Conservatory Lane is a small houseplant shop in Pittsburgh's East Liberty. We grow about 70% of what we sell ourselves, in a small greenhouse out back, and every plant comes with a written care card and a one-month "if it dies, we'll help" guarantee. 140 species on the shelf. No mystery plants.
Stand at your sunniest window at noon, on a sunny day, and look at the floor. Can you see your shadow clearly? Bright light — most plants are open to you. Can you see your shadow only faintly? Medium light — pothos, snake plants, ferns are happy. No shadow at all? Low light — and we have a list of about 40 species that will do well there too.
Bright — most plants
Medium — pothos, snake, fern
Low — ZZ, snake, peace lily
02 — be honest
How often will you actually water?
This is the question that kills more houseplants than anything else. If you'll forget for three weeks at a time, get a snake plant or a cactus, not a fern. If you'll water every weekend, your options open way up. Don't pick a plant you wish you were the kind of person who could take care of — pick the one your actual habits can support.
Weekly + — most plants OK
Every 2 — 3 wks — pothos, ZZ
Forget for a month — cacti, snake
03 — non-negotiables
Pets? Kids? Allergies?
Some popular houseplants are mildly toxic if eaten — pothos, philodendron, peace lily, monstera. If you have cats who chew, or a 2-year-old in a curious phase, ask us for our pet-safe list (22 species) and we'll point you at them. If you have hay-fever-grade allergies, we can also help you avoid the worst offenders.
Pet-safe — 22 species we stock
Kid-safe — same list, mostly
Allergy-low — succulents, ferns
§ 04 — WORKSHOPS
Six workshops. Two of us, lots of plants.
Spring 2025 series Held in the back greenhouse ~10 seats per workshop
Sun · May112 — 4 pm
Spring repotting clinic
Bring your sad-looking plant; we'll diagnose, repot, prune, and send it home in a fresh pot. One plant per person. Pot, soil, & coffee included.
Take 3 — 4 cuttings home in jars, ready to root. Pothos, philodendron, monstera, & coleus are easiest. We cover technique, water vs. soil, & rooting time.
Closed-glass tropical terrarium in a 1-gallon jar. 4 plants, gravel, charcoal, moss, & soil included; pick your plants from a curated tray of small species.
Conservatory Lane was opened in May 2019 by Naila Khoury & Wren Beausoleil in a 720-square-foot storefront on Highland Avenue. Naila had spent five years running the propagation greenhouse at Phipps Conservatory; Wren came from a decade in interior plant design in Chicago. We grow about 70% of what we sell ourselves, in a 600-square-foot heated greenhouse out the back of the shop, which means our plants have known nothing but our water and our hands since they were cuttings.
What we sell is the same set of about 140 species, year-round, with seasonal additions in spring and autumn. We do not sell anything that isn't going to do well in a Pittsburgh apartment — no exotic high-humidity diva plants that need a bathroom misted three times a day to survive. The plants in the shop have been pre-vetted for "will it live with someone who travels, has a south-facing window, and forgets to water for ten days." That's most of you. That's us too.
Where
1840 Highland Ave East Liberty Pittsburgh, PA 15206
When
Wed — Sun 11 am — 6 pm Closed Mon & Tue
Free delivery
Within 12 mi orders $80+ Tuesday delivery day
Plant-rescue
Drop in anytime Free consult, 5 min Bring the plant
§ 06 — THE LIST
The plant-of-the-month list.
Once a month — usually around the first Wednesday — we email the new arrivals, the species we're propagating, and which workshops are open. We do not send anything else. About 3,200 households on the list right now, almost all within a half-hour drive of the shop.
