How to Navigate Rising Houseplant Prices

If you are new to the houseplant hobby, welcome! You are certainly not alone. Since the beginning of 2020, the houseplant community has multiplied exponentially. This is due to more people working from home, hoping to green up their spaces or find a calm, stress-free quarantine hobby. For plant parents who have been in this community for a while…there has been one very common complaint. That is, why the costs of houseplants have increased so much, and how to navigate rising houseplant prices and still enjoy your houseplant hobby.

Whether this trend in rising houseplants is here to stay remains to be seen, as the landscape of our current social climate is constantly evolving.

As of 2021, here’s what we know so far:

The houseplant hobby exploded in March 2020, after the pandemic hit. More people were confined to their homes and decided to make their spaces more green and enjoyable.

It goes without saying that in times of immense stress, people discover hobbies that bring them joy. As long time houseplant collectors know all too well, collecting and spending time with plants fits the bill.

While the houseplant hobby began to explode, shipping, transport, and importing houseplants became more challenging, decreasing a lot of supply. It ultimately boils down to a case of supply and demand.

While many common houseplants are common for a reason (they grow quickly and in various conditions they grow very well). Rare plants, or uncommon plants, are also uncommon for a reason. They may be slower to require, they might be difficult to import, and require more intensive care measures. These houseplants also happen to be immensely popular thanks to social media.

Having more plant friends is very fun, but as we all know, the larger the hobby, the more bad apples you might find. People who are out to get rich quick have easily found a way to exploit this demand, hiking up the prices for their own gain.

The more plants that are selling at an inclement price, it becomes more standard or expected. Why sell your Pink Princess Philodendron for 50 dollars, when everyone else in the community is selling their for 500? And this is how the houseplant prices may snowball.

All of this has resulted in sky-rocketing houseplant prices, to the immense frustration to long-term plant parents. This is often unknown to many newcomers, and might just accept these prices as standard or normal and will happily pay triple digits for a pretty houseplant that cost only 10 dollars a couple years ago.

Before we talk about Navigating Rising Plant Prices, it’s Story Time…

Last year, while perusing my local plant store, I noticed another patron examining one of my favourite houseplants. They then proceeded to ask me few questions about the houseplant that they were looking at. More than happy to share my plant knowledge, I explained the ins and outs of their care. I told them that this particular local store likes to keep prices modest but with limits so plant enthusiasts can enjoy collecting plants. They asked me about particular leaf damage, and I told them that was normal but there was clearly new growth emerging, and it was even about to bloom! They decided to buy two of these plants, one for their boyfriend, and one for themselves. I left that store feeling great to have made a planty connection.

Sounds great, right?

When I got home later that night, I was scrolling through facebook and in a buy and sell group…there they were. The same two plants listed for sale, at triple the listed price at the store. My heart sank. In the caption, verbatim, was the advice I had given. Same blemish on the leaf. Same emerging growth. And the very same bloom.

To say that I was frustrated and disheartened would be an understatement. Sharing houseplant love is one of the reasons I started this very blog, and I love the plant community. This one stung.

So…what do we do about rising houseplant prices?

1. Shop local, shop local, shop local.

Depending on the current restrictions in your area, I highly recommend stopping by your local plant shop or nursery before toy make any attempts to shop elsewhere. By now we all know the benefits of shopping locally. What you may not know is that if you chat with shop owners, they may be able to order houseplants that are on your wish list.

2. Be picky about who you buy from online

If someone is selling a monstera albo that is rotting at the node with brown, crispy leaves…don’t buy it. If the seller blatantly neglects their plant and yet still expects top dollar, it isn’t worth your hard earned money and support.

3. That said…just keep scrolling

Stopping to send nasty comments or price shaming only contributes to a more toxic plant community. Money talks. Time talks. Don’t give someone you fundamentally disagree with your time or your money over a houseplant. In addition to this, while some online plant sellers have malicious intentions, we don’t always know the whole story. They could be struggling financially and purging their rare plants. They could be desperate to pay their own household bills. It’s better to just keep scrolling and continue about your day if this purchase is not for you.

4. Trade with friends and share with fellow enthusiasts

If there’s a plant that you have that is loud and proud and thriving, you may want to look into chopping and propagating some cuttings, and give pieces to friends or trade for some of their cuttings. This will ensure that you are keeping plants in the hands of plant lovers and save you a bit of money.

5. If a plant is too expensive, or you aren’t comfortable paying the listed price…don’t

If buying a houseplant contributes to more financial strain or stress, then simply pass it by. It can be incredibly tempting to pick up that flashy pink princess for 500 dollars. But if it’s not something that you can afford, rest assured, the right plant will come to you when the time is right.

6. Examine your collecting mindset

It can be incredibly easy to buy into the hype of all these beautiful plants online. Being mindful of the houseplants you REALLY want can go a long way. The trouble with social media is that it shows us the “best” of everything, and can make people feel inadequate. You may look at your collection and wonder why it isn’t as lush and full as everyone’s on Instagram. Just know that people can be hiding crispy leaves, imperfections, or sad houseplants, and only showing their best. Take some time to consider which houseplants you may really want. Do you REALLY want that Monstera Albo? Or do you simply want to check a box and show it off to your followers. Will this plant bring you joy, or will you immediately be on the hunt for the next?

7. Take inventory of the plants you already have

Which of the houseplants in your home make you the most happy? If it’s that massive, trailing, golden pothos, that’s okay! It may be the common houseplants that bring you the most joy after all—which is kind of the point of collecting houseplants in the first place! Spending all of that time at home with your plants could have made you realize that you love the plants that you didn’t spend a fortune on. You don’t wake up in a cold sweat terrified it may die from spidermites tomorrow, and they are easier to care for and happy in your conditions.

Final Thoughts:

The plant community has undeniably exploded in the last couple of years. Whether this “plant boom” is just a trendy side effect of the pandemic, or a societal shift remains unknown. Until then, love your plants, make new planty friends, and don’t lose sight of what makes this hobby and community so magical in the first place (and let’s all quietly cross our fingers the houseplant prices settle down so we can fill our home with Variegated Monsteras!)

Follow my plant journey on Instagram @plantyquirkyblogger