Whether you’ve just discovered your green thumb or are an established house plant parent, we can all agree: more plants are always a good thing. But loving plants doesn’t always translate to loving the process of buying plants. Life already pulls us in so many directions that it can be hard to find time to take a trip to the nursery. What’s more, in between finding pots, the right soil, and proper tools, indoor gardening can start to resemble a chore if we’re not careful.
Plant subscription services were designed to make our lives easier. For those of us with busy lives (or a lazy side), it doesn’t get better than having our plants and materials delivered right to our doorstep. Plus, subscription boxes can be a great way to discover your next favorite plant. There are so many amazing options out there, so we did a little digging and narrowed it down to the best of the best. Read on for our 10 favorite subscription plant boxes.
1. The Plant Club
Why we love it: The Plant Club has something for everyone. Their premium subscription covers all the bases and then some, while the no-frills option is affordable and easy.
About: The Plant Club is a small but highly rated service. They have two very different subscription options. There’s an affordable barebones option and a premium one that comes with all sorts of goodies. They do both really well. The “Plants Only” subscription is exactly what it sounds like. Each month, you’ll get a 4” plant with illustrated care instructions. This is a good option for those with a sizable plant collection and tools who just want a little something new each month.
The “Plants & Premium Potting Kit” is an awesome deal. The subscription comes with the basics: a plant and pot, but also includes premium soil, a pot topper, and other small trifles. The pots are colorful and have a different design every time. This is pretty unique. Most subscriptions have a signature pot in one of a few basic colors. The Plant Club’s instructions are super clear, and they include a plant tag kit to help keep all your plants straight.
Cost: The “Plants Only” subscription is $25 a month. The “Plants & Premium Potting Kit” is $50. Both options have pay-ahead bundles which save you a little over the long run.
2. The Sill
Why we love it: A tried and true classic option from a reputable plant retailer.
About:The Sill subscription includes one plant and ceramic pot each month. They have a small 5” and a medium 7” option. Both can be made pet-friendly for a small extra charge. You’ll get a different plant each month with detailed care instructions. The Sill’s planters are ceramic and 1” larger than the earthware container that the plants come in. You can select a black or cream theme when you check out. One of the best parts about The Sill is that they often switch up their planters. You’ll always get the same color, but you’ll often get different styles.
Another benefit of The Sill’s subscription is the site itself. The Sill has a very large online marketplace and often offers discounts for subscription holders. They sell plants, pots, and tons of supplies. What’s more, you can always count on good customer service and timely deliveries.
Cost: The Sill’s classic subscription costs $50 for a small plant and $60 for a medium. Pet-friendly versions are $5 more. Note that The Sill’s subscriptions are a 3-month minimum commitment. You can cancel or pause after the 3rd month.
3. Lively root
Why we love it: Options for everyone, including a rare and unusual subscription for advanced enthusiasts.
About: Lively root is the perfect choice for those who want new plants but don’t want another full-time job. All of Lively root’s boxes ship once a quarter. They also keep it simple. No pots, no accessories, just a surprise plant every three months. You can’t choose the plant ahead of time, but you can pick the general category. They offer three: easy-care, pet-friendly, and rare and unusual. They also let you select the size and offer a 4” and 6” option.
The easy-care subscription is for beginners and established plant parents alike. The idea is that they don’t need a lot of work. Don’t know what you’re doing? Great! Too busy to give your plant the care it needs? Not a problem. The easy-care plants do come with instructions, but they’re all pretty hard to kill. The pet-friendly subscription is only available in the larger size. These plants are non-toxic to pets in addition to being easy to care for.
What really sets Lively root apart from the crowd is its “Rare and Unique” plant subscription. If you select this option, you’ll get their so-called “hidden gem” plants. These are unusual, uncommon, or new to the site—and you’ll get first dibs! They can also be a little more finicky than some of their other offerings which is why they suggest having a little plant experience before signing up. This rare and unique option is only available in the larger plant size. All three subscriptions are available in a gift format.
