Don't Be Afraid to Order Houseplants Online at These 15 Retailers (2024)

Shopping online for plants has changed the gardening industry, making it simpler than ever to bring the outdoors in.

“It’s a fun and easy way to find a wider selection, because local nurseries usually only have plants that work in your outdoor planting zone,” explains Madeline de Vries Hooper, gardening expert and co-host of PBS GardenFit. “You have access to all kinds of plants year-round.”

The idea of a delicate living thing being jostled around in a shipping container for multiple days might sound stressful, but there are a lot of companies mailing plants in a worry-free way. Based on responses from a survey we conducted, these are the best places to buy houseplants online.

Key Terms to Know

• Rainforest Alliance Certified: A seal by the Rainforest Alliance confirming that something is produced with methods focused on social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
• USDA hardiness zones: Regions in the US divided by an average annual minimum temperature that help growers determine which plants will thrive where.
• Warranty: A written guarantee by a company that they’ll replace, repair, or refund something within a certain timeframe, under certain conditions.
  

Plant Proper

One of the biggest draws to Plant Proper is pricing, which is extremely competitive without sacrificing quality. This is possible because it's a nursery that grows the plants in house. Plant Proper also has a ton of sales: weekend sales, one-hour sales, and a sale section at all times.

The website is easy to use, and each product page has thorough care information (though you can always email the team for advice). Regular customers look forward to the restocks that take place every Thursday at 4pm ET, and plants are known to sell out.

You can always join a waitlist though, and a respondent says it usually only takes a few days or weeks for them to come back.

Delivery takes up to a week, which is actually a good sign because of the care Plant Proper puts into shipping. Shipments never go out on Friday or Saturday, so that your plants aren’t stuck waiting in warehouses over the weekend.

Plus, Plant Proper takes the weather on the shipment route into account—if there’s a heat wave or blizzard coming, the plant will be held until the weather has passed. Unlike many places, Plant Proper delivers to California, which has restrictions around plants brought over state lines.

One respondent noticed how well packaged their plant was: The soil surface was covered in peat moss and taped in place with packing tape. A big canonical barrier was created around the plant using a bamboo rod and brown paper. Packing peanuts added extra protection.

On the off chance that your plant arrives damaged, you have 24 hours after delivery to email Plant Proper a photo so they can replace it for you.

Great Garden Plants

Great Garden Plants stands out because there’s always a deal to shop, and the site has all the care information you need for each plant clearly laid out. Because of the abundance of plants to choose from, however, this may feel like information overload to some.

Despite our respondent ordering plants in mid-June, the heat proved to be a non-issue and there was no damage. In fact, they arrived in excellent condition, in a cardboard sleeve with plastic wrap to help maintain soil moisture. The plants quickly began growing and spreading.

All plants come with a 60-day guarantee, ensuring they’ll arrive healthy, free of pests and diseases, and true to name. The guarantee is extended until May 31 for orders received after September 1.

Great Garden Plants calls this the fall guarantee to make sure the plants “establish in your garden and return the following spring.” You can make a claim one of three ways: email, their automated claim process, or the chat bubble.

The Sill

On the high-end side, The Sill offers subscriptions, faux plant options, plant-related home decor, and more. Though their collection is on the expensive side, you’re paying in part for the elevated planters you’ll actually want to show off in your home and feel good about gifting.

The Sill was popular with respondents because of the easy-to-navigate website. Finding a plant that fits your exact specifications is simple, thanks to the well-thought-out filters and range of collections. (If you prefer browsing in-person, there are also stores in select locations.)

The plants themselves don’t come with care instructions, but everything you need to know is on their product pages, including how to troubleshoot common issues.

Though respondents were impressed with shipping, The Sill has a happiness guarantee, which means that if your plant doesn’t arrive in healthy condition, they’ll replace it for free within 30 days.

Bloomscape

When looking for places to buy houseplants online, you want a website that’s simple to use. Enter: Bloomscape. The site is highly intuitive, and includes the option to filter by amount of light, size, pet-friendliness, maintenance/skill level, air cleaning abilities, and price.

The rotating selection of plants is a big plus, as is the ability to purchase anything your plant might need including fertilizer, pots, grow lights, propagation sets, and more.

Once you get to the product pages, you’ll find fun facts about the plants and thorough care guides detailing how to look after them and what to do if common issues occur (this information comes with the plant as well). You can also select which Ecopots you want to receive.

Respondents reported a range in shipping times, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Depending on where you live, certain plants may be unavailable for purchase for a period of time, but it’s actually good news—it means they’ll be protected from damaging temperatures.

