About
We sell plants by the light they need
Understory began in 2019 as a market stall with one rule: before we sold anyone a plant, we asked about their window.
The understory is the layer of a forest beneath the canopy. Light arrives there filtered, dappled and patchy, and most of the plants we keep indoors evolved in exactly those conditions. That is why they suit our homes, and why getting the light right matters more than anything else.
We grow and acclimatise plants in a glasshouse on the edge of Ghent, then send them out early in the week so they spend as little time in a box as possible. Every plant leaves with a care card written by the grower who looked after it.
From greenhouse to windowsill
What happens before a plant reaches you
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Sourced
Young plants come from specialist nurseries in Belgium and the Netherlands.
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Acclimatised
Six weeks or more in our glasshouse, with gradually lower light and humidity, like a home.
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Checked
Roots, leaves and pests, by hand, on the morning it ships.
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Packed
Paper, card and wool. Pots are wrapped so soil stays put.
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Delivered
One night in transit. Monday to Wednesday dispatch only.
What we believe
Fewer plants that live beat more plants that don’t
The right plant, not the trendiest
If your spot is wrong for a fiddle-leaf fig, we’ll tell you, and suggest something that will thrive.
Honest labels
Light ranges show where a plant grows well, not where it just survives. Pet safety follows the ASPCA lists, and we say when we don’t know.
Peat-free, always
Peat bogs store carbon. Our compost uses coir, bark and composted green waste instead.
- 2019 first market stall
- 1,400 square metres of glasshouse
- 6 growers on the team
- 30 days of plant guarantee
The shop, its people, history and figures are sample content for this template.