Cost: The cost varies slightly based on size and subscription, but most are within the $30 to $40 range. The easy-care option is $30 for a small and $40 for a medium. The pet-friendly is $40 and the rare and unusual is $42.
4. Horti
Why we love it: Customizable boxes that are guaranteed to fit your specific needs.
About: Horti wants to be more than a plant delivery service. They bill themselves as a community, and their subscriptions reflect that. The idea is to build a collection while growing your gardening skills and knowledge.
Horti has three subscription levels: month-to-month, 6-months, and 12 months. All three options include a monthly plant, a 6″ clay pot and saucer, and occasional accessories. Their pots are all a classic terracotta. If you want something a little extra, you can opt for a white dipped or multi-color dipped option. If you’d rather get your own pots, they have a plants only plan. Horti’s “nakey” option will send you two plants and nothing else.
Horti has several solid options, and they do them all well. They have a “pet-friendly” and “new to planting” box in addition to their core plan. The 6-month and 12-month collections are curated ahead of time. The idea behind Horti is that their subscriptions grow with you. They start you out with hardy plants and then progress as your confidence increases. They provide clear instructions on planting, propagation, and care for all of their shipments.
Cost: At around the $30 mark, Horti is one of the more affordable subscriptions out there. If you live in the NYC area, you can save two dollars on shipping and pick up your plants every month. Their 6-month and 12-month plans are $255 and $420, respectively.
5. TheHousePlantBox
Why we love it: High-quality plants and tons of variety, including an aquatic plant box and a cactus box.
About:TheHousePlantBox has it all. Unlike most other services, they don’t limit themselves to a few core subscriptions. They have 12 options that include potted and unpotted plants in different sizes, types, and even a seed box. All of their subscriptions come once a month and include a plant in a nursery planter, care instructions, and in some cases, a terracotta pot.
While they have a standard indoor plant box that sends a 4” plant, TheHousePlantBox’s strength lies in the variety of their offerings. They have a cactus box, a succulent box, an air plant box, an aquatic plant box, a seasonal garden box, a seed box, and that’s only the beginning. They have premium versions of some of these options. Premium packages include two slightly bigger plants. If you want more statement plants, they have a box for that too! Their large plant subscription sends you a 10” plant every month.
TheHousePlantBox offers two pre-potted options: “Pre-potted Seed Box” and the “Pre-potted Terracotta Box.” Most subscriptions that send pots won’t actually pot them for you, but these guys will, which is another perk.
Cost: TheHousePlantBox has tons of options at different price points. Unless you sign up for the large plant subscription, which is $99 a month, you’ll be paying somewhere between $15 and $40 depending on your selection.
6. Succulent Studios
Why we love it: A wide variety of succulents from a sustainably oriented farm.
About: Succulent Studios is an affordable, high-quality subscription service that prioritizes sustainability. Their organic succulents ship directly from their second-generation nursery in Fallbrook, CA. They use only organic media and fertilizers. They also opt for biodegradable pots and 100% plastic-free packaging.
They base their monthly selections on seasonality and hardiness. Succulent Studios will not repeat varieties for at least a year which means you can expect something new every month. They offer a 3, 6, and 12-month subscription. Each comes with two succulent friends in 2″ biodegradable, earth-friendly pots. The plants are just eight weeks old and can live in their nursery planters for the first few weeks. After, you can plant them directly into a permanent home—container and all. All plants come with care instructions and information.
Cost: You’ll pay $10 a month + $5.99 each month for 2 organic succulents. Their site makes it easy to send this as a gift.
7. My Garden Box
Why we love it: Monthly projects to build your green thumb and fuel your creative side.
About: DIY-ers, this one’s for you! My Garden Box is a little different than the others on this list. The focus of this subscription service is on planting rather than plants. That’s not to say you won’t receive plants, because you will. Anything that involves plants as an activity is fair game. You might get a plant, soil, and a pot, or you might get a bonsai tree kit. The best part is you’ll never be halfway through a project only to find you’re missing something important. Each box comes with proportioned ingredients and illustrated instructions to make these projects rewarding and relaxing.
