The 2016 National Gardening Survey found that the yard and garden industry is now worth $36.9 billion. The industry is growing at a steady rate led by a plant-buying frenzy among millennials and a constant growth in food gardening. So let’s stop pretending that this is a frivolous industry and let’s give the startups that are taking a chance in this field a round of applause.
I initially wrote the post in early 2018, and I found it hard to find houseplant startups then. Oh my, how things have changed! In 2021, there are so many people getting into the houseplant industry with so much gusto that I’m finding it hard to pick the startups to feature on this list. The popularity of plant startups won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been paying any bit of attention. I explained a few of the reasons why millennials love houseplants in this post.
So I’m expanding and adding to this list to reflect the 2021 houseplant startup landscape.
(By the way, if you have a plant startup that you think people should know about, please feel free to reach out via the Contact on this website.)
These startups are cashing in on the houseplant craze (honestly, we think it’s here to stay) and disrupting the way we think about what’s possible to create with plants. (Excuse my overzealousness, I’ve always wanted to use the word “disrupting.”)
1. Habitat Horticulture’s Living Table
Habitat Horticulture is better known for their living walls, the most elaborate of which adorn public places such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California. But Habitat Horticulture also serves individuals, instilling their love for living design primarily through a product they call the living table.
The living table is a sleek system of layers of plants, soil, felt and bio-materials under a cover of tempered glass. On the surface, it’s a coffee table that just steals the room. The process behind the living table is designed to mimic how plants absorb water from the ground, so the maintenance required to keep the table looking verdant is kept to a minimum.
Their website: http://livingtable.habitathorticulture.com/
2. Patch Plants
This London-based online plant shop was founded in 2015. Patch Plants sells houseplants, outdoor plants and pots. And my favorite thing about how they do their marketing at the quirky plant care courses/videos hosted by the knowledgeable and charming Alice Vincent.
Each plant on the website comes with a short funny little description and special tips for its care.
Their website: Patch Plants
3. The living lamp
Since we’re talking about disruption, few startups dare to reach for the sky and think different (sic), for real.
That’s why we’re in awe of Plant-e and Living Light, a Dutch collaboration focused on developing a way to generate electricity with the help of living plants. The plant-lamp generates electricity through the breakdown of organic matter, and it’s safe for both the plant and the environment. Product designer and founder, Ermi van Oers says that “We are on a joint mission to fuse nature, technology and design. We believe that the cross-pollination of science and design point towards the city of tomorrow.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Their website: https://www.livinglight.info/
4. Living pavement by Gewild Groei
Living pavement is the opposite of “made from plants.” But it’s made for plants to thrive. Living pavement is an open-tile system that allows vegetation to grow in public spaces. It also aids in reducing rainwater accumulation, the heat island effect and particulate matter accumulation. Plus, it’s really nice to look at the a patch that’s not just concrete, but a bit of greenery popping through.
Hop on to their website: http://gewildgroei.nl/ (in Dutch)
5. Bioo Pass
Back to using plants for generating electricity, an idea that has been picking up speed. What if you’re not using your plant as a reading lamp, but as a charging station for your phone? Or as an easy way to connect to wifi in public spaces such as hotels, restaurants and gyms?
This is the idea behind the Bioo line of tech, developed by Barcelona-based company Arkyne Technologies.
Bioo’s technology is based on obtaining energy from the decomposition of organic substances naturally expelled by plants. Have a look at the installations on their website to get a better idea of how Bioo works.
Their website: https://www.biootech.com
6. Greenery Unlimited
This click-and-mortar company was founded by a married couple and stemmed from the belief that indoor plants improve the quality of life. They’ve adopted a hybrid business model, selling both online and in a retail storefront in Brooklyn – considered to be the first biophilic design store in the world.
Greenery Unlimited is the perfect merge between plants and design. They carry plants and planters, but also modern accessories and growing systems that can adapt to a light maintenance schedule.
Their website: https://greeneryunlimited.co/
7. Bloomscape
Bloomscape is a US-based plant delivery company. Each order comes with simple customized care instructions, but you can also ask for tips and tricks from the Grow How team, a real-time expert support.
Moreover, plants are shipped directly from the greenhouse and arrive on your doorstep within 3 to 4 days. So you’re sure to receive your plant in healthy conditions. They sell diverse houseplants, veggies and herbs and outdoor plants.
Their website: https://bloomscape.com/
8. Bosque
Bosque is a company based in Germany, and they take pride in being the first climate neutral store in this country. Their plants are grown to be sustainable and live healthy, long lives. If you’re just getting started with houseplants, Unkillable Plant Box might have to be your first stop!
Their website: https://bosqueplants.com/en/
9. Generosa
Generosa was founded in 2018 and is established in Lisbon, Portugal. For this startup, plants are not an element of the decor but are considered a tool for people’s wellbeing. Their goal is to reintroduce nature back in daily life and reconnect us to our roots.
Generosa is selling directly to consumers and to companies. On the website, plants are classified by house rooms (living room, bathroom, etc.), so that you’ll be able to choose the best one according to the place. And all the pots that they’re selling are handcrafted in Portugal.
Their website: https://generosa.pt/?lang=en
10. The Sill
No list of plant startups can possibly be complete without including The Sill.
Eliza Blank founded The Sill in 2012 guided by the strong belief that plants make people happy, so they should be more accessible to everyone, especially city-dwellers. From that idea, she created The Sill online shop.
The company also has three brick-and-mortar stores: one in New York City, one in San Francisco and one in Los Angeles. The Sill sells houseplants and bouquets. And if you’re just getting started as a houseplant parent, they’ll guide you on how to choose the best plants for beginners.
Their website: https://www.thesill.com/
11. Pointless Plants
The England-based shop was created with the goal of making our planet a greener, healthier and happier place to live. And part of this mission is to plant 10 trees for every order.
(I wrote about other sustainability tips for houseplant lovers in this post.)
Pointless Plants pledge to compensate for all their carbon emissions. In 2019 they helped fund tree planting in Australia, after the Black Summer bushfires; and in 2021, they support a tree planting project in Madagascar.
Their website: https://pointlessplants.com/
12. Pikaplant’s ecosphere jar
Pikaplant is an Amsterdam-based design-led company with a strong belief in craftsmanship and the benefits of living in a plant-rich environment. The firm currently has two designs on the market that embody these principles – a mason jar ecosphere with a sealed Coffea arabica inside, and a vertical garden with a passive irrigation system based on ebb-and-flow principles.
In addition , there’s an upcoming product currently in the final stages of development, Pikaplant Tableau – an automatic plant watering tray.
Pikaplant is growing by leaps and bounds, and if you’re strolling through the narrow streets of Dutch cities, you’re bound to see a few coffee plant jar peeking back at you from behind tall Dutch windows.
Their website: https://pikaplant.com/en/
We’re living in exciting times when it comes to innovation and creativity. And startups like the ones in this post are making sure that the world of plants is not left behind.
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