5 Minutes With … Lauren Gambino
Lauren Gambino is co-owner of plant and home shop PLNTD in Jersey City, New Jersey, with her sister Danielle.
What made you choose horticulture as a career?
My world, like many others, totally changed in 2020. I was in television in a very active in-person, on-set production. Having to work from home without knowing what the future held was so anxiety-inducing! I found myself leaning into one of my hobbies — gardening. At the time I lived in a city with just a tar roof as my outdoor space, so my attention turned to my houseplants. It was so rewarding to build my collection, spend time caring for them, and create an indoor green space that was my safe, peaceful and calming private escape from the world. My sister and I, who I share this hobby with, decided we wanted something different out of life. We came up with the idea to open a plant and home shop together. PLNTD is a place where people just like us can get their green fix in tight city spaces and reap the benefits of growing their own plants. We were influenced by our grandfather, a backyard farmer who had fruit trees, a big vegetable garden and a dozen chickens. We hope he’s proud of what our little shop has become!
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Helping people with their plants, 100%! It’s so rewarding to work with a customer and find the perfect plant for their space and care-level. I love when customers come back in with photos a few months later showing how great their plants are doing!
What keeps you up at night?
Did we turn off all the grow lights? Did we set the thermostat? When was the last time I watered my own plants?! So much! But lately, we have a lot of scheduled events and it’s the logistics of ordering on tight timelines. It’s always a delicate game to play but nothing a solid backup plan and a dose of melatonin can’t solve.
If you weren’t in this profession, what would you be doing?
My knee jerk answer is rockstar, but that’s odd … I don’t play any instruments! I do love music, love to travel and I always have a concert on my upcoming schedule. (I’m really looking forward to Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel later this summer!) Maybe being a roadie is more my speed — I do have experience setting up heavy plant installations, so I think that could work!
What’s something few people know about you?
I’m a sporty girl and get very into fantasy football. Every year, my husband and I visit a different NFL stadium, and we make a weekend out of exploring that specific city. It’s so fun to not just watch my favorite team but root for my fantasy guys in different cities. I always try to bring sports references into our shop, too — on our Instagram @plntdshop, we plan to do a whole March Madness bracket for plants! It’s going to be hysterical!
Favorite plant to grow? Why?
Lately, it’s Syngonium, aka arrowhead plants. I have two that I’m loving — the Albo and the Mojito! They have such beautiful coloring to the leaves and they are so easy. I water plants all day, every day at the shop so when I get home, I don’t want to hear a peep out of my own plants! I need them to be able to dry out without complaint and Syngonium can totally handle that while also pushing out new growth like crazy! One less thing to lose sleep over.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Gambino.
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