My Garden Box captures the essence of a green thumb. It’s not about building a robust plant collection as much as it is caring for those plants. It takes time and patience to become attuned to your plant’s needs, and their meditative projects are designed to help you deepen those skills. With new (often seasonal) projects, you’ll be learning something new each month. The best part? You may venture into areas of indoor gardening (think: terrariums) that you wouldn’t have otherwise considered.
Cost: My Garden box has a monthly option for $50. If you want to pre-pay, you’ll save a little money. They offer 3,6, and 12-month pre-paid options.
8. Succulents Monthly
Why we love it: Two great subscription options with tons of variety.
About: Most plant subscription boxes have an element of surprise: each month, you get a new plant that you usually didn’t pick out. Succulents Monthly take it to another level. Normally, you at least know what type and how many plants you’re getting, but that’s not the case here. They spice things up by sending an undisclosed number of succulents and sometimes even throw air plants into the mix. They might ship one 6” succulent or three 2” succulents. It all depends on what they have in stock. If you subscribe to the premium version, your monthly pot(s) will also be a surprise. The goal is to keep your succulent collection interesting and full of variety!
Succulents monthly let you choose between two options: “Plants Only” or “Plants and Premium Potting Kit.” As the name suggests, “Plants Only” is a no-frills option that only sends you the succulents. The premium edition is a bit more expensive but really covers all the bases. In addition to a succulent or two (or three), your premium box will also include a hand-picked pot, pot topper, succulent blend soil, and tag kit. You can also expect extra goodies from time to time. The pots come in all sorts of chic styles and colors.
Cost: Succulents Monthly has two options at two price points. The “Plants Only” subscription is $19 a month while the “Plants and Premium Potting Kit” is $39.
9. Air Plant Club (Air Plant Design Studio)
Why we love it: Air plant club is the place to go for interesting and unique air plants. Their detailed care instructions and good customer service mean you’ll never be disappointed.
About: Air Plant Club’s mission is to introduce you to all the different air plants out there. And there are quite a few. The tillandsia genus has over 600 varieties of air plants. This subscription service is just about the plants, no extras, which makes sense. After all, air plants don’t need soil or even a container.
Air Plant Club has four memberships to choose from. The most basic option includes two easy-to-care-for tillandsia air plants with detailed instructions. Instructions are especially helpful for air plants who are always a little at-risk in the hands of newbie gardeners. Luckily, Air Plant Club’s got you covered with an easy-to-follow guide. The premium box also comes with two plants except they’re of a speciality variety. This could be a clump of a conventional variety, a hybrid, or a hard-to-find specimen. The elite box is the same, except you get five plants instead of two. Finally, the collector’s box features only rare and unusual varieties in an unspecified quantity. This speaks to the rarity of the box: the number of plants is contingent on what they were able to source.
The Air Plant Club subscriptions run month to month, but they have 3,6, or 12-month pre-paid options available as well. They will replace any plant and pay for shipping within 30 days under their air plant guarantee.
Cost: The first tier costs $15. The second and third tiers, premium and elite, cost $25 and $45, respectively. Finally, the collector’s box is $60. All of these prices are per month.
10. Cactique
Why we love it: Pre-made arrangements in artisan ceramic will brighten your home or office. They also make great gifts!
About: Cactique is a cactus and succulent boutique run by a plant enthusiast couple. They fulfill all subscription orders from their small nursery in California. The Cactique subscription is an affordable and easy way to build your cacti collection and support a small business! Plus, the owners note they try their best to partner with women-owned suppliers and businesses.
The monthly subscription includes a small arrangement that comes pre-potted in a ceramic planter. Plant arranging requires know-how and access to tools, plants, and decorative ornaments. It can also be expensive if you’re only putting together a few projects since materials often come in bulk. The pre-made arrangements save you trouble and are quite stunning. They almost always feature multiple small plants, usually cacti and succulents, as well as an ornamental top dressing and other decorative features. Each month follows a different theme which they post ahead of time on their website. The pots all come from a local ceramic shop. They’ll often toss in little accessories that may or may not be plant-related.
Cost: A month-to-month Cactique subscription costs $29 dollars.