If your plant dies within the first 30 days, Bloomscape will send you a new one (unless you re-pot it, which causes extra stress on the plants). Based on respondents’ experiences receiving healthy plants either with minor damage or in perfect condition, we predict that result is unlikely.

Etsy

If you like options, you’ll love buying houseplants online from Etsy. The marketplace gives you your pick of vendors, and one respondent noted that many options are budget-friendly, even once shipping is taken into account.

Being able to choose from so many vendors is a blessing, but it can also be a curse. Your experience with everything from plant quality to shipping time can differ greatly depending on the seller you’re buying from.

One respondent mentioned that Etsy’s review system makes it very easy to obtain fake or inflated review scores. If you’re looking to put in a large order, another participant suggested buying one or two test plants from a vendor to see if they’re reliable.

Overall, “if you’ve had your eye on a specific houseplant but haven’t been able to find one in your area, I would highly recommend it.”

Plant Addicts

Relatively new to the scene, Plant Addicts was founded in 2017 by childhood friends and is a family-run small business offering more than enough plants to choose from and plenty of education on how to care for them.

In addition to over 1,000 guides, this information is on the product page, and also comes included with your plants. To further champion your success, Plant Addicts even sends watering reminders. Shipping is free for houseplants and orders $129 or more.

One respondent did experience a shipping miscommunication, and unexpectedly had to wait over two weeks before receiving their hydrangeas. Customer service was responsive and quickly attempted to provide an arrival estimate.

When the plants did arrive, they were in perfect condition, despite shipping from the East Coast to the Midwest in the middle of June—and very carefully packaged, with triple the blooms of a competitor. All in all, the respondent said they would order from them again despite the issues.

Plant Addicts offers two different warranties. The free option says that if there’s a problem with your order (such as a dead plant or dried out roots) you have three days to let them know and they’ll make it right.

The other is a one-year warranty reserved mostly for bushes and perennials that costs an additional 10 percent. If a plant dies for any reason within one year of your receiving it, they’ll issue store credit.

Mountain Crest Gardens

For succulents, you can’t do better than Mountain Crest Gardens. They have a wide, varied selection that’s thoughtfully categorized based on color, environment, form, and more. All the care information you could ever need is also available on the website.

One of our respondents is a big fan of the variety packs you can order at a reduced price. Mountain Crest Gardens also sends a free plant with every succulent order, and sometimes more than one. (House plants aren’t their focus, but they do have some.)

Shipping is taken seriously: They offer details on how orders are packed, advice on what to do during times of extreme weather, and an easy-to-understand outline of their shipping schedule. You can even request your order be shipped on a certain date.

Mountain Crest Gardens has a 14-day guarantee. If your order doesn’t arrive in prime condition (which is unlikely), you can choose between receiving store credit plus 10 percent, a credit card or PayPal refund, or a replacement if available.

Plants.com

Do you need options? You can find a lot of them at plants.com, even some less common ones like herbs, trees, and orchids.

One respondent described it as a one-stop-shop that’s better priced than comparable sites, and praised its gifting section. The only area it’s lacking in are accessories such as pots, tools, and pest control.

After shopping by plant type, lifestyle, gifts, or rooms, you can then narrow down your search further by price range, care level, light, size, and type. The care instructions are clearly and concisely laid out on each product page.

Standard 2-day shipping is free for orders $100 or more, and Saturday and Tuesday shipping will cost you extra ($20 and $15, respectively).

One respondent said that their plant arrived in perfect condition packaged securely, but it’s still good to know that all plants come with a 30-day guarantee, and replacements are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Moon Nursery focuses on helping facilitate ecological restoration, which is why it exclusively offers species native to North America prior to European settlement. You can purchase seeds, bare roots, and plants like wildflowers, grasses, sedges, shrubs, and trees.

If you want to go the seed route, make sure to browse their seed mixes; you’ll find curations that attract pollinators, thrive in lousy soil, or are even easy on the wallet. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Request they design a custom seed mix just for you.

While you can’t search by maintenance level like you can on many other sites, you do have the opportunity to narrow down your search based on things like native range, benefits, germination code, and USDA zone.

All the details you need to know about sun exposure, plant spacing, soil moisture, and more are readily available on the product pages, as are links to download care instructions. Once you’ve decided what to grow, add educational books and gardening tools to support your plant journey.

According to one respondent, shipping took around a week (though you can request a specific shipping day) and the plants arrived in great shape. If your plant is compromised by delivery delays or unfavorable weather conditions, reach out to the Prairie Moon Nursery team and they’ll provide you with a replacement or refund.

