Nerdy Plant Co. co-owners help Atlantans keep their house plants green and growing!
People hire babysitters and pet sitters, but what about plant sitters? Brandon Barnett and Cameron Dotson founded Nerdy Plant Co. to help people care for their plants. They used to run a retail shop called Plant Nerds where they sold “nerdy” accessories like Pokemon-themed pots. The business evolved, and now they offer design, care and maintenance for house plants in Buckhead and the surrounding areas.
“Pre-COVID, people were starting to become aware of what plants can add to a space, and we were big advocates for that,” Barnett says. “I grew up taking care of plants and probably have 100 at home now.”
He’s the plant expert, even making his own soil mixtures. Dotson runs operations. The cost is dependent on client needs and is usually charged by the hour and location. Some people opt for services on a weekly or biweekly basis, while others are monthly.
“We’re a small company. When you reach out, you know you’re going to get either me or Cameron,” Barnett says. “We care about what we do.”
We spoke to him to learn more.
How does the new client sign-up process work?
Usually someone will reach out and say, “I’m new to this,” or “I’ve killed plants in the past. I don’t know what I’m doing.” We’ll schedule an in-person consultation. I’ll walk the space and check the lighting, where the air vents are and what the design preferences are, and take a few pictures. Over the next week or so, I’ll put a design plan together with multiple choices for plants and send it to the client. We will go back and forth on what works, what doesn’t and what we can change. Once that’s finalized, we’ll purchase everything to install. Sometimes they don’t want ongoing maintenance. Other times, they want to have the look of plants in their space without the care aspect. We’ll keep it looking good.
How long is a care visit?
A regular residential visit is about 30 minutes. That’s dependent on if it is just watering, pruning and making everything look good. Sometimes the plants need to be repotted or switched out. There may be a pest issue that I need to take care of.
Do you work with interior designers?
One of our first big jobs was with Muchacho on the Eastside BeltLine when they did their big renovation. We worked with their interior designers to choose the right plants, install and care for them. How is the outdoor work you do different from landscaping? It’s not in-ground planting; it’s containers. It’s more for patios, porches and balconies. What sets us apart is we’re part of the design and install process, as well as maintenance.
Where do you source your plants?
If it’s an install that needs a lot of indoor plants, we’ll have them shipped. Most house plants in America are grown in Florida, so it’s easy to get a shipment. For outdoor containers, we like to go to Saul Nurseries in Sandy Springs. They’re great local growers, but they are trade only, so they don’t provide plants to the public.
What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on?
One of the leaders of the Red Bull Music Festival reached out and said they needed plants for the festival all around the city. There were different venues and different days for events. It was very interesting to get plants from one space to another, repurpose them with different looks and purposes, like concerts and interviews and art shows. It gave us the experience we needed to do any event or situation going forward.
NERDY PLANT CO.
@nerdyplantco
nerdyplantco.com
PHOTO: Joann Vitelli
