Review: Costa Farms “Trending Tropicals” Collection.
Left to Right: “Raven” ZZ Plant, “Polka Dot” Begonia, “Little Swiss” Monstera.
While on a recent visit to Indiana, I was lucky enough to find the “Polka Dot” begonia (Begonia Maculata) from Costa Farms “Trending Tropicals” collection. I was shopping at Lowe’s, and it was hard not to see a large wooden rack of striking Begonias under a huge teal “Trending Tropicals” sign. The plants are gorgeous in shape, color, and size. I know this is a really popular plant at the moment, and I can see why. The patterns seem almost impossibly beautiful. Almost as shocking as the plant’s beauty was the price…under $20!
This was my first in-person experience with “Trending Tropicals", so I set out to research the other plants that are a part of this collection in hopes that I might be able to get my hands on a few more. A quick trip to the Costa Farms webpage reveals many of the plants that make up this collection. Some include “Little Swiss Monstera” (Monstera Adonsonii), “Raven” ZZ plant, Network” Calathea, “Little Fiddle” Fiddle Leaf Fig, and “Raindrop” Pepperomia. This isn’t a comprehensive list of the collection, and as far as I know, plants will be added or removed from the collection intermittently with some plants being “limited release.” The plants aren’t sold on the Costa Farms webpage, though they do offer a list of retailers who carry their plants.
After a few unsuccessful trips to various Lowe’s in my area, I was about to give up my hopes of acquiring more of this collection. I went back online searching for the collection, and found that Home Depot carries several of the plants online. The down-side to this option for me was two-fold. First, I really don’t love shipping plants if it’s avoidable. My ideal situation would have been to find the plants in person. Second, the cost! I have heard that in brick and mortar locations, this collection ranges from $18-24. The plants online are closer to $40 on average. I put the ZZ and the Little Swiss in my cart and forgot about them. I wasn’t ready to shell out that kind of money for plants that retail for much less if you’re lucky enough to find them in-store.
After some time had passed, I was still curious about the plants and thought I would check in on HomeDepot.com to see if the plants were still available. I was super happy to see that the plants were on sale for $24.56! I went ahead and purchased the Raven ZZ and the “Little Swiss” (Monstera Adonsonii). In my confirmation email from Home Depot, I learned that these plants would be shipping from Costa Farms, which explains the long lead time. It was around two weeks from the time I ordered them to the time the plants arrived. The plants were boxed separately, and although they shipped via UPS at the same time, The ZZ arrived on a Friday and the “Little Swiss” sat over the weekend and didn't arrive until a Monday. My temps were in the 50s and 60s, and I think this would have been fine had the plant been sealed in a basic cardboard box with a little bit of insulation to prevent it from being tossed about and perhaps shield from whatever weather it might’ve travelled through. The reality, however, was that the plants are sliced into a paper sleeve, secured into styrofoam form to secure the base of a pot and slid into a large “this side up” marked box with two open slits in the box to be used as handles. Unfortunately, the Monstera didn’t take kindly to the shipping conditions. I can’t say if this had anything to do with the box, or if the plant just didn’t appreciate being shipped. I do have the suspicion, however, that had the ZZ been the plant to get held over the weekend, the Monstera would be in much better shape.
I am thrilled with the “Polka Dot” Begonia and the “Raven” ZZ Plant. Thrilled. I love them, they are both beautiful and unique plants that I enjoy having in my home. As for the “Little Swiss, my feelings are lukewarm. I already have two of this plant (I know, I know…why did I order a third?) and then there’s the fact that it arrived in less than ideal condition. I am still working on nursing it, so maybe my feelings will change if I get some positive reinforcement from the plant. Overall, I love this collection and look forward to seeing what’ll be added in the future.
You can read the update on “Little Swiss” here.