You Won t Believe the Plants I Got at a Convenience Store Houseplant Shopping

So inside you will find some coal, some candies. Are you kidding me? Oh my gosh, okay. Hey guys, what's going on? Welcome back to my channel. For those of you, my name is Christian, also known as CrazyPlantGuy. I realize I don't introduce myself in any of my videos anymore, so in case you're wondering what my name is, it's Christian. And in today's video, we are doing a houseplant shopping challenge video. It's been a while since I've done any houseplant shopping videos on this channel. And we did something very similar last year where we gave ourselves a $50 budget before taxes to see how many plants we can get at some of these big box stores like Ikea and Home Depot. And that's where I found this Marble Queen or the Snow Queen that you guys see here. And if you watch that video, this took me like 45 minutes behind the scenes to choose the right one out of a sea of Marble Queen or Snow Queen pothos that was presented to me. And that's always the hardest part is picking the right plant for you. But hopefully we don't go through that dilemma again today, but we'll see what we can find. And today, we're going to be checking out a few of these convenience stores or bodegas that's around the city. And if you guys have seen my videos or my stories on Instagram, you should be familiar with some of them. And it's been a while since I've actually visited and checked to see what they have. But whenever I go, I always find something really cool and interesting that I usually don't find at these big box stores. So we'll see what we can get for $50. But comment below and let me know if you think I'm going to pass or fail this challenge. Last year, we were very, very close to passing it. We did go over by like 60 cents or something. So today, I think I'm going to, I think I'm going to fail. Honestly, I think I'm going to fail because like I said, these bodega stores or convenience stores, they'll surprise you, right? And it's been a while since I've gone. So I'm excited to see what we'll find. I'm hoping we find some really cool alocasias or maybe like a Maranta Silver Band or maybe some Peperomias or maybe some uncommon or rare plant. You never know when it comes to these convenience stores. So without further ado, let's go. All right, guys. So we are here at the corner of Jamestown and Milk. Jamestown and Milk. That is actually the name of the store. Jamestown Milk is one of the corner convenience stores. But we are here at the corner of Wellesley and Parliament. And there's two shops. One on the west side, which is Jamestown Milk. And then the other one is Smoked Gibbs. So we're going to check out Jamestown Milk first because that's where I always go. And that's where I pretty much find a lot of my plants. I bought my Bird of Paradise there. And I already see a lot of plants outside and they got a whole bunch more inside. As well as some groceries if you are in the mood for some groceries and plants. So definitely a place to check out. But yeah, let's go. Hey, guys. So we are outside the front of the store and already I'm seeing some crazy beautiful plants. Look at the size of these Adansonii. Massive hanging baskets. I think these are Begonias. There's a Bird of Paradise. Some Ficus Elastica. You got a Tineke and a Burgundy. Some Crotons. I don't know why people hate on Crotons. A ZZ plant. Oh, man. Check this beautiful hanging Cissus this color. Look how beautiful this is. Yeah, that is gorgeous. It's nice and full too. Then on this side, look at these Peperomia Frost. The leaves on this one, they're big. Some Purple Shield, I think. Some Ivies. I think that's an Ivy. This is a Argarius. I'm pretty sure that's an Argarius. Some Philodendron and Neon Pothos. Some Golden Pothos. Some Pilea. Look at all these snake plants. Some Whale Fin. I don't know what this is. I think it might be a Ginger plant. This is a Staghorn Fern. It is. I was just commenting how I wanted one of these. Oh, my gosh. Okay, so there's a Staghorn Fern there. How much is it? 25 bucks. Okay, that already takes half our budget if I get that. And they got some hanging plants. A Lemon Lime Maranta and a Red Maranta. Oh, is that an Exotica? It is an Exotica. There we go. See, he knows his plants. All right, let's go check what's inside. Inside, you will find some coal, some candies. Are you kidding me? Oh, my gosh. Okay, first of all, look how full this Lemon Lime Maranta is. So beautiful. How much is this? Oh, man, that's beautiful. A Nerve plant. $13 for this. Man, they look so good when it's so nice and full. Look at that. Some Syngoniums. I think this is a Pearls and Jade. Yeah, Pearls and Jade Pothos. 