The first order is a leap of faith. You are trusting a stranger to wrap something alive, send it across the country, and have it show up looking like the photo you fell for. The second order is a verdict. By then you have opened the box, seen the plant in your own light, and you are deciding whether to do the whole thing again.
We pay close attention to that second order, because it tells us more than any star rating. People do not come back to a shop that let them down. So here is what returning customers actually say, paraphrased in our own words, with no names and no polish.
What Customers Say When They Come Back
These are real reviews from the last few years, shortened and reworded. We kept the dates because honesty matters more than a tidy story.
A returning customer this past June said she keeps coming back because the plants look as beautiful as promised, and she told other shoppers not to hesitate. She was reviewing her Spider Plant Reverse.
The same buyer, a month earlier, wrote that her Peperomia Watermelon arrived in perfect condition, matched the photos on the website, and that she was already planning her next order. That is the repeat in sequence: the first plant earns the second order.
A brand-new plant parent in September said her first plant arrived, she gave it a name, and she plans to order again. Naming a plant is a small thing, but it usually means the plant showed up in good enough shape to become part of the household.
A collector who already owned two peperomias added a new colour in September and said it arrived in great shape. People who know what a healthy peperomia looks like are the toughest judges we have, so we take that one seriously.
A first-time buyer who ordered nine plants at once, including a Maranta Red Prayer, said they were packed beautifully and that she would reorder.
And one shopper who doubted a sensitive Calathea could survive shipping at all said, this June, that she would confidently buy again. Her plant was a Calathea White Fusion, and Calatheas are not known for forgiving a rough trip.
Not sure what to buy second?
The quickest way to pick a plant that suits your light, your space and your pets is our one minute quiz. Take the plant quiz and we will point you toward plants that fit your home instead of guessing.
The Three Things Repeat Buyers Keep Mentioning
Read enough returning-customer reviews and the same three themes keep surfacing.
Consistency. One good delivery could be luck. A second and third delivery described in almost identical words starts to look like a standard. Repeat buyers rarely write about a single dramatic moment. They write that it was good again.
Packaging. Packaging comes up again and again in reviews. Plants that arrive upright, undamaged and with their leaves intact make people want to write a review. It is also the first thing a returning customer notices, because they remember how the last box looked.
Plants that match the picture. This is the quiet one. Nobody writes a paragraph about getting what they expected, but they do write a short line saying the plant looks just like the photo. If you want proof of that in pictures instead of words, our post on the photos customers send back shows it.
Why a Second Order Feels Different From the First
The first order is mostly about the plant. You are asking whether this particular Monstera or Hoya will look the way you hope. The second order is mostly about the shop. You already know what the box feels like, how the plant looks when it comes out, and what the unpacking routine is. The uncertainty drops, so you can spend your attention on choosing instead of worrying.
That is why so many returning customers add a more adventurous plant the second time. Someone who started with an easy trailing plant often comes back for something with more personality, like a patterned Peperomia or a variegated Calathea. Confidence is what moves people up the difficulty ladder, and it starts with the first box arriving in good shape.
Earn Leaves points as you come back
Repeat buyers are exactly who our rewards program is for. When you shop and join, you earn Leaves points toward rewards on future orders. See how the rewards program works.
There is also an honest caveat worth making. A review pool is only as good as the people who bother to write in, and most happy customers never leave a word. So we do not read these snippets as a guarantee about your box. We read them as a pattern: when the same plain, unglamorous praise shows up from different people, buying different plants, months apart, it is more believable than any single glowing five-star review.
Collectors tend to put it most bluntly. They order slowly, they compare what arrives against the listing, and they notice a torn leaf or a leggy stem straight away. When people like that keep coming back, it usually means the plants are arriving the way they were described.
If Something Goes Wrong With an Order
Most reviews are happy ones, but we would be lying if we said no plant ever has a bad trip. Living things travel, and sometimes the trip wins. Every plant ships with the 30-Day Guarantee behind it, and the guarantee only means something if it is easy to use.
If a plant arrives damaged or in poor shape, take a clear photo of the plant and the packaging right away, and contact us. Our team includes horticulturists who can look at what you are seeing and tell you what happened, so you are not left guessing whether it is a shipping problem or a care problem. The sooner you reach out, the easier it is to sort out.
How to Make Your Second Order Even Better
If you have already had one good delivery, here is how we would approach the next one.
Check the light before you click. Place the new plant where you can picture it, and think about the spot before the box arrives so the plant is not sitting in its packaging for days while you decide.
Start from what worked. If your first plant thrived, look for another plant with similar light and watering needs. Our easy-care collection is a reliable place to begin, and the best-sellers are popular for good reason.
Add one new thing at a time. Pairing a plant you already understand with one slightly more adventurous plant lets you learn without risking the whole shelf.
Read the reviews for the exact plant. Every product page shows what buyers say about that plant, and our reviews page collects more in one place.
Ready for round two? Browse all plants and pick the one that has been on your wish list, or take the one minute plant quiz if you want a nudge toward the right fit.
Our tree planting partnership
We partner with One Tree Planted to give back through tree planting, because a greener home should help a greener planet too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my second order arrive in the same condition as the first?
The reviews from returning customers describe the same standard each time: plants that arrive in good shape and match the listing photos. Plants are living things, so no shop can promise identical results every single time, which is why we have a clear process if something goes wrong.
Is it normal to feel nervous ordering a live plant online?
Completely normal. Most first-time buyers say the same thing in their reviews, and many of them became repeat customers once the first plant arrived. Starting with an easy-care plant is a low-stress way to test the process.
Where can I read more customer reviews before I order?
Our reviews page collects what customers have written, and every product page shows its own reviews underneath the listing. Read a few for the exact plant you are considering.
