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Tips: How to Buy Plants for Your Home or Office that will last.
There are actual, important differences between a foliage business and a business that ALSO sells plants. What are they and why are they important to you?
Read on. In this tips page, we refer to businesses such as Calverts Plant Interiors as "foliage business". We refer to those businesses such as your grocery store as "other businesses".
Variety. A foliage business will provide you with a variety of
plants that will suite your environment. Other Businesses that provide plants as a side line usually purchase their plant inventory in bulk quantities with little variety.
How were the plants grown? The climate the plants are grown in is and important consideration. The discount
business who provide plants as part of stock usually obtain their plants from from a small variety of inexpensive plants grown quickly in full sun...usually in Florida. Ask to know the
origin of the plant. These plants are not acclimated to lower light levels.
Low light. Houses and offices provide low light. It is important that the plant was grown in low light.
In this way, the chances for the plant having a longer, healthier life in your office or home are higher.
Handling the plants. Did you know that handling the plants is an important part of their health,
particularly when being moved from one location to another - especially when that move includes moving them from one facility to another! Check to see that your plants have been handled by those
trained to  move them.
Receiving the plants. Training is a loose term, watch for experienced green house staff who when receive materials,
take them directly into a green house and not park them outside. We have seen plants left outside in a truck to be worked into the inventory as room permits.
Outside storage. Indoor plants should NOT be stored outside, but immediately placed into a green house.
Why should you care how the plant is handled?
Damage to the root system can occur but not manifest until later. For example, over watering will show up weeks later when you have taken it into your home or office, not right away.
Care in receiving. A host of insect pests can attack a plant, some so microscopic you cannot
see them. If this is the case, pest problems will show up weeks later at home or office, affecting the other plants also.
Delivery. Properly delivery of the plant increases the viability of plant . As it is transported, it
should not be subjected to cold or hot temperatures, high wind, etc.
Delivery of larger plants. Make sure that they are delivered properly and not laid down during
transport, the soil can become disturbed. This means that the transporting may need to be in 7 foot tall panel trucks with the plant upright, rather than laid down in a station wagon.
Climate and light. Buy stock acclimated to your climate, grown in light conditions that resemble
where it will be placed. Ex: have you ever bought a ficus tree, put by window and then watched all
leaves fall off? It was grown in higher light in Florida...it needs to be acclimated to lower light levels so that the leaves will not fall off.
Light and leaves. Leaves adapt to shade and that can take a while. Actual changes occur in their
physiology to accommodate light levels. 
Rain forest plants. Typically, we buy our plants from a rain forest. In a rain forest, the
plants at the bottom of the forest floor have adapted to shade as they are grown in shade. where most come from…things grow at bottom of forest floor…adaptable to deep shade of rain forest.
Deciduous vs tropical plants. Tropical plants come from a temperate environment and do not loose their leaves.
Temperature. Make sure your plants have been in places where the temperature is maintained
and does not fall below 50 degrees. Anything lower and it can sustain chill injury.
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