The Products: A hand-potted plant in an earthenware planter.
Ships to: The contiguous US
The Sill September 2019 Box Review
I decided to choose the “pet-friendly” subscription option since our dog, Tucker, seems to enjoy nibbling on our houseplants. I also decided to start with the grey planter color.
I was super impressed with the packing job. Barely any dirt escaped from this pot because it was wrapped in so many layers, and even the dirt that did go astray was caught up in the sticky-sided bubble wrap. Genius!
My new plant arrived in flawless condition save for one single leaf that looked like it had been recently clipped. No biggie!
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There was a long teal envelope with some additional info on my new friend. It included a card with information specific to the type of plant inside as well as an additional sheet with care instructions related to what the plant might need right away as it has just spent a few days in a dark box.
I am a sucker for a variegated leaf and these little chubby ones are adorable. I expect they should marble more as they grow, which I am greatly looking forward to! Though this plant is also known as a “baby rubber leaf tree” it actually isn’t related to rubber trees at all. It has fleshy leaves that store most of its water and if it is getting dry, they will shrivel and wrinkle. Though I have over 50 houseplants right now, I actually don’t have one of these in my collection, making this delivery especially exciting.
The planter itself has very thick walls and it a lot more interesting color-wise than the “grey” name would suggest. The only thing I don’t love is that it doesn’t have a drainage hole, but instead came with a layer of lava rocks to assist in preventing root rot. Though it is a personal preference, I would have really preferred an actual hole.
Just look at those leaves! They look hand-painted. This little one should grow about a foot tall over time, making it a great choice for a smaller space. Add to that its easy-going nature and flexibility when it comes to light requirements, and you have a nice little plant that will reward you with its good looks with very little work on your part. I am super impressed with all the info The Sill provides about this plant on its very own info page! It contains troubleshooting, general care guidelines, as well as info on the plant’s origins and family. As a plant nerd, this is the sort of stuff that gets me really excited.
The Verdict: While I know this sub is a little on the pricy side for one plant, I can’t help but love it. Could I buy a similar plant locally for a lot less money? Sure, absolutely I could. Would that be as fun? Possibly not. This subscription is so well done that it was hard not to smile throughout the entire unboxing and reviewing process. Every little detail was thought out in terms of getting it into my arms safely, and the supplementary info in the envelope and online was so informative. I also was a lot more impressed with the quality of the planter than I expected to be, though I still wish it had a proper drainage hole (some other designs do!). I love that I can change the color each month and the other shapes available are so stylish that I kind of want to collect them all! This is absolutely a specific type of service for a specific type of subscriber, but I think I absolutely fall into this niche. I can’t wait to see what surprise plant arrives next month.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, your first plant and pot combo will be from the October selections.
Value Breakdown: After shipping, this box cost $40. If I were to buy this plant and planter separately from the site, they would also cost $40, so this subscription saves me the cost of shipping ($12.00 flat-rate).
I love natural/vegan beauty products, Korean skincare, unique jewelry, and weird candies from far away places. When I am not waiting for my next exciting box you can find me painting or taking photographs of interesting people. I never leave home without pug hair somewhere on my shirt and a bold lipstick on my smile.
I am not a subscriber but was thinking about it, so I saw this really adorable red planter and thought I would start by buying this first. Well when I go to checkout my cute small $30 planter was suddenly $46.00. $12.00 shipping for a small pot? No thank you. I do most of my plant shopping on Etsy and have had only 1 issue with a plant I received but it was solved quickly. The plants are bigger than you would get at The Sill. Needless to say I will not be a subscriber.
Hope this helps someone thing about subscribing.
On their site looks like this plant with grant planter is $32, not $40. If this was all you were going to buy you would still save a little on shipping, but I’d probably add a plant in a grow pot to get to free shipping. Their site makes me want to buy all the plants.
peperomia is not even an exotic plant! I could understand the cost if it was rare but I have about three of these little guys and while the variegated varieties are cute they aren’t rare and I got them all for $4.98 each. As far as the planter goes, I’ve bought many gorgeous handthrown pots on etsy about the same size as this one but much more detailed for 20-25. I don’t see this sub lasting long at all.
