OSCEOLA COUNTY — A Northern Michigan woman is starting a unique business.
It’s a plant hospital where you can take house plants in need of urgent TLC and bring them back from the brink.
Sarah Niles from Tustin said house plants are her passion, with more than 200 in her home.
“My best piece of advice I can offer is, if you feel like that, you’re failing at it. Keep trying,” said Niles.
She said she wants to share her years of expertise with others.
“There are so many people that are needing help, but there’s also so many people that are throwing away plants that can actually still live. And I don’t see the sense in throwing away something that you have spent money on, you have spent time on,” said Niles.
Sarah Niles said she’s starting the new business called, Revive and Thrive Plant Sanctuary out of her home.
She knows what it’s like to kill plants like she did when she first started out.
“Quite a few of them ended up meeting their death. I got them healthy. I let them grow and I gave them out as gifts. And then I started venturing out into the more expensive ones, “ said Niles.
Sarah said one big thing novices sometimes do is over-care, but she’s learned what to do and what not to do.
“Don’t overwater. Don’t give them too much sunlight and really just let them do their thing. They can struggle a lot in the winter, especially with not having the sun all the time. Winter is really good for your indirect sunlight plants,” said Niles.
She said you can come to her or she can travel to where you are.
The services include consultations, diagnosing problems, pruning and propagation, repotting, pest control, and of course extended hospital stays for people who have plants that need urgent rehab, or even if your plants are healthy and you need someone to care for them.
“It can be anywhere from a few days to a week or more. That’s why I’m really charging $3 a day,” said Niles.
She said feedback has been mostly positive with a few questioning why this is needed with technology and apps at our fingertips.
She said a lot of apps cost money, and she can provide something Google and Chat GPT cannot.
“I feel like a lot of people would prefer to talk to someone that can walk them through it, or can come to them to help them,” said Niles.
Her business is set to launch in March. She said she’s excited to start her new business venture.
“I feel like I am actually good at doing this. I feel like I can actually help people with this. And it’s really something that really makes me happy,” said Niles.
For more information about the new business, please click here.