A greenhouse for the shady side of the house.
Understory started in 2019 as a folding table at a Fort Lauderdale farmers' market, a couple of crates of pothos and a hand-lettered sign that said "for dark apartments."
Maya Okafor was a horticulture student at the University of Florida; Theo Lindqvist was a carpenter who had filled his north-facing rental with plants that kept dying. The sign worked. People kept asking the same question, "will this survive in my place?", and the answer turned into a business.
Today we grow and finish plants in a 6,000-square-foot greenhouse off SW 23rd Street in Fort Lauderdale. We buy young plants from family growers in South and Central Florida, let them adjust to lower light on our benches for at least three weeks, and only then list them for sale. A plant that has already learned to live without full sun is much less likely to drop its leaves in your living room.
What we believe
- Light first. Every plant has a care card written for real homes, not greenhouses. If a plant needs a sunroom, we say so.
- Fewer, better varieties. We sell about forty plants, not four hundred, and we know each one well.
- Planters that fit. Our ceramics are sized to our nursery pots, so there's no guessing and no repotting on day one.
- A guarantee with no fine print. If a plant doesn't make it through its first month, send a photo and we'll make it right.
Come say hello: the greenhouse is open for local pickup Thursday and Friday, 10 am to 4 pm.
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