35 bucks. Oh, my gosh, they got a Philodendron Silver Sword. $50. Some McLattas. Okay, these are Alocasias. A Wendyi. I don't think I've ever seen you. $30. Oh, my gosh. And this is another Alocasia. This one is a Pink Dragon. Oh, my gosh. Okay, I can't believe this. This is a Hylobeauty, I think, or Helobeauty. Yeah, 25 bucks. Holy cow. Okay, and this is an Alocasia Bambino. Okay, yeah, we are gonna go over our budget for sure. And you got a Purple Sword. Remember how I wanted to get a Purple Sword? Oh, my gosh. And no way. Okay, you also got, whoa, whoa, whoa, a Piper Chordatum. I've seen this before. Holy cow. Okay, seriously. And you got Maharanis here. Some Begonias. It's a Stingray Alocasia. Oh, my gosh. What are we gonna get? Oh, I want the Purple Sword again. Oh, there's more over there. He's telling me there's more. A Capraea. No freaking way. Oh, wow. I mean, that's actually not bad, but we completely went over our budget. 100 bucks for it. Oh, my gosh. Holy cow. Okay, so, yeah. Oh, my gosh. Okay, this was my wishlist plant. 95 bucks. That's not bad. Like, I've seen them being sold for like 150, sometimes 200 bucks. So, okay, we're definitely gonna get one of those. But let's see what else they have. Over here, they got some Cacti. I will have one for you. Okay, let me go back over here. Sorry. There's so much. Okay, where were we? Oh, my. I don't know where to. I don't know what I'm gonna pick. Look at all of. See, there's more Hyla beauties right here. This is actually really beautiful. You know what I like about it? It's just that nice camouflage like vibe it's giving. Ah, it is beautiful. The leaves does feel a little bit like thin for an Alocasia anyway. So, yeah, this is 25 bucks. I don't think that's bad. You got some Micans. Man, this store is giving me all the plants you can possibly want. Your Sharina's favorite, Calatheas. There's a Pink Ornata there. Some Hoyas. Oh, it's a Trubia Moonlight. Wow, I'm surprised they have one. Okay, that's not 20 bucks for this size. Holy cow. Oh, this is a Hoya Curtsii, I think. A Pylea Moon Valley Friendship. This is another Pylea. Some Polka Dot plants. A Fishbone Maranta. Some Peperomias. ZZ plants. This is an Alocasia Zebrina. You guys can see that Zebrina pattern right there. Holy cow. Okay, seriously, I am losing myself at this store right now. Got an awesome mop for those cleanup messes. Just kidding. And this is a Tenante. I forget what kind it is. It definitely is a Tenante. Some Monsteras. I think those are Yeah, they got some Hanging Marantas there. Both the Red and the Lemon Lime. An Exotica up there. And some Lemon Lime Apocos. Here you got some Huge Bird of Paradise. 200 bucks for this. It's quite full. I don't know if it's worth 200 bucks. If you guys are looking for an Aglaonema Silver Bay, I think is what it's called. It is 70 bucks. That's not bad. And you got some Green Monsteras here. And a Golden Pothos that's full. Okay, let's go on the other side. Okay, so more Monsteras. Some Aloes. Look how beautiful this Ficus Ruby is. Look how massive that is. Beautiful. Here's another one right here. So this is what I'm going to get my, I'm trying to get my current Ficus Ruby to do is to kind of create this branch and make it more like into like a nice bushy tree. But they have smaller ones right here. Oh my gosh. Okay, $18. This is not bad. They got some Audrey here. 18 bucks as well too. I do like the foliage of the Audrey. And then they got a Burgundy right there. Ooh, what's this one? I don't think I've ever seen this one. It is called a Schmittaglotius Welichia. Am I pronouncing that right? But it looks kind of cool. It kind of has a Syngonium vibe to it. Hmm, interesting. Not familiar with that one. Yeah, there's a couple more right here. What's this one? This is kind of cool. That's a Ficus Umbrella tree. Oh, it's a Ficus tree. Look at that. I'm, I'm honestly discovering some new plants here I've never seen before. A Hamel, Hamelonia Camouflage. Okay, I think I've heard of that plant before. Some more Calatheas here. I think this is a White Star. I forget what it's called. Look how pink this is. It's beautiful. Man, I'm gonna get some more Calatheas. One of my favorite Calatheas, the Zebrina. A Ficus Benjamina. Ooh, a Black Velvet. Yeah, Alakisha Black Velvet. How much are they? 25 bucks. That's not bad. And then we got some more of these Hyla beauties. I'm definitely getting one of this, that's for sure. And look at these beautiful Polybambino. Really, really adorable and really cute. Yeah, Ficus Benjamina. And some Starfish. This is a Colocasia, I think. Wow, oh my gosh. Okay guys, so I don't know what, we are definitely gonna break our budget right now. Oh my gosh. Okay, so I really do want to get another Nerve plant. Look how full and beautiful this is. It's 13 bucks. I do want to get one of these. Yeah, I think I might want to get one of this for sure. But we are definitely getting one of these. Hyla Beauty. Pink Syngonium. Yeah, this is the Pink Syngonium. I like that. And I definitely do want to get one of these cute Polybambino Allocatias. Oh my gosh, and the purple sword. I want the purple sword. Okay, so what to get? Okay, I've decided. No, I haven't decided yet. Let's go around again, just in case we miss something. A string of hearts. I love the Sabrina. Like, just a pattern on the stems for pet seals. They're