CHARLOTTE, N.C. — House plant sales have increased amid the pandemic, benefiting plant owners and businesses.

What You Need To Know

  • More people are buying house plants amid the pandemic

  • Plant shops are noticing younger clients becoming plant owners

  • The interest in plants is benefiting both customers and business owners

Kerstan Ryan Pickell, 32, has been working remotely for a year. During quarantine, she decided to start a new hobby: caring for plants.

Pickell researched how to do it properly on Instagram and found information from a plant shop called Verde Tribe.

“I just think they’re a nice decoration to have around and also because I work for the environmental nonprofit Clean Air Carolina: Plants are great air purifiers,” Pickell says.

She started with one plant, and now she has 30.

“There’s more maintenance than I was aware when I started, but I’ve come to really enjoy it,” Pickell says.

Verde Tribe Owner Veronica Leon says her Instagram following and her sales have increased amid the pandemic.

Before March of 2020, she sold her plants mainly at pop-ups. Now, she sells her plants at 7th Street Public Market and offers deliveries in the Charlotte area.

“People really enjoy that, getting their plants to their doorstep,” Leon says.

Half of her clients are new plant owners like Pickell.

“Having that greenery inside of our homes kind of gives us that peace of mind because plants also have great benefits. They give you more motivation, and they help you with creativity, and it’s beautiful to have the greenery inside of your home as well,” Leon says.

Bill Kay at Oakdale Greenhouses says he has also noticed an uptick in sales. He said Instagram has helped attract younger clients.

“I think they have found that plants become a very interesting hobby for them. It's something they can visualize. They see them on Instagram, they see them on Facebook. A lot of people have become obsessed with collecting rare houseplants,” Kay says.

He says indoor plants currently make up 80% of his sales.

“The interest in plants has exploded since the pandemic. And so we have tried to bring in a wider variety of what our customers have asked for,” Kay says.

Kay adds that house plant sales are making up for the revenue loss from plant rentals, usually used for larger events.

Pickell said becoming a plant parent has allowed her to learn something new, feel accomplished, and relieve stress.