The Plant Runner
According to a recent poll, there is a dead or dying pot plant in every office, apartment and house in the world. Cause of death - over watered by an ugly green watering can or dried out in a sad plastic pot* purchased with dreams of exponential growth and a chance to propagate a forest, plant-owners are wasting time, energy and effort killing their indoor plants, and shaking their interior aesthetic.
Here at The Plant Runner plant care is in our nature - we’ve got green stuff running through our veins - and we’re on a mission to make it easier and more beautiful for people to keep their plants alive and thriving with our curated selection of accessories, materials and knowledge.
Sure, our degrees in horticulture taught us the Latin names of plants, but we know that doesn’t mean a lot when you need to ensure your plants flourish and add character to your home. Our years in the industry have taught us great plant lovers need three things:
1. Good quality materials (you know, like gnat free potting mix),
2. Accessories that are both functional and beautiful
3. And straightforward plant info (not taking you down the garden path, so to speak).
Begone are the days of green plastic watering cans, liquid fertiliser you can only buy in bulk, and budget looking pots. Behold our curated selection of premium plant care accessories, tools and a custom formula care products for healthy-life-giving potting mixes and oils. They’re carefully selected for their modern aesthetic and considered eco footprint to bring your plant to life.
*Poll conducted by Dom and Duncan who asked their mothers. Both women agreed this would likely be the case.
JARGON FREE EXPERTS
We are qualified horticulturalists who bond with people over love of plants, not Latin names. We’ll share our knowledge in clear and accessible language to give plant-lovers the control over their own leafy destiny .
QUALITY
We have created a selection of accessories, tools and materials that reflect craftsmanship, quality and longevity. You won’t find these items down at the local shop - they’re as unique as the plants they serve. These items are designed to be part of a lifestyle, proudly used and displayed - not hidden in a garden shed.
WASTE CONSIDERED
As plant lovers we have taken steps to reduce our environmental impact. We use minimal packaging, removing the use of single use plastics where possible, selective procedure stock that has minimal single use waste. We select accessories and tools designed to last.
PEOPLE FOCUSED
Relationships with plants can be meaningful, enduring and enriching - so can relationships with people. We’re hands on the tools in our business, supporting our customers over time at markets, at events and online. Talking with customers about plants is our dream!
As a couple of crazy plant people we’d be nuts not to want to make sure we were doing as much as we can to minimise our impact on the environment. Since Day One, we have made it part of our brand mission to minimise plastic and be as sustainable as possible.
Our packaging is made from recyclable materials like cardboard wherever possible, and we’ve avoided using plastic bottles (YUCK) for our Plant Food and Neem Oil, opting for glass instead. We use recyclable paper tape on our boxes and eco-friendly packing peanuts when necessary. We try not to stock products that are made from plastic, or rely heavily on environmentally UN-friendly packaging like excess plastic wrap or polystyrene.
As much as we can, we work with local businesses for product development, parts and packaging to reduce our carbon footprint and avoid unnecessary transport.
For banking, we work with a bank that does not invest in fossil fuels and instead puts money into renewables and the local community.
And finally, we are a PROUD 1% For The Planet Member, which means we donate 1% of all our sales to environmental causes and organisations. We are part of an industry that profits from the resources given to us by the planet so we should play a part in protecting those resources. Read more about our 1% For The Planet Commitmenthere
We recognise that there is always room to improve and we are constantly evaluating ourselves to make sure we’re doing as much as we can to be as sustainable as possible. We are always learning and love feedback or suggestions, so feel free to contact us!
Meet the people who love plants so much they made it their job
Co-founder Duncan is a warm and generous plant-lover who loves a yarn about what you’ve got growing at home.
His background in horticulture qualifies his green thumb, and he has applied his knowledge and passion in the community, residential and corporate sectors.
Duncan balances beauty and function for green spaces and values the positive impact they have on those people who use them.
While travelling through New York he visited an impressive pop-up plant installation that immersed him into nature and greenery in one of the most iconic concrete jungles in the world. This experience would go on to inspire him and Dom to create their own oasis of plants in a vintage truck fondly known as The Plant Runner.
Co-founder Dominic is a creative, entrepreneur and horticulturist, thriving in diverse environments - he usually takes the grown over path on bushwalks. Dom has travelled extensively locally and internationally as a musician.
At home he’s drawn back to nature having grown his residential and commercial gardening business since 2011. His green thumbs have sculpted, designed and grown some of Melbourne’s unique and sought after gardens.
As a proud Dad he’s passionate on growing a better future for the next generation and educating small hands about the beauty and pleasure in nature.
