What do we do with last season’s plants?

One question we get all the time at GARDENHAUS is:

“What happens to the plants when you swap out seasonal planters?”

And honestly, we love being asked.

It means more and more people are beginning to think about the cultivation and stewardship of outdoor spaces not just as decoration, but as part of a larger ecosystem. That mindset is a huge part of why we started GARDENHAUS in the first place.

Turning Concrete Spaces into Pollinator Habitats

One of our biggest goals with our seasonal planter subscription service is transforming blank patios, storefronts, parking lots, rooftops, (you name it) into living, pollinator-friendly habitats.

Even small container gardens can help support:

• bees

• butterflies

• hummingbirds

• beneficial insects

• and urban biodiversity

We believe beautiful outdoor design and environmental stewardship should go hand in hand.

Through thoughtfully designed seasonal planters, we’re able to bring color, texture, and life into spaces that might otherwise remain sterile or purely concrete.

How Our Seasonal Planter Subscription Works

Each GARDENHAUS planter subscription is refreshed every three months to align with the changing seasons.

During each seasonal rotation, we:

• remove the previous season’s plants (aside from base evergreens)

• replenish and nourish the soil

• install fresh seasonal flowers and foliage

• and design new arrangements that continue supporting pollinators and thriving in the local climate

This process keeps containers healthy, vibrant, and seasonally appropriate year-round.

What Happens to the Removed Plants?

The plants we remove during seasonal swaps are all in different stages of life.

A few are perennials, meaning they naturally return year after year. If the perennials we pull are still healthy, we repot them and doctor them up at Gardenhaus HQ till next year.

The vast majority however are annual flowers nearing the end of their growing season. Many annuals still have some beauty and life left in them when we pull them. For these plants we repot and donate them via our Second Bloom program.

Whenever possible, we work to keep plant waste out of landfills through our closed-loop growing approach.

Plants may be:

• overwintered for future use

• donated locally

• or composted to nourish future gardens

Our goal is always to create a more sustainable landscaping and container gardening model whenever possible.

Donating Seasonal Flowers to the Community

Some spring flowers still look beautiful when it’s time to transition into summer planters.

Rather than discarding healthy blooms, we often donate viable plants to local charities, community spaces, and neighbors so they can continue bringing joy for a little while longer. We call this program Second Bloom. It’s a small way we can reduce waste while sharing beauty throughout the community.

Sustainable Landscaping Through Small Urban Gardens

Every planter may seem small on its own, but together these containers create tiny pockets of habitat throughout the city.

That’s the heart of GARDENHAUS:
creating outdoor spaces that feel beautiful to people while also supporting the environment around them.

Because even a single planter outside a storefront can:

• support pollinators

• soften urban spaces

• reconnect people to seasonal living

• and help bring nature back into everyday life

We believe sustainable landscaping doesn’t always have to look like sprawling gardens or large-scale restoration projects.

Sometimes it starts with one thoughtfully planted container.