Back Alley House Plants
@growcoolplants.bsky.social
we are a houseplant retailer and grower at 501 Main St in Ames, IA
co-owned by @sararah.bsky.social
we grow cool plants
insta: backalleyhouseplants
www.backalleyhouseplants.com
co-owned by @sararah.bsky.social
we grow cool plants
insta: backalleyhouseplants
www.backalleyhouseplants.com
Great event with the Octagon Center for the Arts tonight - painting upcycled pottery, and we brought $5 plants and stickers + free cuttings to share. Amazing turnout!! We love creating community, one plant at a time.
Shout out to Octagon staff and volunteers for (literally) doing the heavy lifting
Shout out to Octagon staff and volunteers for (literally) doing the heavy lifting
June 20, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Great event with the Octagon Center for the Arts tonight - painting upcycled pottery, and we brought $5 plants and stickers + free cuttings to share. Amazing turnout!! We love creating community, one plant at a time.
Shout out to Octagon staff and volunteers for (literally) doing the heavy lifting
Shout out to Octagon staff and volunteers for (literally) doing the heavy lifting
Mathilde splash with like four peduncles
June 7, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Mathilde splash with like four peduncles
Repotted and chopped a few. Have been waiting to chop this hoya latifolia sarawak that puts out deep purple new leaves that inflate wildly as they mature. Excited to finally propagate it!
June 7, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Repotted and chopped a few. Have been waiting to chop this hoya latifolia sarawak that puts out deep purple new leaves that inflate wildly as they mature. Excited to finally propagate it!
Hoya mother plant maintenance day. Everyone got a hose down, spray with insecticidal soap and spray with horticultural sulfur. I haven’t used sulfur until this spring but another grower swears by it. #houseplants
June 7, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Hoya mother plant maintenance day. Everyone got a hose down, spray with insecticidal soap and spray with horticultural sulfur. I haven’t used sulfur until this spring but another grower swears by it. #houseplants
Bonus: this this mystery alocasia corm was in a propagation box for like 6 months and finally rooted and sprouted a leaf! Maybe is pink dragon?
April 16, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Bonus: this this mystery alocasia corm was in a propagation box for like 6 months and finally rooted and sprouted a leaf! Maybe is pink dragon?
Tuesday evening scenes from the basement:
1. Hoya sunrise in bloom
2. Venus flytrap about to bloom
3. Anthurium crystal hope
4. Hoya Russell, which lost its leaf from the propagation cutting, but I didn’t throw it away and it’s pushing a new leaf!
1. Hoya sunrise in bloom
2. Venus flytrap about to bloom
3. Anthurium crystal hope
4. Hoya Russell, which lost its leaf from the propagation cutting, but I didn’t throw it away and it’s pushing a new leaf!
April 16, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Tuesday evening scenes from the basement:
1. Hoya sunrise in bloom
2. Venus flytrap about to bloom
3. Anthurium crystal hope
4. Hoya Russell, which lost its leaf from the propagation cutting, but I didn’t throw it away and it’s pushing a new leaf!
1. Hoya sunrise in bloom
2. Venus flytrap about to bloom
3. Anthurium crystal hope
4. Hoya Russell, which lost its leaf from the propagation cutting, but I didn’t throw it away and it’s pushing a new leaf!
Is there anything better than a greenhouse kitty? Met Charlie (Creeping Charlie) and Phil (Philodendron) today 😻 brothers, five months old, so friendly.
April 10, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Is there anything better than a greenhouse kitty? Met Charlie (Creeping Charlie) and Phil (Philodendron) today 😻 brothers, five months old, so friendly.
I made the executive decision to retire the little green tents because we are using clear totes for “greenhouses” instead and they are not space efficient. I saved one for plants that I’m repotting/refreshing for the sale. We will probably sell the other tents at the sale! bsky.app/profile/grow...
March 29, 2025 at 2:12 PM
I made the executive decision to retire the little green tents because we are using clear totes for “greenhouses” instead and they are not space efficient. I saved one for plants that I’m repotting/refreshing for the sale. We will probably sell the other tents at the sale! bsky.app/profile/grow...
It’s always shelf-o-clock in the basement
March 29, 2025 at 2:08 PM
It’s always shelf-o-clock in the basement
Oh hello. Still here, not posting, only so much bandwidth.
Bad: a friend and customer is moving back to Canada
Good(?): she has donated her entire plant collection to the shop with the request that we sell it and donate the proceeds.
We are also donating plants & looking for more donations!
Bad: a friend and customer is moving back to Canada
Good(?): she has donated her entire plant collection to the shop with the request that we sell it and donate the proceeds.
We are also donating plants & looking for more donations!
March 27, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Oh hello. Still here, not posting, only so much bandwidth.
Bad: a friend and customer is moving back to Canada
Good(?): she has donated her entire plant collection to the shop with the request that we sell it and donate the proceeds.
We are also donating plants & looking for more donations!
