Where to buy indoor plants

01

Choose the room before the retailer

Record the spot’s natural light, temperature, draughts and humidity. Match the plant to those conditions before comparing shops or prices.[1]

02

Understand the shared supply chain

The Netherlands is one of the UK’s largest ornamental trade partners, and Royal FloraHolland connects buyers with thousands of growers. Similar ranges can therefore reflect overlapping trade routes; they do not prove identical batches, grade, care or origin. HMRC distinguishes country of origin from country of dispatch, so a Netherlands trade route does not by itself mean Netherlands-grown.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

• Compare like with like: botanical name, pot diameter, plant height or maturity, grade and whether the photograph shows the exact plant.
• Quality, size and maturity are separate trade specifications. Treat price as a budget filter, not as proof of plant health or grade.
• In person lets you inspect the exact specimen. Online may widen your search; check measurements and plant-health traceability before ordering. For professional distance sales to personal-use customers in Great Britain, a plant passport is required. Issuers in England and Wales must be authorised by APHA; Scotland uses SASA, while Northern Ireland has separate DAERA guidance. APHA’s published distance-seller list is voluntary, so absence is not proof of non-authorisation.

03

Use a 60-second health check

Health matters more than size or trend value.[2][3][4]

• Look for balanced growth, healthy colour and no dieback or leaf spots.
• Check both sides of leaves, stems and leaf joints for pests.
• Avoid wilted plants in wet compost and badly congested roots.