how I beat the winter blues by plant shopping

I’ll admit it, as far as winters go, this one has been pretty mild. But that doesn’t mean the winter blues aren’t a real thing. Because while temps have been higher than normal, the sun has been pretty nonexistent. And while my favorite way to cope with winter is with a warm weather getaway, last winter I discovered a solution that’s a little easier to manage – plant shopping!

If you’ve never given yourself the treat of going plant shopping in midwinter, I highly recommend it. Even if you have a black thumb (which is a myth, I thought I had one until a year ago) and aren’t planning on buying anything, there’s just something about walking into a warm, steamy greenhouse and breathing in the plants and earth that just makes winter melt away.

Fortunately, I happen to live close to some pretty fantastic greenhouses. The above pic was taken at my favorite local stop, Stauffers. But a couple months ago, I discovered Ott’s and let me tell you, if you are anywhere near Philly, it’s worth a trip. Yes, I know Terrain gets all the attention, and I’ve certainly made my fair share of stops there too, but Ott’s is something else all together. I mean, look at this place:

How could this NOT help you escape the winter blues!?!

Even if you don’t have a place as magical as Ott’s nearby, it’s still worth finding your local greenhouse and making a trip. And while big box hardware stores might be fine for a quick plant pick me up, nothing beats your local greenhouse for really helping beat the winter blues!

If you happen to be in the central or southeast PA area, here are a few of my favorites haunts:

Stauffers
Esbenshade’s Garden Center
Ott’s Exotic Plants
Terrain
Pepper’s Greenhouse (ok, this one is in southern Delaware, but I like to go whenever I visit my brother)

And here are a few that are on my list to visit next:

Heuter’s Greenhouses
Wedgewood Gardens

And feel free to share your favorite greenhouse in the comments. I’m not above traveling to hit up a good one!

PS. The ring in the first pic is from my Contra Collection. You can find your own one of a kind ring in my online store!

PPS. I’ve gotten a couple of questions about the plants in the first pic on my Instagram, so I thought I’d share details here as well. The pink plant is a stromanthe sanguinea and the plant with the cutout leaves is a monstera adansonni.