Horti

As much a lifestyle brand as a plant business, Horti is the best place to buy houseplants online for the aesthetically-oriented.They have something for every kind of plant parent, including monthly and quarterly subscription boxes.

Order curations, plant “insurance,” plant kits (including some for kids), stylish accessories, and even plant inspired candles.Horti’s signature is a hand-dipped pot—the simple and modern add-on was a big selling point for one respondent, though it does double the cost of the plant in some cases.

The care instructions on every product page (that also come with your plant) are written like they’re coming from a friend, which makes them that much easier to understand and follow.

Approachability is important to Horti, making them an obvious pick for beginners, while their mix of unique and classic plants is attractive to growers of all levels. One respondent’s plant arrived in about a week, and still looked great after being left in the mailroom for a couple of days.

In fact, it was in perfect condition. If that’s not the case with yours, there are a couple of situations in which Horti will issue a replacement: a defective item documented within 24 hours of delivery or a dead plant within the first 15 days.

Pigment

You can find home decor, clothes, toys, and so much more here. Because of this, Pigment does have a smaller curation of plants than others, but the options are all fairly affordable and they still encompass a range of categories.

House plants, dried florals, succulents, cacti, and airplants are all available online from the shop. There’s also no shortage of tools and accessories that are actually attractive like moisture meters, pruning shears, and watering cans.

Our respondent’s plants arrived a week after ordering with two-day shipping. Still, the plants were securely packaged and in great shape even with the delay.

If your plant is already on a serious decline within 14 days of delivery, you might be able to snag a replacement—as long as you didn’t re-pot or alter it and any pests were reported within five days of delivery.

Easyplant

A win for busy or forgetful people who tend to kill their plants, Easyplant’s brilliance lies in their self-watering pots. All you have to do is fill the reservoir once a month and the watering system will take care of the rest, making sure the plant is always taking in the exact right amount.

To one respondent’s disappointment, however, the pot isn’t sold separately. The plants are categorized by size (small, medium, large, and huge), with badges that let you know which ones are low-light and/or pet-friendly without clicking on a thing.

Those who get overwhelmed easily and prefer less decision-making will appreciate the tighter assortment compared to other places to buy houseplants online, but it might not be enough for seasoned growers.

The product pages are clearly laid out with all the information you need, including how much light each plant needs (with illustrations), care tips, benefits, fun facts, and more.

Easy Plant has a 90-day guarantee for plant health, which is much longer than most. A respondent’s plant arrived one week after ordering, well-packaged and with only one small branch bent.

Urban Stems

There’s so much to love about flowers from Urban Stems, starting with the modern designs. Tonal hues, contrasting colors, and lots of texture are all present in the bouquets.

Each stem is sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, which means that they’re socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable. Plants make up a much smaller percentage of Urban Stems’ assortment, but the planters are elevated compared to other brands.

Care information isn’t available on product pages like on other sites, but they do have a dedicated section for it. Extra gifts like bath salts and candles are also up for grabs, and you can even purchase weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly subscriptions.

Subscriptions start at $55 and let you save up to 30% with free shipping—a big plus, because according to one of our respondents, shipping for regular arrangements is expensive.

Same-day delivery is available in Atlanta, Chicago, Jersey City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, and Washington DC, while you can get next-day delivery anywhere else in the country.

The Home Depot

Most people have walked through the garden section at Home Depot, but did you know it’s also one of the best places to buy houseplants online?

Some might find the number of options from a big box retailer overwhelming, and it can be confusing to figure out the return policies and warranties of third parties as a result.

That said, one of the benefits to buying plants from a big box retailer’s site is that there are plenty of reviews to make your decision easier.

If you were worried about not having enough care information on the product pages, don’t be—everything you need is easy to find. Plus, delivery is free, which makes them far more affordable than others. It took one respondent’s plant around a week to arrive after ordering.

White Flower Farm

One respondent describes White Flower Farm as “the Cadillac of plants,” and if that’s not convincing you yet, keep reading. The family-owned nursery is based in Connecticut and has been in business since 1950, now employing several dozen true experts.

While the plants do run on the pricey side, as a respondent said, “you are paying for that deep history, knowledge, customer support, and truly high quality plants.”

The website is a tad outdated, but the wealth of knowledge on the product pages, excellent customer service, and care tips included in the packaging make up for it. The top-notch assortment is vast, including garden plants, indoor plants, bouquets, containers, decor, and supplies.

