Where to get free or cheap plants in The Netherlands
Our Garden
Are you on a mission to build a plant paradise? Are the sky-high prices at commercial garden centres holding you back? After 3 summers of experiencing the same suffering, I put together a list of affordable plant shops in and around Utrecht.
MEERBOMEnNU - FREE
Register yourself on MEERBOMENNU to be notified about the next distribution day from your municipality. Be quick because it tends to fill up. You cannot reserve any trees upfront, but if you’re not picky about which fruit trees you get, this is a very good affordable alternative. When you sign up, they will ask you a few questions about your needs so they can notify you when trees matching your needs are available.
Stek - FREE
Check out Stek to exchange plant cuttings. If you live in a big city like Amsterdam, this is a great way to get some infant plants. The webpage has a little toggle for “no-exchange”, so if you don’t have a sapling to trade, you can still get one for free. I think this is a great way of sharing some green love! If you are growing your own plants from seed, this a great way to give away your extra plants!
Stuikroven - FREE
Another great initiative that I discovered thanks to the kind Reddit folks. Stuikroven - an Eindhoven initiative - that has spread to other cities, is a plant-relocation meet-up. Every now and then, the municipalities need to re-home plants and trees when they take on community construction projects like roads and football fields. At Stuikroven, you can pick up these plants and shrubs for free and bring them home for your garden!
Plant Asylum - €
The term you are looking for is Plantenasiel. Look for a Plantenthuis in your neighbourhood. Utrecht has one in Neude (inside the old post office library) and they are open on Thursdays & Fridays. For a small sum you can adopt a plant. If you find your plants in terrible health and unsuited for your home, you can also donate them to the plant asylum. The staff also provide advice on how to best care for your plants.
Discount supermarkets - €
Discount supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl also sell plants. Be careful though, as these plants will need a lot more care as they are not kept in the best of conditions (poor quality soil).
Kneusjesbox - €€
If you search for a kneusje box on Google, or go to Plantje.nl, you’ll find a “surprise box”. For 15€ you can get 6-8 random plants if you catch a good deal.
Local nurseries - €€
Local nurseries are a great way to score healthy plants at the same or lower cost than garden stores. If you are working with a gardener, the chances are that your gardener has their own nursery. If you aren’t working with a gardener, look for local gardeners and reach out to them to ask if you can buy plants from their nurseries.
Intratuin - €€€
Of course, my post would be incomplete without a mention of Intratuin. I must admit that we bought most of our plants at Intratuin in the first years with a gift card we got as a housewarming present. That being said, I do think it is very, very pricey. My suggestion would be to pick up soil from Intratuin (if you can’t access a nursery) and get your plants elsewhere.
