Home doesn’t feel quite like home to me without some plants. When I moved across the country, I gave my plants away to friends. I even gave away my beloved three-tiered plant stand. (As it turns out, it wouldn’t have fit in this new apartment anyway.)
After landing on the east coast, I went to my favorite affordable plant store to replenish. It’s called Ikea. 🙂
Indoor Plants at Ikea Prices
The plant section at Ikea in Brooklyn.
Like most things Ikea, the price is right. A 4″ himayalamix? $5! A sizeable 9.25″ Bird of Paradise (aka strelitzia)? $35. Tall, large 12″ tropical plants go for $50 a piece. One of the best deals is a 8″ snake plant, currently priced at $20. (When I snagged mine in the fall of 2021, it was even less at $15.) Sometimes Ikea also runs promotions with their Ikea Family card.
Among the plants I’ve adopted from Ikea: a ZZ plant ($13), flamingo plant ($15), peace lily ($13), an aloe ($5), a little dragon tree (aka dracaena marginata, $3), a trio of cacti in pots ($13), and a bromeliad ($13).
Snake plants in 8″ pots – $19.99
The quality seems good too. Most of my plants are doing alright, though I’ve had to experiment with moving them around to different rooms. Except for the bromeliad. It lost all its red almost right away and looks scraggly now, though it’s still alive. I don’t think it likes it here in NYC.
Oh, and there was a succulent ($4) who is no longer with us. I don’t know why succulents have a reputation for being easy to take care of. Mine never do well. I officially give up on them. The cacti are happy, though.
Cacti trio with pots – $12.99
Minimalist Planters from Ikea
Ikea planters are hit or miss for me, as they come in different aesthetics. But I can usually find something with a clean, minimalist look. While Ikea no longer makes the white planters I favored, there’s a style called Muskot that is reminiscent of it.
When I first wrote about Ikea planters, I stuck to all white pots. But I’ve expanded to other colors, mostly because there’s an Ikea pot, Gradvis, that I love the design of. Designed by Inma Bermúdez, the series — which includes vases and a mister too — features vertical lines, which I find quite handsome. The pots comes in neutral colors like light gray and black, but not white or off white. (Why not?!)
Gradvis planters – $4.99 – $12.99
And Ikea still makes Bittergurka, the metal planter that I wrote about before. The price has gone up from $12 to $16, but hey, prices have gone up on everything.
The biggest jump in price I saw was the beloved bamboo-and-metal three-tiered plant stand I mentioned above, Satsumas, which was out of stock for the longest time during the pandemic. It’s back, but at twice the price. When I bought it in 2017, it was $30. It’s now $60. Ikea does makes a similar plant stand in all metal, the Olivblad, for less ($27).
Other planters with a minimalist look that caught my eye: Nypon, which looks like concrete but is made of thick plastic (it comes in various sizes), and Drakfrukt, which is off-white with some light speckles.
Don’t miss the other plant accessories. This metal plant stand, Svartpeppar, is a good price at just $8, and it can be flipped on either end. I picked up this elegant ivory and gold watering can with a skinny spout ($15).
Vattenkrasse watering can – $14.99. And some of my happier plants: Flamingo plant (aka anthurium – the red parts just came off recently) and ZZ plant.
Lastly, here’s a new item I just noticed: This cactus-shaped watering can/vase. ($15). How cute is that? I want it, even though I don’t need it. I’m going to tell myself that the handle is probably hard to use so I don’t buy it.
