20 Apr Plant Shop Q&A: Put a Plant On It
This series interviews local plant shop owners to get a glimpse into their growing business and pick their brains about all things plants.
Johanna is the owner and head plant queen at Put a Plant On It. Her enthusiasm for plants grew from a long line of farmers that have farmed everything from pineapple, rice, bananas, chocolate, and cows. With her mother she traveled the world, living abroad until coming to the United States at 15. Growing up in 6 different countries gave Johanna a deep love of ecology, having lived in a variety of different environments. That nomadic lifestyle didn’t lend well to keeping plants, but as soon as Johanna became firmly rooted in her home here in Buffalo, she quickly started accumulating plants.
Johanna’s favorite plants include rare aroids (alocasia, philodendron, anthurium) and she enjoys learning from their growth. She grows and propagates most of her own plants in several small greenhouses and hopes to bring some of these hard-to-find plants to the people of Buffalo. Her other favorite plants are hoya and her love of hoya runs deep. She has close to 100 different varieties of hoya which she also hopes to offer in the future. Johanna’s knowledge runs as deep as a taproot and she thrives on sharing it with everyone who steps through the door with a smile and enthusiasm that can’t be matched.
What encouraged you to open a plant store?
I was working as a social media strategist and I was spending a lot of time in front of a computer. I decided to take a part-time job at a local nursery. I liked it so much that I decided to open up my own store.
What kind of indoor plants does your shop specialize in?
I wouldn’t say we specialize in any plants in particular – we like to carry a variety of plants so everyone can find a plant they love. We work with close to 45 different growers all over the country. Certain growers specialize in certain plants. This way we can always offer a nice variety. So I guess if we specialize in anything, we specialize in having a variety!
Tell us about a favorite moment with a customer.
I can’t think of any one moment that was my favorite – there have been many special moments over the years. One of my favoritest moments was just a little moment on one summer afternoon. Katie, a customer, was playing your ukulele, Woozle (our shop dog) was wandering around, the store was full of people shopping, and a beam of sunlight was coming in. I thought this is what heaven must look like.
Another great moment was when someone was buying something for their significant other. They were from Spain and it was her birthday. He led the entire store full of people in a round of Happy Birthday.
What is your #1 tip for new plant parents?
Do not re-pot that plant! Plants do not need to be repotted as often as social media makes us think. The leading issue we see here is plants that are either poorly or improperly potted.
Tell us about your personal plant collection. How has it evolved over time?
I stopped counting my personal collection at 275 plants and that was two years ago and I certainly have gotten more plants since then! My guess is that I’d likely have close to or over 400 plants at home. I have always been into hoya and aroids and I have continued to gravitate towards them. I did go through a pretty deep alocasia phase and I have started to move away from those a little, but they still draw me in once in a while. I’d say my collection is mostly philodendron, hoya, and anthurium.
What is your favorite houseplant at the moment?
One that has been up there for a while for me is philodendron orange marmalade. I saw my friend Martha, a collector who’s been collecting for decades, post hers and I immediately fell in love and I had to have one. I did find one and it has been my favorite ever since. Every time I see an orange marmalade I want to get another but I am trying to be good!
Any plant trends you foresee in the next year or two?
I feel like the plant market is kind of hard to predict. Right now the hybrid anthurium are very popular as well as finding sport monsteras (ones with random variegation). I think plants will continue to be popular as people really enjoy taking care of them.
Anything else you’d like to add about the shop?
I would love to add growing space so we can grow more of our own plants! I get such great joy in propagating, growing from seed, and seeing plants mature. I would like more space to be able to do all of this so we can continue to bring cool and unique plants to people.
Learn more at putaplantonit.shop or