11 plant delivery services and garden subscriptions compared: Bloomscape, The Sill, My Garden Box and more – CNET
If you think it’s too late in the year to get planting, think again. Gardening experts suggest planting certain trees, flowers, grass, produce and flower bulbs in the fall for maximum output, come spring. This all does heavily depend on the specific plant, however, as well as your location and climate so do some research to be sure. Now, as much as we miss the smell of Home Depot’s garden center, making fewer non-essential trips to crowded stores is key to keeping cases of you-know-what down. Instead, take advantage of these great online plant delivery and garden box services that will send seeds, seedlings, flower bulbs, chutes and even full-grown plants along with instructions for care, gardening accessories and safe growing chemicals to your door.
Indoor plants are always in season, of course, and these online plant marketplaces stock potted plants, ferns, flowers and succulents a-plenty that will brighten any corner, shelf or window sill. You can buy common and exotic plants, both as well tropical plants and most of them in a variety of sizes — from mini cacti to large plants that will anchor an entire room. Better yet, these popular online plant vendors like Bloomscape and The Sill tell you which plants are hard to kill in case plant-care is not your forte.
For the green-thumbed, buying quality seeds, bulbs and chutes online from these plant and garden box subscription services will help maximize your garden’s yield. Many of them function as sprawling online bulb, plant and seed marketplaces, but if you’re indecisive like me, you can simply input your growing goals and sign up for a monthly subscription and receive shipments of flowering plants, seeds, bulbs and gardening gear sent to your home. Every garden is different, of course, and so most of these plant delivery and garden subscription services take steps to find out both what you’d like to grow and where you plan to grow it. Whether it’s pretty flowers and houseplants or outdoor plants and produce you want, they will tailor your plant delivery to help you nail the garden of your dreams.
Don’t have an outdoor growing space or garden at all? Don’t worry: There is a slew of urban gardens and mini-farm stands designed to function without any earth or even access to regular sun. These nifty indoor grow systems like AeroGrow and LettuceGrow use self-contained seed pods and chutes to avoid messy soil situations. Some even come with their own synthetic lighting to sprout plants, produce, herbs and fresh flowers in the most unlikely of growing environments.
No matter your setup or situation, there is a home garden service that will help you hone your green thumb or make an ideal gift for an aspiring gardener on your holiday list. Check out the best online plant delivery services, garden box subscriptions available in 2020.
Plant, garden and seed subscription services
Whatever your garden type, size or location, there is a garden subscription service that can have seeds, seedlings and gardening equipment shipped to your door every month.
Make and Grow
This garden delivery service offers three distinct box types depending on your home garden plans: The DIY Edible Flower Garden, for instance, includes seeds for growing pretty floral garnishes like violas, calendula and borage. It’s perfect for the home mixologist looking to add some summer botanicals to their operation. There is also a DIY Tea Herb Garden Kit to grow and dry things chamomile and peppermint or DIY Garden Kit for Kids.
Urban Organic Gardener
This seed of the month club has plans starting as low as $5 per month. You’ll get heirloom seeds delivered to your doorsteps for growing herbs, vegetables, legumes and more. The subscription starts with a short questionnaire to find out what kind of garden you have — indoor, outdoor, hydroponic, low light, etc. — and what kind of gardening you’d like to do. You can cancel or pause anytime (like during the offseason, for instance). The surprise seed subscription is just $5 per month, while the Pro membership is closer to $15 but includes more seeds and allows for more specification.
Easy Come Easy Grow
This monthly vegetable and herb seed subscription includes three different in-season herbs and vegetable seeds at under $6 per month. This company’s seeds come from Australia and include plants like coriander, sorrel and various lettuces.
My Garden Box
My Garden Box is perfect for the indoor plant-obsessed. Each shipment includes a new house plant and planter with soil, rocks for drainage and instructions for care. This plant delivery service is great if you have lots of space for indoor plants and want to keep expanding your indoor greenery, or if you want to send a one-time gift to a plant lover you know. Plans start at around $35 per month.