Bad: a friend and customer is moving back to Canada
Good(?): she has donated her entire plant collection to the shop with the request that we sell it and donate the proceeds.
We are also donating plants & looking for more donations!
She did it again and spent all day in the shop basement. Anyways here are some #anthurium we grew from seedlings or germinated seeds, very proud. 🥹 #houseplants
March 1, 2025 at 11:35 PM
She did it again and spent all day in the shop basement. Anyways here are some #anthurium we grew from seedlings or germinated seeds, very proud. 🥹 #houseplants
Ping Farm 2.0 #pinguicula #carnivorousplants
February 22, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Ping Farm 2.0 #pinguicula #carnivorousplants
Manifesting
February 15, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Manifesting
Gratuitous personal plant post: anthurium crystallinum x magnificum and silver blush both pushed new leaves around the same time and they are both so, so pretty. Silver blush leaf got a small crease from getting stuck on the neighbor stem but still almost perfect.
February 15, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Gratuitous personal plant post: anthurium crystallinum x magnificum and silver blush both pushed new leaves around the same time and they are both so, so pretty. Silver blush leaf got a small crease from getting stuck on the neighbor stem but still almost perfect.
And of course, my OG love, hoya. Very nice 3” hoya carnosa ‘krimson queen’
February 15, 2025 at 1:45 AM
And of course, my OG love, hoya. Very nice 3” hoya carnosa ‘krimson queen’
Fresh basics: pothos marble queen and neon, maidenhair fern, peperomia ‘little toscani’
February 15, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Fresh basics: pothos marble queen and neon, maidenhair fern, peperomia ‘little toscani’
Several nice alocasia: renginae, dragon scale, cuprea and scalprum
February 15, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Several nice alocasia: renginae, dragon scale, cuprea and scalprum
The leca is lightweight expanded clay aggregate and it had gotten somewhat crusted with algae. After a vinegar soak I rinsed and agitated and rinsed. The sink was full of algae debris and clay sludge after the rinse. This is one batch and I think it was like 5-6 batches total. Glamorous chores! 🤢
February 15, 2025 at 1:36 AM
The leca is lightweight expanded clay aggregate and it had gotten somewhat crusted with algae. After a vinegar soak I rinsed and agitated and rinsed. The sink was full of algae debris and clay sludge after the rinse. This is one batch and I think it was like 5-6 batches total. Glamorous chores! 🤢
We keep our carnivorous in a shallow fish tank situation we call “the bog” and it was starting to get a bit crusty. Took a few hours last weekend to empty it, scrub, and soak the leca in dilute vinegar water. I’m incapable of taking a before pic so here is the bog empty and when I put back the leca
February 15, 2025 at 1:36 AM
We keep our carnivorous in a shallow fish tank situation we call “the bog” and it was starting to get a bit crusty. Took a few hours last weekend to empty it, scrub, and soak the leca in dilute vinegar water. I’m incapable of taking a before pic so here is the bog empty and when I put back the leca
Big carnivorous restock this week after not seeing them available from our suppliers for a few months! Looking fresh!
February 15, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Big carnivorous restock this week after not seeing them available from our suppliers for a few months! Looking fresh!
Oh hello. I’m sure things are fine! (They are not fine!) anyways here are some plants!
Euphorbia trigona green and rubra
Fun fact: my mom had a euphorbia lactea that was about 12 ft tall. We still have some propagated pieces kicking around!
Euphorbia trigona green and rubra
Fun fact: my mom had a euphorbia lactea that was about 12 ft tall. We still have some propagated pieces kicking around!
February 15, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Oh hello. I’m sure things are fine! (They are not fine!) anyways here are some plants!
Euphorbia trigona green and rubra
Fun fact: my mom had a euphorbia lactea that was about 12 ft tall. We still have some propagated pieces kicking around!
Euphorbia trigona green and rubra
Fun fact: my mom had a euphorbia lactea that was about 12 ft tall. We still have some propagated pieces kicking around!
One of the admins of a local houseplant buy-sell-trade page changed the name of the group this morning, lol
February 10, 2025 at 2:47 PM
One of the admins of a local houseplant buy-sell-trade page changed the name of the group this morning, lol
We bought this “greenhouse cabinet” from a local plant guy a few months ago but finally rearranged the shop to put it in place. It needs a new fan before we can close the doors. It is much lighter/brighter than the previous shelves! We will eventually populate it with fancy anthurium.
February 9, 2025 at 2:11 AM
We bought this “greenhouse cabinet” from a local plant guy a few months ago but finally rearranged the shop to put it in place. It needs a new fan before we can close the doors. It is much lighter/brighter than the previous shelves! We will eventually populate it with fancy anthurium.
Purple opuntia finally pushing new paddles
February 9, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Purple opuntia finally pushing new paddles
Blooming pinguicula roduntiflora x gracilis with the cutest white and purple blossom
February 9, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Blooming pinguicula roduntiflora x gracilis with the cutest white and purple blossom