Are you a plant parent in Georgia? These 2 Columbus shops could be your new favorites

Every now and then, I stumble on a place - a shop, a restaurant, a boutique - that reminds me why it’s okay to be weird. I recently visited Below the Node and the Rotanist Botanist at the Bluebell Market and I had more fun talking plants (and taxidermy and neon signs and salacious tee shirts) than ever.

Plant parent culture has emerged as a fairly significant and vibrant subculture since the quarantine days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many folks, a lot of them young, started collecting plants as a way to connect to nature, while also having something to nurture in a time when we all felt so isolated.

Both shops specialize in plant culture and feature an array of oddities, knick knacks and collectibles. Below the Node is owned by Amy Bailey and Candi Sweet, while Morwan Bush runs the show over at Rotanist Botanist.

Their origin story

All three women landed in Columbus because of military spouses, but their friendship started when the three of them found out they had similar interests. Their physical proximity inside Bluebell only made it all the more fortuitous for the three to join forces.

Bailey explained her humble beginnings, remembering when she started she was “hustling plants out of her car.” She has been a plant person since she can remember and she translated her “hyper fixation,” as she put it, into Below the Node.

She has a greenhouse in her garage and routinely makes a trip to South Florida to buy plants that she thinks her customers will appreciate.

Bush was a “pre-Covid plant lover” and admits that her home is “wall to wall plants.” As far as the contemporary plant economy that has recently emerged is concerned, she assures me, “you’re just as likely to kill a very expensive plant than a cheap one.”

Sweet grew up loving plants and likely got it from her grandparents, who were landscapers and had a deep appreciation for nature. I was surprised to hear her describe the plant community as “diverse,” but she assured me that it’s filled with folks of all sorts. She is particularly charmed by the young high school students who come to shop for their perfect plant.

For a while, the three women worked independently of each other with little cross over, but their “merge-aversery is July 31st. This is when Sweet and Bailey joined forces and officially became Below the Node. Bush’s booth, Rotanist Botanist, was near theirs and the women became fast friends, collaborating, supporting and rooting for each other.

A place for plant mommies, plant daddies, and plant parents

Amy Bailey has carved out a space here in Columbus for this subset specifically, but it’s a welcoming place for everyone, even for this reporter who is a serial plant killer.

Her Facebook group, Fort Moore/Columbus Houseplants is a meeting place for plant lovers — newbies included. It’s here, Bailey said, that people can come together and find a “second family.” The online group has almost 3,000 members and it is a source of love and support and not just for the plants.

When I sat down with Bailey, Sweet and Bush I just thought people bought plants to buy plants. But boy was I mistaken. I learned about plant economies, the commercial rarities of some species, the emergence of proud plant daddies and plant swaps.

Bush envisions the Rotanist Botanist , the store with the most clever name, as “a collaboration that brings folks together.” It’s here you can find all the “plant daddy” merch you could possibly want to go with your anatomically correct planters.

Sweet explained to me that “the plant world runs deep” and she and Bailey strive to “offer something different to see” in their shop. “Something different” is Sweet’s specialty and her Facebook group the Columbus/Ft. Moore Oddities is proof of that.

Raccoons, white mice, and bunnies, oh my

Sweet has a niche unto her own in Below the Node. A self-taught taxidermist, the store offers all sorts of critters for display, all of which were “ethically sourced” promises Sweet.

She has the back end of a bunny that she taxidermied herself, half a dozen little white mice posed in various scenes of life, and Veronica the Raccoon. Veronica may be Sweet’s most ambitious project yet, and she reigns over the shop like a queen.

Sweet watched Youtube videos, read tutorials, and participated in a lot of trial and error in her taxidermy education, but the result is just as remarkable as it is weird.

While it may seem macabre, Sweet imbues the space with a cheekiness that underscores the vibe of both Below the Node and Rotanist Botanist.

Both shops are women-owned, queer-friendly establishments and all three women were emphatic about cultivating a place for belonging. The quirkiness of their merchandise is endearing and you’re likely to find something for everyone, even your most eccentric or peculiar friend.

Have you visited Below the Node or Rotanist Botanist? Show me what you got. Sound off in the comments, email me or find me on Instagram .