It's the start of a new year. Everyone and their brother has a "trend" list out right now--even the plant people and ESPECIALLY the interior plant people.  We get it, and we understand it.  Plants are trending (hooray!), and trends become trends for a reason: an expert or influencer likes something (or has an excess quantity of it, or, doesn't, and it's really rare), promotes it, and then everyone wants it. It is SUPER exciting to be able to say that you secured a Philodendron Pink Princess or a Raven ZZ.  Even we plant nerds fall prey to the trends, peeking at the arriving orders at our garden stores and begging our vendors for the newest thing. We have favorite plants and, like everything else, varieties of plants fall in and out of favor, year over year.  Right now, if you search for trending plants in 2021 you'll see the following: Zig Zag or Fishbone Cactus, Ficus Altissima, and Alocasia Polly repeated in online lists. 

But here's the thing with plants--unlike fashion or home goods that can be manufactured pretty quickly (hello, H&M!), plants are grown. Growing plants takes time, lots of time. If you live in the United States, your interior plants are grown in Florida or California, then shipped to retail stores or greenhouses in your area.  Among growers, like everything else, there are high-quality, attentive growers, and there are growers just trying to make a fast buck and push plants out the door as quickly as possible.  To get a plant from a good grower means waiting for that grower to raise a plant (4-6 weeks at a minimum!) to a decent, sellable size, then carefully shipping that plant to its new retail home in New Jersey, or Kansas, or even Ohio.  When growers cut corners to bring something to market quickly, or you get a plant at a too-good-to-be-true price, you might end up with a forced, underdeveloped and potentially weak-rooted, or damaged plant that you'll have to try to keep alive. 

Yes, we are huge fans of all the above listed plants (I personally LOVE alocasia Polly), but we also know that the classic standby plants are so-called for a reason--they are always available, easy to care for, and grown to ensure success on the part of the buyer.  As plant people, we want more than anything to make sure that you have a great experience with your new plant, so we're going to offer plants that we trust will do well for anyone--from the new plant parent up to the experienced "urban jungle" proprietor.  Along the way, we'll share what is new and even unique (when we can get them!), but we'll always make sure that the plants we offer are from high quality growers, treated with love and respect, and of course, priced fairly.  

All that being said, if you're looking for a new plant to add to your collection, or want to dip your toes into plant ownership, here's a few of our staff favorites to get you started. Happy New Year, thanks for supporting this wild and wonderful industry, and for making your space happier and healthier!

• Creative Director Brittany's favorite: Burgundy rubber plant "I love the dark colors and how easy it is to maintain."
• Office Manager Sarah's favorite: Silver Satin Pothos "It's so cute and I love the colors!"
• Sales & Design Associate Beth's favorite: Bird of Paradise "It is such a dramatic looking plant and has a great "wow" factor!"
• Director Genevieve's favorite: Pilea Aquamarine "They are so visually different from other plants, and make an adorable desk plant!"

 Check out our other blog posts for more info on keeping your plants healthy!