(VISBII / For The Times)
37 of the coolest plant shops you can find only in L.A.
From longtime family-run plant stores such as Mickey Hargitay Plants and Sunset Nursery to more recent startups including Latinx With Plants and Tansy, plant stores capture the essence of L.A. — a surprising, welcoming, multicultural mix that imbues every neighborhood in the city with goodwill.
The latest shops offer fresh takes on traditional nurseries, such as the restaurant Yuko’s Kitchen and Lost Books, the used book store in Montrose where you enter through a magical tunnel of live plants and can shop for fiddle-leaf figs alongside copies of “All Quiet on the Western Front” and the bestselling cookbook “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.”
Here is a look at a few of our favorites. Did we miss your preferred place to shop for houseplants? Email me at Lisa.Boone@LATimes.com and I will check them out.
If you’re looking to find out more about houseplants, visit our guide to indoor plants.
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Showing Places
(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)
Artemisia Nursery
El Sereno Plant Shop
This compact, mostly outside nursery in Northeast Los Angeles specializes in California native plants but also sells a selection of vegetable seedlings, herbs, succulents and houseplants. It’s located in a heavily industrial area, between a tire store and an auto repair shop, and parking out front is full of camper-type vehicles that look like they haven’t moved in a while, but there is usually plenty of parking across the street, and Artemisia is definitely worth a visit. Look for its distinctive salmon-pink building, where you’ll also find gardening supplies and a small but interesting collection of pots. The day I went it was pouring rain, but the canopies allowed me to shop without getting too wet, and they provide welcome shade in the summer. This nursery is small, but it packs in a lot of diverse choices (such as five varieties of ceanothus during my soggy visit) with a helpful and knowledgeable staff.
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(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Avalon Nursery & Ceramics
South Park Plant Shop
South Los Angeles’ only enduring nursery feels more like a botanic garden than a thriving business on a busy corner. In addition to trees, shrubs and colorful ceramics, the nursery features a “green room,” where most of the houseplants reside.
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(Nayeli Huerta / For The Times)
EnCactusar
Boyle Heights Plant Shop
The COVID-19 pandemic gave artists Jackie Amezquita and Julio Toruno the opportunity to turn their hobby into their own nursery, a small business at their Boyle Heights home. Toruno makes arrangements with cactuses, and they both make ceramic plant pots. Open Saturdays and Sundays only. DM them on Instagram to make an appointment: instagram.com/encactusar/
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(Fig Earth Supply)
Fig Earth Supply
Highland Park Edibles
In addition to organic edible, native and medicinal plants, owner Conor Fitzpatrick stocks a wide variety of houseplants, including fiddle-leaf figs, philodendron and calathea. Fitzpatrick also presents regular classes — virtually and in person — spanning houseplant basics to cannabis cultivation.
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(Flyplant)
Flyplant
Downtown L.A. Plant Shop
Flyplant was founded at the height of the pandemic, by Sheryl Calipusan Ung, Janessa Molina Maquindang and Melissa Limbago, Filipina American friends with a passion for helping plant parents. Their shop offers custom plant and pot pairings, plant-themed apparel and gardening tools. Recently, the trio added hands-on “Pot it Like its Hot” workshops, where guests can learn how to pot and care for their houseplants.
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(Danae Horst)
Folia Collective
Eagle Rock Plant Shop
Every plant at Folia Collective, from Peperomia ferreyrae to staghorn ferns, comes with a care card written by owner Danae Horst, author of “Houseplants for All: How to Fill Any Home With Happy Plants,” detailing its specific needs. Staff will ask you questions to help you pick the perfect plant and offer tips on how to care for your plant at home. Additionally, Horst stocks houseplant accessories and gifts and hosts monthly workshops and quarterly plant swaps.
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(Danica Carver )
Foliage Long Beach
Long Beach Plant Shop
Foliage Long Beach owners Nicoletta Meza and David Allen bring in plants twice a week and offer rare and uncommon plant drops once a month. They also offer their own line of candles, pottery and soil amendments.
Hi there! We are offering pre-sale items- including heart shaped bouquets, dry floral arrangements, potted plants, and fresh floral bouquets! :)
I have attached our newsletter which announced the opening of our pre-sale. We will have certain items available for purchase the weekend of Valentines days too! Just no heart shaped bouquets as they are presale only!
Hi there! We are offering pre-sale items- including heart shaped bouquets, dry floral arrangements, potted plants, and fresh floral bouquets! :)
I have attached our newsletter which announced the opening of our pre-sale. We will have certain items available for purchase the weekend of Valentines days too! Just no heart shaped bouquets as they are presale only!