Bloomin’ Bin is a seed subscription box company that is perfect for those who want to grow both produce and flowers. You can customize your order, starting at under $8 per month, to include seeds for wildflowers only, vegetables only or a combination of both. Some plans like the Basic Bin include both seeds and live plants, while others like the Just Seeds plan will include only, well, seeds. The Premium Bin plan, on the other hand, contains seeds, a soil/plant food sample, pot, grow bag and a project or garden tool.
Plant delivery services
These online marketplaces sell indoor and outdoor plants including tropical, succulents, pet-friendly plants and many more. You can also find bigger plants like fruit trees, vines and shrubs for bigger landscaping projects.
Nature Hills
If you’ve got plans for some serious gardening or landscaping, the plant collection at Nature Hills is a good place to start for blooming plants, potted plant options and more. It’s got everything from houseplant options and perennial flowers to literal trees, shrubs and vines. You can find fruit trees and plants here, too, including apple, citrus and stone fruit trees, along with a wide range of berry bushes.
Bloomscape
Whether you’re looking for indoor or outdoor plants for the home or garden, there may not be a better selection than Bloomscape. Find plants that’ll add loads of life and texture to any space, like date palms, bird of paradise, succulent varieties or spider plants. You can shop by categories, including easy care and pet-friendly, and each comes with a clay pot and saucer so it’s ready to go upon arrival. Free shipping is available on all orders over $75.
PlantX
This online marketplace likes to think of itself as a vegan version of Amazon. PlantX caries a sprawling inventory of plant-based products, including a variety of indoor house plants and succulents. It’s all reasonably priced too, with most clocking in under $50 and some small plants for as little as $6. What’s nice about PlantX is you can tack other items, including ready-to-eat, plant-based meals, to your order.
The Sill
The Sill is another online plant marketplace with an even larger selection of indoor houseplants and outdoor plants, including ferns, figs, air plant options, snake plant varieties, orchids and succulents. The Sill offers subscriptions as well: The Plants for Beginners subscription sends one easy-care indoor plant to your home each month, fit with an earthenware pot in black, blush or mint. If you’ve got a surplus of space for plants, upgrade your plant subscription to the Medium Plants for Beginners subscription or choose the subscription of pet friendly plants for greenery that’s safe for dogs and cats.
Indoor gardens and seed pod kits
These innovative companies have created gardens, seed pod systems and grow spaces that can operate in nearly any conditions. Many are self-sustaining and designed to be used indoor, growing herbs, flowers and even produce in low-light settings.
Click & Grow
This is an herb and produce garden for folks with even the most limited of living conditions. Click and Grow uses neat and tidy seed pods to grow any number of fruits and veggies. The smallest version, called the Smart Garden 3 ($99), is ideal for a fresh bounty of herbs, while the larger Smart Garden 9 ($199) and three-tiered Smart Garden 27 ($599), can grow real deal produce like lettuce, tomatoes and berries to include in your meals.
Lettuce Grow
The Farmstand from Lettuce Grow is a hydroponic, self-watering tower garden perfect for urban spaces with no space for a traditional garden. First, you pick your indoor farm unit, available in five sizes, and then select seedlings from a list of over 200, including greens, veggies, fruits and herbs. The farm doesn’t require a lot of hands-on time — as few as five minutes per week — and you can expect a harvest in as few as three weeks. Lettuce Grow will help you select appropriate seedlings depending on your space, with the smallest farmstand of 12 plants starting at around $350.
AeroGrow
Like Click and Grow, this pod planter is basically the Keurig machine of gardens. If you’re looking for a steady haul of fresh herbs, lettuce and veggies grown in the comfort of your own kitchen, an AeroGrow garden is likely a good fit. They come in a wide range of sizes, from the three pod Sprout ($80) to The Farm ($480), which holds as many as 24 seed pods.