BY JANE BLOODWORTH ROWE
HILLTOP — PlantHouse in the Hilltop area has answers to many questions consumers have about indoor plants. It also has plants, vases and other supplies for creating an indoor garden.
But the business that started in Virginia Beach has a social component among its specialties, which has led to its expansion to a few other East Coast states. Its employees help customers to create their own terrariums, and workshops and group events are offered.
Essentially, it marries gardening and crafting into what it bills as “experiences.”
“We’re all about having fun,” said Ian Flynn, marketing coordinator for PlantHouse, a family-run business now based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The original PlantHouse location started at the Oceanfront in 2018 before moving two years ago to Hilltop East Shopping Center. PlantHouse now has 10 locations in Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas. It was founded by Bailey Ryan, the CEO, and her family, and is still family owned today.
A lot of the focus is on teaching the customers how to create their own gardens or terrariums, and staff members are available to answer questions that often befuddle indoor plant growers. They can help you choose plants that aren’t toxic to pets or plants that thrive in low lighting or with little care.
Workshops are available for children as well as adults, and children as young as three have attended some of those events, manager Mel Argamaso said. Group events are also available. Oganizations or groups of friends often schedule parties at PlantHouse.
Argamaso led one recent workshop that taught participants to use air plants set against a backdrop of mosses to create a wall hanging. Participants were allowed to choose three air plants, including the reedy, green juncea, gray, spiderly Medusa and spiky ionantha.
So, if you want to keep them as houseplants, you have to “mimic” this at home either by collecting rainwater or by reusing other “dirty” water, such as that you might get from the dog’s bowl, Argamaso said
Mist the air plants daily with the dirty water, which provides them with the bacteria that they need to thrive and even bloom, Argamaso said.
“They can have purple, orange, or red blooms,” she said, “but the one thing that you don’t want to do is forget about them.”
About 34 people participated in this workshop on Friday, June 2, and they created wall hangings in a variety of color schemes using the air plants and the mosses, which came in a range of colors from grey to pastel green to bright purples and greens.
“Anything green catches my attention,” Chesapeake resident Lisa Davis said, pointing to a bright clump of moss. She loves plants, particularly houseplants, she said, and she wants to learn more about indoor gardening.
Portsmouth resident Lani Sloan said that she also likes plants, but for her, the workshop was more about having fun.
“I’m just chilling,” she said. “I find working with plants to be very peaceful.”
The workshop was a particularly relaxing event for a Friday night, Sloan said. By the time it was over, she said she’s found the peace of mind that she was hoping to find.
Upcoming workshops focus on bonsai, moss wreaths, carnivorous plants and a variety of terrariums. Walk-in assistance is available for customers who want to build their own terrariums, and group reservations are available for DIY terrarium building.
PlantHouse is at 1564 Laskin Road, Suite 192, in the Hilltop East Shopping Center. Visit planthouse.us online for more information about the business.
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