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(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Frida Pickles
East San Gabriel Plant Shop
This San Gabriel plant shop and florist offers a variety of orchids, houseplants, succulents, and air plants. Owners Susan and Juan Sanchez have formed a for-profit LLC with a mission to hire and train adults with special needs.
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(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
The Green Place
Fullerton Plant Shop
Jennifer Aragon’s plant shop is thriving with heart-shaped caladiums, tropical marantas and soft-pink syngoniums. Her downtown Fullerton shop opened in August 2020, and everything in it has a story. Take the rusted Brachiosaurus sunbathing on the front table: Cactus Mart wasn’t selling it but Aragon managed to buy it anyhow. And the hand-painted walls by local muralist Carla Roque, who splashed white-outlined leaves on sleek black paint after seeing Aragon’s reference sketches. Between local artwork, partnerships with other city vendors and Aragon managing the front desk, the store is a love letter to Fullerton.
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(Jamie Curtis)
Greenwood Shop
Studio City Plant Shop
In addition to houseplants, Jaime Curtis stocks ceramics, candles, home decor and apothecary items in her Studio City shop. For the holidays, Curtis will have pots from Front Range Terracotta, custom stained glass by Debbie Bean, Mar Mar candles and Boy Smells (both made in L.A.) and her own line of Greenwood candles. Curtis also offers design services to help you transform your space according to light, environment and maintenance needs.
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(Allen Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Houseplant Nation
Huntington Beach Plant Shop
This family-run store in Huntington Beach started as a water shop that sold rare plants (variegated Monstera ‘Albo,’ anthuriums, Epipremnum ‘Albo,’ Syngonium ‘Albo’ and rex begonias). Owners Tammy and Joe Ha recently opened a second store in Garden Grove, 9757 Garden Grove Blvd., No. 9, which features a stunning aroid living wall. The couple also sell handmade, local macramé and pottery and host occasional workshops. “I feel like everybody has a job,” Tammy says. “And my job is to bring people relief to even out all of the negativity. I do this because I love it.”
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(Lisa Boone/Los Angeles Times )
In Blume
Burbank Plant Shop
Jimmy Hartman’s full-service florist offers fresh flowers, handmade bouquets and houseplants.
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(Jackalope Pottery)
Jackalope Pottery & Plants
North Hollywood Plant Shop
This longtime North Hollywood garden center offers fountains, pottery and indoor and outdoor plants, including unusual varieties (aquatic plants, trees, unique succulents and drought-tolerant plants), sourced locally from responsible growers.
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(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
The Juicy Leaf
Glassell Park Plant Shop
Houseplants, succulents, cactuses, tillandsia, designer terrariums, planters and macramé hangers — you can find them all here. You can also create your own arrangement or attend one of owner Felix Navarro’s weekly live workshops hosted on Instagram (items are delivered to your door or you can pick them up at the store).
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(La Belle Plant Nursery)
La Belle Plant Nursery
Santa Monica Plant Shop
This nursery features a wide variety of indoor plants, including cactuses, succulents and air plants; decorative containers in Italian terra cotta and Mexican red clay; as well as Chinese ceramics and glazed ceramic cylinders.
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(Lisa Boone/Los Angeles Times )
Latinx With Plants
Boyle Heights Plant Shop
Inspired by D’Real Graham’s Black With Plants, Latinx With Plants founder Andi Xoch started weekend pop-up events as a way to highlight people of color in the plant world. Her pop ups were so popular, she eventually opened the Latinx With Plants store on César Chávez Boulevard. Xoch says she believes a plant shop in her community can provide a sense of comfort during an unsettling time.
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(Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
Leaf and Spine
Highland Park Plant Shop
This tiny store specializes in plants that are hard to find. “We wanted to form a specialty in plants that are really unique,” says owner Dustin Bulaon, who is a collector. Keep an eye out for rare plant sales, which Bulaon announces on the store’s Instagram.
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(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times)
Lost Books
La Crescenta-Montrose Plant Shop
Walk into Lost Books in Montrose, and you’ll be greeted by an amazingly verdant and jam-packed plant tunnel installed by Yuko Watanabe of Yuko’s Kitchen. (She pivoted to selling plants in her restaurant during the pandemic.) With custom bookshelves dotted with calathea, fiddle-leaf figs, pothos and dracaena and a ceiling covered with dried reindeer moss, the used bookstore has the feel of a miniature, magical literary jungle.
