Show you grow: Houston’s best plant stores
Midterms got you seeing red? Go for green instead at these local plant stores.
Eden Plant Co.
Nestled in Second Ward with an additional location at POST, Eden Plant Co. curates a selection of plants that satisfies both the seasoned collector and the total rookie. The space doubles as a coffee shop and serves as a serene study space for those who luck out with parking. Coffee, vibes and plants — what’s not to love?
Personal favorite: lemon lime prayer plant and an iced matcha latte
Buchanan’s Native Plants
A Houston Heights gardening staple since 1986, Buchanan’s Native Plants carries a vast selection of indoor and outdoor plants, focusing on native Texan varieties and organic gardening. They even have signs on the native plants showing insects that are part of its ecosystem. Go to Buchanan’s for a time-honored gardening experience enriched by the knowledgeable staff.
Personal favorite: purple coneflower
Blessings Plants & Music
Stationed right next to the resale block in Montrose, Blessings boasts an enviable collection of vinyl records and houseplants that is perfect for beginner gardeners, since they include a care card with each of your plants. Blessings also stocks an assortment of local magazines.
Personal favorite: marble queen pothos and “Forbidden Fruit” by Nina Simone
Dirt Bag
Dirt Bag is a cozy stop for more off-the-radar indoor plants, including variegated cultivars of already sought-after indoor rarities. They also have a nice selection of soils so your plants are able to absorb water without drowning or drying out.
Personal favorite: monkey cup pitcher plant
The Plant Project
The first Black woman-owned plant store in Texas finds its home in the Montrose Collective, a luxury development just three miles north of campus. Stocking both plants and goods created by local Black and Brown artists, The Plant Project also boasts a healthy schedule of plant workshops for those looking to get their thumbs green.
Personal favorite: starfish sansevieria
Tall Plants
Supplying Houston with tall plants since 1977, Tall Plants keeps its greenhouse and warehouse well stocked with all the usual indoor plants but specializes in plants measuring four feet or taller, such as Elephant Ears and ZZ plants. Though it’s about eight miles away from campus, Tall Plants is still an interesting stop for those seeking greener skyscrapers.
Personal favorite: the six foot cacti
Another Place in Time
Part antique store, part rare plant nursery, Another Place in Time is a quirky cottage-core fantasy come true with a truly eye-popping selection of rare plants. Tucked quietly away in the Houston Heights, this quiet little shop hosts beautiful tropical flowers, rotating deals on plants and year-round Christmas decor for your perusal.
Personal favorite: staghorn fern
Re-Leaf
Re-Leaf is a plant rehoming project allowing interested parties to adopt pre-owned office plants at sizable discounts. Their selection varies greatly from week to week, but they consistently stock Sansevieria and Fiddle Leaf Figs. Stop here for more mature plants at formidable discounts and staff that are more than willing to help you keep your plants green.
Personal favorite: white orchid
Brass Tacks
Though it is not primarily a plant store, Brass Tacks’ lush indoor plant selection makes it perfect for all in search of good vibes and green interiors. The plants inside the coffee shop are all available for purchase and make it a cozy place to study and photosynthesize, and the building itself was designed by a Rice-educated architect.
Personal favorite: fiddle leaf fig and a Texas affogato
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice Rugby’s intellectual brutality results in dominance
Rugby is a particularly underrepresented sport in the United States. Only four Division 1 universities field varsity rugby teams, and the sport’s organization for American professional play, Major League Rugby, had its inaugural season just five years ago. It is not surprising, then, that many students at Rice are unaware that the university’s club rugby team is one of the best in the nation.
Review: ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ reinvigorates the ‘Hunger Games’ franchise
Set 64 years before beloved heroine Katniss Everdeen entered the arena, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” employs a young President Snow as its protagonist. As it turns out, long before he was orchestrating the Hunger Games seen in Suzanne Collins’ original trilogy, Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) was poor as dirt. Between his father’s death and the Snow family’s sudden loss of wealth, Snow, his grandmother and his cousin Tigris (Hunter Schafer) must fend for themselves.
Live your best dead days life
Final exams begin Dec. 6 for many students. The Monday and Tuesday of that week are study days where no classes are held, christened the “Dead Days” because campus is devoid of much life outside of frantic revision. Here is a list of study breaks where you can regain a balance of emotional and mental health before diving into exams … not to mention the long winter break with family.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.