeous leaves that fold together at night.
- Premium quality
- Gorgeously colored leaves
- Best shipping methods
- Expensive
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With their famous up and down cyclical motion that resembles hands coming together to pray, prayer plants have taken the plant world by the storm. Red prayer plants are particularly striking with their intricately patterned leaves that have a blend of dark green, light green, and red. The plants are shipped when they reach a height between 7”-12”. They are relatively easy to take care of, requiring only partial light, which makes them an excellent house plant. They are expensive for prayer plants, especially if you are paying for shipping on top of it.
The Sill
If you are new to gardening The Sill is a great place to start, with basic, easy to care for house plants that are expertly shipped, and packaged with plant care instructions. Even with the instructions, if you still manage to kill your plant, certain varieties have one-year guarantees that they will send you a new one to replace the old one. Their prices range from about $6 to as high as $60. If you spend more than $75 your shipping is free.
Each plant comes in its own ceramic pot, in peak growth condition. It’s no wonder this sensational store has stolen the hearts of the internet’s gardeners.
Their plants are made specifically, well, for sills, with the understanding that not everyone has a yard, or even a balcony, to grow plants.
This legendary money tree has a striking braided trunk and notable resilience.
- Braided trunk
- Calming
- Easy to care for
- Small
- Limited options
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This gorgeous plant inspired Chinese legends, and it is no wonder why. With its unique braided trunk and notable resilience, this is a gorgeous and easy plant to grow indoors. This gorgeous plant’s calming presence will add feng shui to your indoor rooms, purifying the air while it is at it. It is extremely low maintenance, but an excellent sill plant, enjoying indirect sunlight and infrequent waterings. This plant is great for someone who is looking for an easy plant to grow that will bring a calming presence to their home.
Conclusion
The absolute best place to buy house plants is Bloomscape. They have excellent house plant options, with numerous varieties that are trendy and easy to care for. Their shipping method is the best, and although they are expensive, their plants are premium quality, come in custom pot colors, have extensive care instructions, and are larger, more mature, and better rooted than those from most online retailers.
I hope you found this guide helpful! If you did, be sure to share it and comment below with what website you decided on!