If you’re like me, you’re mourning the loss of what was arguably Chicago’s best plant shop. Plantier was just south of wicker park and the perfect balance of fairly priced and exotic. Every time I went, I came home with huge alocasia and trailing philodendrons for $20 or less. Unfortunately, two weeks ago the owner of the shop closed up to go take care her family out of the country. After taking the time to dry my tears, I went on a hunt for Chicago’s next best plant shop so you don’t have to. My top three are as follows.
1. Sprout Home in West Town
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I found sprout home on my way to Mammoth Poke on the north side (best poke in Chicago, by the way). Located on the west edge of the Ukrainian Village, Sprout Home’s modest exterior helps it blend into the warehouses and bodegas around it. It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it type thing. Despite its humble outside, given away by a small sign and a garden center out back, Sprout Home is an emporium of amazing plants. I was less than impressed by their selection of alocasia and pothos – they were sad and droopy, and costed way more than they should have. However, this place really shines with its Rubber Trees, Fiddle Leaf Figs, and monsteras. They are priced at an incredible bargain – I got a four foot Rubber Tree for $20, and it simply cannot stop growing. The space is large and full, with a room dedicated to soil, fertilizer, and pots of all shapes and sizes. I especially love their seasonal selection, located outside during the summer. I’m not really a flower person, but if you are, this is the place to be. I remember being enchanted by the variety of calatheas, the philodendrons in hanging baskets and climbing up moss poles, and their succulent selection. The staff was kind, but not overbearing, so I could walk around at my own pace, exploring and inspecting. I will say, the plants are not the healthiest, but the sheer number of them explains why. A good repotting will take care of most of the problems. I’ve had many rootbound plants from Sprout Home, and they took a bit of time to bounce back from repotting, but they’re still growing even as the weather gets colder. If you’re looking for budget-breaking plants, they have those too. They boast a huge Thai Constellation Monstera worth $1500, which I love to look at but will (sadly) never buy.
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Price: 4/5
Variety: 4/5
Experience: 5/5
Go Here For: It’s a long way from uchicago. However, the trek is worth it if you want huge and fairly priced indoor trees like fiddle leaf figs and rubber plants. They don’t really shine in the aroid department, (I seriously can’t get over how sad and expensive the alocasia were) but if you need an all-in-one place to get beautiful flowers, succulents, and trees, this is your spot. Just be ready to water and repot your new plant as soon as possible.
2. The Potting Bench at Block 37
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The Potting Bench is inside the Block 37 mall downtown, and is the closest location to us Hyde-Parkers. Here you’ll find adorable starter plants and giant rare varieties that could make you cry. The staff is incredibly social and eager to help, and the space is small, so if you enjoy shopping in silence this may not be the place for you. However, the staff are really nice, and they’ll pull out the rare varieties (monstera albo that cost more than your rent), and let you touch and hold them. I go here when I want to fantasize about a disposable income large enough to afford these beauties. Though not every plant in their space is $800, they tend to be a bit pricier than normal. Keep your eye out for tiny, rare plants, which you can grow and nourish in your own home (more fun anyway). I got a philodendron silver sword ($40) for $17 there. The space is small and the variety of mature plants is limited because of this, but overall it’s a fun and accessible place to daydream about your future indoor jungle.
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Price: 3/5
Variety: 3/5
Experience: 4/5
Go Here For: Most of the plants are a bit more money than I’d like to spend ($35-70), so I really only go here for shot-glass-sized baby plants which are $5-20. I’d recommend this place to someone confident in their ability to grow adorable and tiny plants into mature ones.
3. Plant Salon, Noble Square
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Plant salon is a bit of a requisite review – there are two of them and google maps loves to point you in their direction. However, I have almost nothing nice to say about them. Don’t let the huge and beautiful monstera in their windows fool you, this place is all aesthetic and no substance. Their plants are incredibly expensive, and not in good shape at all. They regularly die on me, and maybe its user error, but I don’t think they take great care of their stock. I also think their selection is boring for the most part – lots of pothos and small, un-fenestrated monstera. If you go, go to Noble Square because the Plant Salon up north has a total of maybe ten plants in the entire shop. At Noble Square, things are not all bad and you can check out the plants in the humidifying cabinet – I usually have the best luck with those. I have been eyeing their prayer plants for a while but a combination of my personal ineptitude caring for Marantacae plants, their crispy tips, and the just-too-high price usually dissuades me. I will say, once I went and they had a sensitive plant – the kind that close up when you touch them – and I regret not buying it every day. Though the quality and selection are not super great, Plant Salon can surprise you and if you’re in the area, poking around in there can’t hurt! As a bonus, the people who work there are always super kind and helpful, but are also happy to let you do your own thing, win-win.
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Price: 3/5
Variety: 2/5
Experience: 3/5
Go here For: Go here with an open mind and poke around, but keep in mind I have never found a dream plant at Plant Salon. Sometimes the stars align and you find something at the intersection of affordable and interesting, but don’t get your hopes up. Either way, Chicago has a distinct lack of plant shops, so if you’re around it cant hurt to check it out.
4. Honorable Mention: Chicago Botanical Gardens
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If you’re like me, you think big plants are one of God’s greatest gifts. I love seeing giant towering plants, even if I own mini versions of them at home. I absolutely love the Chicago Botanical Gardens at Garfield Park Conservatory, which is free to enter and will fill you with both a love for nature and extreme jealousy that your plants don’t look like the ones in the greenhouse. My favorite room was the aroid room (I’m just a tropical plant girl), but I surprisingly was super taken with the desert plants room as well. The Botanical Gardens have everything from freaky to fruit-bearing and make a great spot for a date!
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