Questions

We’re only in a few places right now, but expanding quickly. See places to PILF →

A small card on the pot: a QR code with the PILF leaf in the middle, the price, the four steps, and the plant’s care at a glance.

Yes, for $12 more with a 4-inch pot, $16 with a 6-inch and $24 with an 8-inch. Tick the planter box before you pay. Without it, your plant goes home in its plastic nursery pot, which has drainage holes.

Many are, and each one says plainly whether it is, on its tag and its PILF-opedia entry. Pet-safe means non-toxic to cats and dogs (per the ASPCA) and on Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s non-poisonous list. Of the toxic ones, most just irritate a mouth or stomach if chewed: unpleasant, rarely serious, and a high spot or a hanging pot usually does the trick. The pet-safe ones →

A few quick questions about your light, your pets, and your time, and the quiz ranks the plants for you. Find my perfect PILF →

Ease is how easy a plant is to look after. Presence is how much attention it draws in a room. Together they place it on the PILF Matrix. How each is scored →

Many start as cuttings of plants that have lived in Wicker Park for years. Others are slower growers from small local dealers. Every one is quarantined, then potted in a fast-draining mix under a layer of stone before it’s placed. More on About →

It’s short for pilfer: to take something small from somewhere you typically shouldn’t. The difference here is you pay for the permission. Why “PILF”? →

No, on your phone.

1. Scan the tag (or tap your phone to its top).
2. Pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a card.
3. At the counter, tap Activate proof of purchase and show staff your screen: it says Paid, names your plant, and shows a ticking clock.
4. Take the plant home.

How to PILF →

The one you scanned, or any other of the same plant in the same pot size at that place: you pay for the plant and its size, and your proof of purchase names the plant. Show it to staff, then take it home.

Yes. The place agreed to host the plants and knows what proof of purchase looks like. Staff don’t take payment; PILF does.

No. Checkout asks for an email address (for your receipt and your proof of purchase) and your card or wallet. Payment runs through Stripe, so PILF never sees your card number. Privacy and terms →

No. The tag shows the price before tax. Chicago sales tax (10.5%) is added at checkout as its own line: a $22 plant is $24.31.

Yes, within 5 days.

1. Pay on the plant’s page from wherever you are.
2. If you gave your email, the link is there too; if not, keep the page open or send yourself the link with your phone’s Share button.
3. At the counter, activate your proof of purchase, not before. It doesn’t start on its own, and it’s live for an hour once tapped.
4. Show it to staff and take the plant home.

See plants to PILF →

You have 5 days to pick it up, and the hour starts only when you tap Activate, so wait until you’re at the counter. Once it starts, it can’t restart. If life gets in the way, write to us with your receipt and we’ll see what we can do.

Yes. Pay, then send them the link to your proof of purchase (from your email, or your phone’s Share button). They activate it at the counter and take the plant home.

No, nothing ships. Every plant is picked up at the place where it lives.

No. You see the plant before you pay, and you carry it out yourself. If it struggles at home, send us a photo and we’ll help you sort it out. Terms of sale →

Tucked inside your coat or a bag. Below 55°F, tropical leaves can be damaged in minutes, so don’t leave it in a cold car.

It depends on the plant. Each one’s PILF-opedia entry gives the typical days between waterings. Find your plant →

Not for the first couple of months, and hold off on fertilizer too. The nursery pot has drainage holes, which is what a plant needs. For something nicer, set the nursery pot inside a decorative one.

Any pot, as long as water can get out the bottom: a drainage hole, or the nursery pot set inside a decorative one with a few pebbles under it. Keep a saucer underneath and tip out what’s left in it, or in the outer pot, once the water has run through; roots that sit in water rot. The terracotta saucer a plant sits on at the place stays with the place. Unglazed terracotta breathes and dries out faster, which suits plants that like to dry out between waterings; glazed and plastic pots stay wet longer. When it’s time to move up, go one or two inches wider.

Start with its PILF-⁠opedia entry. Still stumped? Send us a photo and we’ll reply as soon as we’re able.

Give it a couple of weeks: most plants drop a leaf or two while they get used to a new spot. Check its PILF-opedia entry against your light and how often you water, and read its Troubleshooting questions. Still not right? Send us a photo.

PILF designs, installs, maintains, and sells plants. You just keep being you. Partner with PILF → · Questions places ask →

A glance at their proof of purchase, if that. Payment never goes through you.

Let them go. A plant that leaves unpaid is PILF’s loss, never yours, and nobody on your team has to chase or stop anyone.

No. PILF does all the care. Pots are sealed underneath and topped with stone, so a tip means a quick sweep at most, and any breakage is PILF’s cost. If a plant looks sad or takes a tumble, a text or WhatsApp to (773) 242-6467 helps.

Point them to the tag. A scan brings up the plant’s care, its price, and a way to pay; nobody expects you to be a plant expert.

Be kind, and don’t sort it out at the register: nothing goes through you. Ask them to scan the tag or write to PILF at pilf.me/contact, or send PILF a message from your portal with what happened. PILF takes it from there.