Strategic Planning for Plant Replacements in Client Accounts

“Why are you replacing that? It’s green and still has a leaf on it.”

Have you ever been asked this? Years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for clients to grow attached to their overgrown, spindly “corner file cabinet” plants. But with time, and some education, they have come to better understand the importance of regular plant replacements.

Spring is the perfect time to evaluate every account and identify tired, overgrown, and declining inventory. Plant replacements are a natural part of maintaining interior plant care standards, and if you’re committed to quality, you need to have guidelines in place for when they’re needed. But what should those guidelines actually look like?

Establishing Criteria for Replacements Across Accounts

Most of us bid on or manage accounts intending to guarantee the replacement of the inventory over a certain period. This typically factors in:

• Location of the plants
• Light levels
• Plant varieties
• Training and experience of the plant care specialist

Of those, lighting is one of the biggest factors. For accounts with low light levels, be prepared to replace 50–60% of the inventory within two years or less. I estimate medium light levels at 30–40%. For high-light locations, you may only need to replace 10–20% of the plants over the same period.

Challenges of Plant Installations and Replacements

Regardless of whether you’re managing a maintenance account or leasing all the plants, the quality guarantee should apply in both cases. We all want to please our clients, and part of that means acknowledging that some plants start an inevitable decline soon after installation.

I explain to clients that the plants went from ideal greenhouse conditions to a loading dock, then onto a delivery truck—sometimes crossing multiple state lines—into a warehouse or holding area, and finally back on another truck before being installed in a home, office, or commercial space. That’s a lot of handling and stress once departing that cozy, warm, humid, perfectly lit greenhouse, and it takes its toll.

Once the plant installation is complete, the replacement plant’s success is in the hands of your plant care specialist. Most take their accounts very seriously and work hard to maintain a healthy inventory. Ongoing training and strong communication with their service manager can prevent many plant maintenance issues. Still, there are times when a plant simply fails to thrive. And yes, sometimes it’s just one of those unexplainable anomalies.

Proactive Plant Care and Early Intervention

How do you communicate replacement standards, especially to a newly hired plant care specialist?

Pictures! I take plenty of pictures of “tired” plants, sometimes side-by-side with fresh replacements or healthy ones that have been thriving in the same place. I also document plants in various stages of decline. These images are used in training sessions to show what’s acceptable—and what isn’t.

We track all replacements on a shared Google Drive sheet, which includes key plant information. This helps us assess the percentage of replacements per account and fine-tune our training efforts. I also ask plant care specialists to be proactive and notify us early of potential problems that may arise. This allows us to relocate the plant and potentially spare it from a slow, unsightly death.

We typically handle plant replacements within 8 to 24 hours. Being local, responsive, and detail-oriented has paid off immensely. We’ve heard horror stories of clients waiting up to two weeks for a replacement—or worse, watching an entire inventory of 30+ plants deteriorate while getting no resolution from their plant service company. That lack of customer service gives our entire industry a black eye. I often find myself apologizing for their current provider, assuring the now-potential clients that it won’t happen under our care.

Upholding Quality Standards in Plant Care Services

Plant replacements are part of the job—an inevitable aspect of providing quality interior plant care. What matters most is how we handle them. A mix of education and a courteous, proactive approach goes a long way in maintaining our industry’s quality standards and building strong, lasting relationships with clients. With the right strategy, plant replacements can become a reflection of your professionalism—not a problem to fix.