Leslie Buettner, owner of Botany House Plants
What inspired you to open a houseplant shop? And/or what made Carbondale the perfect spot to do so?
It has been a dream of mine for 5+ years to open a houseplant shop. Indoor and outdoor gardening has occupied much of my free and professional time for two decades now, and I love sharing my excitement with others- both those already involved in keeping houseplants and inspiring beginners to become absorbed in the pastime. The recent increased interest in living with and caring for houseplants, along with the creativity of the Carbondale community and interest in the Arts, makes this the time and place to follow through with my dream.
Why is it important to have plants in your home?
To me, plants are part of what makes a home a home; they are just as essential as a comfy couch or a piece of artwork. Houseplants bring warmth, comfort, and a connection to the natural world within our home and workspaces, and there are real positive benefits to be gained from including plants in our interior spaces. Growing and tending to houseplants can bring simplicity to our overcomplicated lives, and can act as a release to everyday stresses and can also teach us important observation skills, along with patience, empathy and problem solving.
What can we expect to find at Botany? [Located in La Fontana Plaza]
At Botany we offer a wide range of common and rare tropical plants, cacti and succulents that happily live indoors. You will find pottery, decorative plant hangers and other unique vessels for houseplants. We have a potting soil blend made in Colorado and we intend to develop our own in-house potting mixes specifically suited to individual plant needs. We have houseplant care supplies thoughtfully chosen for their organic ingredients and small batch runs, as well as watering cans, misters and pruners, terrariums and botanical artwork.
Furthermore, we provide complimentary services like drilling a drainage hole in your new piece of pottery, potting up your new plant and offering advice and guidance on selecting the right plant for your situation and how best to care for it.
Lastly, you will find a comfortable seating area where you can sip your coffee from DOS, kick back while your companion shops, thumb through an assortment of houseplant design, lifestyle and care books or pull out a coloring book and colored pencils for your little one to occupy themselves while you look around.
How can you support those of us who don't have green thumbs but love natural ambiance?
We have a wide range of easy to care for plants that we can steer you towards and are happy to give advice and offer suggestions to help improve your green thumb. Even just a single plant when paired with a beautiful handwoven basket, unique piece of pottery or decorative plant stand can greatly increase the natural ambience in your interior space. And perhaps you may just find yourself enjoying the beauty and calm of the space that Botany provides without needing to take home a plant of your own.
What are your plans for growing, pun intended. Any workshops/classes or collaborations?
I absolutely want to familiarize myself with the Carbondale Clay Center in the hopes of discovering some potters to collaborate with and we plan to offer an array of classes that will include taking home your first plant, plant health and fertilization, insect prevention and remedies, placement, propagation and so on. We would love to collaborate with other locals in the botanical world on plant craft and holiday-specific botanical activities.
We are also working with a local woodworker who is making handcrafted plant stands and furnishings for a wide variety of tastes and styles as well as handmade frames for botanical watercolor prints by Aaron Aspley.
Along with our custom blended potting mixes, we will also have a work area, complete with decorative gravels, a plant ‘shower’, and a worktable to utilize for potting up one's own purchase, or having us pot it up for you.