Southsea plant shop is still blossoming one year after opening

Rose Clover on Elm Grove is celebrating a year of trading after opening on November 3, 2018.

Owner Liz Penman opened the solo shop after sharing shop space in Albert Road with other owners to build up the business for three years.

They are a florist with a twist, selling indoor plants, as well as offering plant styling at home, in the workplace and for weddings and events.

Liz has a deep knowledge of plants, including which plants are best suited to which lifestyle and how to properly care for them, which she shares with people who come into the shop.

She helps people decide the right plant or flower based on the customers’ needs and where it is best placed inside or outside their home.

She said: ‘The right environment can make a difference. Lots of people buy a plant and don’t know how to look after it and it dies and they get disheartened.’

She took a minor setback shortly after opening, after the front window of the shop was smashed, but didn’t let that hold her back and she says her business has continued to grow since.

She also says that the demand for plants has risen during the last year, especially with university students, with more people learning about their physical and mental health benefits.

The 32-year-old said: ‘A lot of people are aware of the health benefits. Students are aware of the plants that are good for what they want.

‘It’s a reciprocal relationship. There’s definitely a benefit to them cleaning the air.

‘There’s also the mindfulness element to it. Not everyone in Portsmouth has a garden so if you have greenery inside your home it just lifts you up I think.’

As well as plants, the shop also stocks gifts from other retailers, such as Blue Anchor Ceramics, Adrian Mundy artwork, Mica Peet jewellery and baskets made in Kenya.

She says that she likes to collaborate with traders from the Portsmouth area to support local businesses.

Liz also holds workshops, including Christmas wreath-making and winter trough-making sessions.