Based on a respondent’s perfectly positive shipping experience it’s incredibly unlikely that you’d have a negative one, but you can feel good knowing that White Flower Farm does offer a money-back guarantee on everything they sell.

The Bottom Line

For budget-friendly plants, you’ll want to first check out Plant Proper, Home Depot, Great Garden Plants, Pigment, and Etsy. Urban Stems is the best place to buy flowers online, while you can find great succulents are Mountain Crest Gardens.

Family-run businesses like Plant Addicts and White Flower Farm are known for their high quality plants, fantastic customer service, and wealth of knowledge. If a well-designed interface is important to you, you should shop The Sill, Bloomscape, and Plants.com.

Meanwhile, Prairie Moon Nursery offers native species, Easy Plant’s assortment comes in self-watering pots, and Horti sells plants a la cart in addition to via kits and subscriptions.

Our Testing Process

We surveyed 34 respondents on 20 places to buy houseplants online, asking them to rank and describe their experiences with the assortment, shopping, care information, shipping and delivery, plant condition, any issues, returns, and overall value.

What to Know About Places to Buy Houseplants Online Before Shopping

Shipping and Delivery

It’s especially important to read consumer reviews about shipping, Hooper advises. If plants aren’t well-packaged for a safe journey to your home, they’ll be banged up and potentially ripped out of their soil, which will cause a lot of stress.

The best places to buy houseplants online will offer quick shipping only on certain days of the week to prevent them from being stuck in transit on a weekend or holiday. Companies should also hold your plant in the event of extreme weather.

“Once they arrive, it’s also wise to make sure they don’t sit in a mailroom or outdoors in the sun for too long,” she adds.

Return Policy

“Before you buy any plants online, make sure the vendor has a fair return policy,” emphasizes Hooper. “If possible, it’s best to open the box carefully as soon as it’s delivered.” This way, you can return it if the plant was damaged during shipping.

Plant Proper requires contact within 24 hours of delivery. Some companies will allow returns for longer periods of time, such as The Sill’s 30-day guarantee and Easy Plant’s 90-day warranty.

Plant Health and Care

Knowing what kind of care a plant needs prior to purchasing it is helpful for rookie and serious growers alike. “Plant needs vary and are affected by things like the amount of sunlight they receive and how warm you keep your home,” says Hooper.

If the website you’re shopping on is able to provide details about these things beforehand, you can decide if the plant is a good fit for your space.

Other Places to Buy Houseplants Online We Surveyed

Amazon

Amazon is everyone’s go-to for a lot of things, but not necessarily plants. The search process is difficult because, according to one respondent, “you get supplies, stands, fake plants, and a few real ones.” The selection is limited, and so is the information on the product pages.

However, the convenience factor can’t be overstated, and some had a positive delivery experience.

Lively Root

At first glance, Lively Root looks like your average place to buy houseplants online: it has a moderate selection that’s relatively easy to sort through with clear categories.

After purchasing from them, however, one respondent was very disappointed in how their plants were delivered: “For the price, the plants were very weak and delicate, and they came poorly packaged.”’

Jackson and Perkins

While Jackson and Perkins has a lot of plants to choose from and offers a decent amount of information on the product pages, the shipping and quality leave much to be desired.

One respondent said that half the plants were secured in the box and the others were loose and beat up. “I’ve ordered plants multiple times online and never been fully happy with what I’ve received. Unless it’s something that’s ultra hard to find, I’ll just buy local,” they said.

Your Questions, Answered

Is it okay to buy indoor plants online?

Yes, as long as you do your due diligence. When considering places to buy houseplants online, Hooper says you should look for suppliers that have well-photographed plants, so you know exactly what you’re buying—while keeping in mind there will be natural variety.

“They should also provide important care information detailing light requirements, mature plant size, and special care needs.” Shipping, delivery, and warranty are other equally important considerations.

Can you have live house plants shipped?

As long as they’re packaged properly and shipped quickly, this should be no problem. Plus, Hooper points out, “it’s much easier than hunting down the plants you want at nurseries, and they’re even delivered right to your door.”

Who We Are

Quincy Bulin is a writer who covers products and home topics for Better Homes & Gardens, making this story the ideal intersection of her work. For additional expertise she interviewed Madeline Hooper, gardening expert and co-host of GardenFit on PBS.

What is BHG Recommends?

Next to all of the products on this list, you may have noticed our BHG Recommends seal of approval. Products that earn the seal have been put through rigorous testing to make sure they're worth a spot in your home. We buy most of the products we test ourselves, but occasionally we are provided samples by companies if buying isn't an option. In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products.