Take It or Leaf It installation helps plant lovers find perfect match

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When Kevin Tholenaars launched his online plant delivery business, Plantsome North America, in March 2020 with just one employee – himself – it coincided with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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He was understandably apprehensive. Now, about 18 months later, the company employs 10 people, has plants filling two warehouses in Vancouver and Calgary, and he is getting ready to introduce his “green amigos” to plant lovers at the 2021 Vancouver Fall Home Show.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” he says, recalling the day he opened for business. “There was me, the specially designed delivery boxes and a handful of plants, just waiting for my first order.”

Interestingly, Tholenaars, who collaborated with Axel and Thom Persoon, who had first explored the concept in Holland, believes the pandemic reinvigorated everyone’s love of plants and coincided with a trend to own indoor plants.

“It’s really been on the rise for the last few years, there’s a lot of interest in plants, it’s a popular decorative choice now, and we are benefitting from that,” he says, adding he was also able to incorporate his passion for using technology to problem-solve into his business model that includes a handy Plant Finder on the company website to select the right plants and an app that helps people care for them.

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But while launching the fledgling firm and dealing with the effects of the pandemic were stressful, Tholenaars and his expanding team at Plantsome were always ready to share the sense of fun he and the team experience every day at the “office” surrounded by thousands of plants. One of those fun exercises is the labelling of the plants in the inventory.

Take, for example, Sansevieria, one of the plants that will feature in Plantsome’s Take It or Leaf It installation at the home show. Also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, in Plantsome’s inventory, it’s listed as Kaa the snake plant, evoking memories of the big snake Rudyard Kipling made famous in The Jungle Book.

The Take It or Leaf It installation will feature four plant themes: Pet Friendly, Easy to Care For, Splash of Colour and Best Fits For Large Spaces.

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Tholenaars says many tropical plants are pet-friendly.

“People don’t need to disqualify themselves from indoor plants because they have pets,” he says, noting many palms are suitable house plants for pet owners. One of those is Vicky the Parlour Palm aka Neanthebella Parlour Palm – a houseplant that has been popular since the Victorian era, according to Plantsome’s Plantfinder where you can input important criteria – such as light, where the plant will be placed in the home and any pets you own – to find the perfect plant match.

The Easy to Care For vignette presents plants that survive and thrive under pretty much any circumstances – or as Tholenaars calls them, the unkillables. It’s where you’ll find Kaa, the snake plant.

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At the Splash of Colour design theme, look for plants with leaves that aren’t green.

“Some people say, ‘everything is so greenified’ they want something different, some colour. There are plenty of plants with variegated foliage,” he says.

This is where Wandering Willie the Nanouk (Tradescantia Nanouk) makes its appearance along with other colourful specimens. Developed in the Netherlands, Tradescantia Nanouk only requires once-a-week watering and produces striking foliage with leaves showing shades of prink.

Best Fits For Large spaces showcases plants that are “statement pieces” in the home, says Tholenaars.

“Plants come in all shapes and sizes; we want to bring out the most junglified! These plants can transform a space.”

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To set the tone in a room, take a look at Alfredo the Monstera (Monstera Deliciosa) with its beautiful fenestrations (holes) in the leaves, advises Tholenaars.

For plant owners who need some green-thumb help, Tholenaars suggests avoiding “death by TLC” – too much water – which is the main cause of house plants dying.

“Many people consider their plants to be like pets, but unlike pets, you don’t need to give your plants water every day,” he advises.

Plantsome’s app helps solve this problem, he says. When a plant is delivered, download the app, and it will message the owner when to water the plant.

Tholenaars says he buys as many plants as possible from local suppliers, noting British Columbia is known for its tropical plant growers.

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“We go to nurseries to check the quality of the plants, which species they have and then buy a curated list of plants we think fits our customers’ needs,” he says.

But while Plantsome’s business model is online, Tholenaars, whose own background is in e-commerce, says he sees the Vancouver Fall Home Show as an opportunity to showcase the company’s range in person.

“Finally, we have the opportunity to bring out the best of what we have and inspire people about what plants can do for their home and their well-being.

The Vancouver Fall Home Show is being held at the Vancouver Convention Centre – West from October 14 – 17, 2021.