very, very cool. This is just a rabbit's foot. It's not the silver band. Let's look at that Capraea again. So I definitely do want to get one of these. Now, just which one should we get? That is always the hardest part. This one's nice. It has a main stem. It has a nice big leaf and two baby leaves right there. That looks nice. This one's okay. This one's nice as well. Maybe this one? I do like the leaves on that one. Maybe, nope. Okay, so this one looks nice. Okay, so what you always want to look for is nice, healthy, healthy stems. And just make sure there's no pests. I do like this one. So I think we will get this. It's a hundred bucks, but you know what? Honestly, for a Capraea right now, that's actually pretty good. That's actually pretty good. Okay, so I'm gonna grab this one. I'm glad there's not that much to choose from because it would be the Hawthorn. Maybe this one? I love the new leaf. Okay, hmm. Maybe this one? Nope. Okay, I'm gonna grab this. And then we are gonna get... Oh my gosh. This already failed our challenge. 95 bucks before taxes. Why did I give myself a $50 budget only? Oh my... Well, I wasn't honestly expecting all of these crazy beautiful plants. I want to get one of these Hylo Beauties. Beautiful. This one has a new growth. Always a good sign when you see that. This has about five leaves, so there's a lot of leaves in that one. Okay, I think I want to get this one. Nope. I want something a little bit more... Nope, not that one. I think I'll just get something this simple. 25 bucks. Okay. Okay, I think we settled on this one. And then... Man, I want this Bambino. I really do want this Bambino, but I also want the Purple Shield or Purple Sword. And I do still want to get one of these Fittonias. Oh, there's more over here. I forgot that. Hold on. Let me check. The ones over here. Okay, these are a little bit easier to see. Oh my gosh, which one to get? Okay, let me just pick a plant, Christian. Just pick a plant. Okay, this one has a new growth and has like four leaves and the fifth one right there. That's a little bit bent, but there is a new one coming, so maybe we'll get this one. Okay. You know what? No, I'm gonna put this one back. Maybe we'll get it. Okay, guys, I think we're gonna go for this one. Has some nice good foliage, good variegation, a little bit... Has like about five leaves and I think a new one is... Yeah, starting to come out of that main... Or that's previous leaf right there. So, we are gonna go for this one. Okay, done. Now, let's pick our... I do want to get one of these. It's so adorable. This alocasia bambino. This is so cute and it's perfect. I don't have to pick... Oh wait, there's more over here. So, maybe I do have to pick the right one. Okay, I do like the leaves on this one. No, you know what? I like this one. Yeah, we'll go with this. Okay, so I'm gonna grab one of these. You know what? No, I won't. I think these three alocasias are perfect. So, we got ourselves a hilo or hilo beauty, a poly bambino, and an alocasia capreia, which was on my wish list. When I saw Rue's capreia, I was like, man, I definitely need one. So, I think we got our plans. Let's go check this out. All right, guys, so we completely failed that houseplant shopping challenge. I don't even know why I bothered putting a $50 budget. Maybe if we would have stayed with like the fitonia, the peperomia rosetta I saw there, the lemon limerantas, we definitely would have been under $50 and probably had room to go to another store. But we completely failed this one. So, I'm not mad at it because honestly, I'm happy that I found these types of plants there. And this is a beautiful alocasia hilo beauty. And I just love that, you know, camouflage variegated pattern it's giving me. And it's only $25. So, I don't think that's bad at all. And then this alocasia bambino poly. So, it's I think a miniature version of the African mass or the poly. It's so adorable and so cute. And it was only $15. And then the gem of all gems, the alocasia capreia. And I've been wanting one of these for a while now. And the fact that this was only $95 because a couple months ago, I saw these for like 200 bucks for this size. So, very, very happy to have found these. And comment below and let me know if you would have saw any other plants there that I should have got instead of these ones or what you guys think of these plants. I definitely would have gotten more. I could have gotten more. I wanted that plant that looks like a syngonium. I forget what it was called. The alocasia purple sword, you know, I've been wanting that for a while now. The staggered fern, that cute petonia that was nice and full. So, should I go back? I'm just kidding. We're not gonna go back. But let me know what you guys think of this video. If you enjoyed this houseplant shopping challenge vlog, you know, give it a thumbs up or comment below. It does tell me what kind of content you want to see on this channel. Other than that, enjoy the rest of your weekend. And we'll see you guys soon. Peace.