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(Mickey Hargitay Plants)
Mickey Hargitay Plants
Hollywood Plant Shop
Mickey Hargitay’s nursery has been a Hollywood fixture for more than 30 years and is the kind of place where staffers will carry your Monstera deliciosa out to your car for you while offering care tips. “We have done our best to keep some of the hard to get plants such as Monstera adansonii, Rhaphidophora tetrasperma, string of hearts, various varieties of hoya, Peperomia polybotrya, many varieties of calathea,” says Hargitay. Potting services are generally free, depending on the plant’s size.
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(Silvia Razgova/For The Times)
Pasadena Roots
Pasadena Plant Shop
Wendy, Vilma and Cindy Alvarado sell a variety of houseplants and accessories out of their delightful mobile plant shop — a cargo trailer they lovingly refer to as “La Chula” (cutie). In addition to their monthly pop ups around Los Angeles, the family recently opened a Pasadena Roots location in Pasadena.
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(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Pippi + Lola
Long Beach Plant Shop
Populated with wreaths, one-of-a-kind planters, horticulture books and, of course, plants, Pippi + Lola strives to highlight a diverse group of makers, including women and people of color. “There are all these talented women out here,” del Valle says. “Why not show their work?”
Dynelly opened a second location at the Long Beach Exchange in December, where she plans to offer vintage finds, and host workshops and horticulture classes. 3891 N. Lakewood Blvd., Suite 500
Long Beach.
Dynelly opened a second location at the Long Beach Exchange in December, where she plans to offer vintage finds, and host workshops and horticulture classes. 3891 N. Lakewood Blvd., Suite 500
Long Beach.
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(Plant Material)
Plant Material
Eagle Rock Plant Shop
Terremoto landscape architect David Godshall, who co-founded Plant Material with business partner Matt Burrows, likens the nursery’s aesthetic and spirit to “a punk rock plant shop.” Find indoor and outdoor plants, natives and gardening accessories here. Also at 3024 La Paz Drive in Silver Lake. (323) 486-7072.
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(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Plantiitas
Long Beach Plant Shop
Kevin Alcaraz and Anthony Diaz’s spacious shop features tropical houseplants, stylish planters and hand-crafted goods.
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(Sadie Gilliam)
Pour Vida Art & Plant House
Venice Plant Shop
Sadie Gilliam’s Venice boutique offers plants, plant-related gifts and locally made products including crystals, cards, jewelry, candles and fresh floral-and-sage smudge sticks. Check the online calendar for artisanal classes curated by Denise Ambrosi of These Hands Maker’s Collective as well as a mobile plant shop.
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(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Prop House Plants
San Pedro Plant Shop
Running a business as siblings, Jose and Brittany Montero say, is both a joy and a challenge. Brittany said there are times when they butt heads, but she credits their open communication as the driving force behind their ability to address challenges and move past them. She said she loves working with her brother and seeing their dream of running their own business become a reality.
Their 300-square-foot store is small but mighty, with greenery inhabiting nearly every inch from floor to ceiling. Dozens of succulents hang from wooden shelves around the room, and colorful pots scavenged from estate and yard sales line the floor. Quirky details like an old CRT television, a vintage yellow telephone and an unassuming plant with a name tag reading “Frank” give the shop character.
Prop House specializes in beginner-friendly, low-maintenance plants like snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata), pothos and Zanzibar gem (a.k.a. ZZ plant). Brittany and Jose said their mission is to teach people how to care for their plants and show them that plant ownership is not as intimidating as it might seem.
Their 300-square-foot store is small but mighty, with greenery inhabiting nearly every inch from floor to ceiling. Dozens of succulents hang from wooden shelves around the room, and colorful pots scavenged from estate and yard sales line the floor. Quirky details like an old CRT television, a vintage yellow telephone and an unassuming plant with a name tag reading “Frank” give the shop character.
Prop House specializes in beginner-friendly, low-maintenance plants like snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata), pothos and Zanzibar gem (a.k.a. ZZ plant). Brittany and Jose said their mission is to teach people how to care for their plants and show them that plant ownership is not as intimidating as it might seem.
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(Roger’s Gardens)
Roger's Gardens
Newport Beach Plant Shop
The popular gardening and outdoors supply store has made a name for itself for its themed garden displays and elaborate holiday pop-ups. The garden center features extensive indoor and outdoor plants, drought-tolerant native plants, planters, furniture, housewares, gifts and gourmet foods.