Waaaaaaaay overpriced! Fun but should definitely be at least 2 plants or even something better/bigger for $40 bucks. That’s actually insane to pay that. Lunarly is a great subscription for $40 bucks you get a plant and some self care goodies as well 🙂
@ Ashley – great review! I just got Hilton Carter’s “Wild at Home: How to style and care for beautiful plants” which is full of ideas and plant eye candy (!!), so I’m now inspired to bring more plants into my home. I agree that the membership is a bit pricey, but it looks like they sell plants on their site in plain nursery pots for a very reasonable price. I’m also intrigued by the “plant parent membership” and would LOVE to see a review of that. For $39 annually you get $10% off most products and free shipping plus a mystery “gift.”
Frankly, I think 1) $40 is too much to pay for plant like that. You can easily find a similar plant at Home Depot for $5 and a nice earthenware pot for another $5. 2) The packaging produces a lot of waste, much of it cannot be recycled.
Thanks for the review! I was in the category of ‘yes please review but wow it’s expensive’.
The plant is very cute and I completely understand that excited feeling, I love plants also. I’ve had great experiences with rocks in the bottom of some tropicals. I like them for large plants that have to go on the floor because then I never have to worry about the carpet getting dirty/stained.
This is tempting…I bought an 8inch square planter yesterday from Home Depot for $28, and$15 doesn’t seem too bad for a healthy plant with good genetics.
I wouldn’t be upset, as it is pretty clear what you’re going to get for your 40 bucks. If you signed up with other expectations, then that is on you for not doing your due diligence.
I am not a subscriber but was thinking about it, so I saw this really adorable red planter and thought I would start by buying this first. Well when I go to checkout my cute small $30 planter was suddenly $46.00. $12.00 shipping for a small pot? No thank you. I do most of my plant shopping on Etsy and have had only 1 issue with a plant I received but it was solved quickly. The plants are bigger than you would get at The Sill. Needless to say I will not be a subscriber.
Hope this helps someone thing about subscribing.
On their site looks like this plant with grant planter is $32, not $40. If this was all you were going to buy you would still save a little on shipping, but I’d probably add a plant in a grow pot to get to free shipping. Their site makes me want to buy all the plants.
peperomia is not even an exotic plant! I could understand the cost if it was rare but I have about three of these little guys and while the variegated varieties are cute they aren’t rare and I got them all for $4.98 each. As far as the planter goes, I’ve bought many gorgeous handthrown pots on etsy about the same size as this one but much more detailed for 20-25. I don’t see this sub lasting long at all.
Waaaaaaaay overpriced! Fun but should definitely be at least 2 plants or even something better/bigger for $40 bucks. That’s actually insane to pay that. Lunarly is a great subscription for $40 bucks you get a plant and some self care goodies as well 🙂
@ Ashley – great review! I just got Hilton Carter’s “Wild at Home: How to style and care for beautiful plants” which is full of ideas and plant eye candy (!!), so I’m now inspired to bring more plants into my home. I agree that the membership is a bit pricey, but it looks like they sell plants on their site in plain nursery pots for a very reasonable price. I’m also intrigued by the “plant parent membership” and would LOVE to see a review of that. For $39 annually you get $10% off most products and free shipping plus a mystery “gift.”
Oops! I mean @Megan! Sorry!!
Frankly, I think 1) $40 is too much to pay for plant like that. You can easily find a similar plant at Home Depot for $5 and a nice earthenware pot for another $5. 2) The packaging produces a lot of waste, much of it cannot be recycled.
Thanks for the review! I was in the category of ‘yes please review but wow it’s expensive’.
The plant is very cute and I completely understand that excited feeling, I love plants also. I’ve had great experiences with rocks in the bottom of some tropicals. I like them for large plants that have to go on the floor because then I never have to worry about the carpet getting dirty/stained.
This is tempting…I bought an 8inch square planter yesterday from Home Depot for $28, and$15 doesn’t seem too bad for a healthy plant with good genetics.
I would be possed if that was all I got for $40, you are way better off going to a garden store or even walmart!
I wouldn’t be upset, as it is pretty clear what you’re going to get for your 40 bucks. If you signed up with other expectations, then that is on you for not doing your due diligence.