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(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times)
Rolling Greens
Culver City Drought-tolerant plants
The garden and home design flagship in Culver City, which rests on 2 acres, offers indoor and outdoor plants, succulents, planters and home decor. Owners Greg Salmeri and Laurie Resnick travel the world to shop for home and garden goods. Customers can create their own arrangement at the store’s Arrangement Bar. Also at 7505 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 934-4500.
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(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
SarahCotta Plants
Glendale Plant Shop
Sarah and Tadeh Bazik stock houseplants both familiar and exotic in their Glendale boutique, as well as planters and plant-related accessories. They also have a “take-one, share-one” community board where customers can share their plant cuttings with other plant lovers. Both Armenian, the Baziks found their fluency in the language especially handy in Glendale, which has one of the largest Armenian populations outside of Armenia itself. Sarah traces her plant passion to her grandmother’s garden in Armenia. Her grandmother would lead her through herbs and hoya plants, pointing out each type and how it grew. While her mother had a black thumb, her grandmother could grow anything.
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(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Semilla Plant Shop
Fullerton Plant Shop
Siblings Cesar Duran, 32, Carla Duran, 34, and Juan Duran, 22 turned an old dance studio in downtown Fullerton into an eccentric plant shop filled with houseplants, succulents, family mementos and home goods. There’s a calathea lounge where visitors can hang out, and a pool table in back if you’re in the mood to recreate. The shop has become a community hub with events for kids, a “Pot & Sip” terrarium class combined with happy hour and “Plant ER,” where anxious plant parents can bring their plants in for a check-up.
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(The Sill)
The Sill
West Hollywood Plant Shop
The popular boutique and online seller carries houseplants, planters and gifts. Plants are displayed according to lighting, water and pet needs and start at $5. The store offers classes on houseplant basics and kokedama, a plant care bar and repotting service.
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(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Stuff Hollywood
Hollywood Plant Shop
Belle Dankongkakul’s artistic flair shines at Stuff, where gifts and ceramics by Los Angeles artists are elegantly displayed among a wide selection of tropical plants and succulents. There are handmade weavings and funky velour macramé planters by Dapper House Menagerie, delicate ceramics by L.A.-based Thai ceramicist Echo Azure and Concrete Geometric, affordably priced vintage clothing, candles and plant accessories — potting soil, misters, plant food and tools. Dankongkakul’s warmth and sense of humor are reflected in the products she chooses, including tiny planters dripping with sparkling disco balls, miniature grab-and-go succulents and a discounted “Sad Plants Sale.”
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(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times)
Sunset Nursery
Silver Lake Plant Shop
This longtime family-run nursery features houseplants, succulents, California natives, edible plants. and pots.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Tansy
Burbank Plant Shop
In addition to plants, owners Shawna Christian and Colette Fowler offer bohemian home goods with flair: colorful fair trade garlands, plants, metal bells, mobiles, pom-poms and suncatchers. “It’s all about color and plants and fabrics,” says Christian. “I am trying to perfect the art of being insanely creative without being claustrophobic.”
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(Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times)
The Tropics
Hollywood Plant Shop
Since opening at the Hollywood swap meet in 1972, the Tropics has grown to a 20,000-square-foot showroom featuring thousands of tropical plants, trees, orchids and decorative accessories. Owner Ryan Hroziencik offers plants for both home and business staging, including real estate and film projects, and the showroom serves as a location itself. It’s a fun place to look at plants but can be frustrating too. There are no price tags, and admission is by appointment only.
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(Sarah Zing)
Wildflora
Studio City Plant Shop
This full-service florist shop also offers houseplants, succulents, tillandsia, airiums, home decor such as pillows and candles, and gifts.There is also a location at the Original Farmers Market, 6333 W. 3rd St. Stall No. 708. (323) 452-9339).
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(Wyldbnch Plants)
Wyldbnch Plants
Downtown L.A. Plant Shop
Pop Annemarie Chan’s plant shop is nestled in the Container Yard of the DTLA Arts District and offers plants, planters, accessories and gifts. The store is offering curbside pickup and private shopping appointments booked 24 hours in advance.
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(Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times)
Yuko Kitchen
Downtown L.A. Plant Shop
During the height of the pandemic, Yuko Watanabe started selling plants at all three of her Japanese restaurants to make ends meet. Now, people come from all over L.A. to dine in her greenery-filled restaurants and shop for plants. There is a second location at 5484 Wilshire Blvd. in Mid-City.
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