Hello, I'm Arlissa.
GROWER. EDUCATOR. FOUNDER.
I'm the grower, educator, and one of the founders behind The Wanderleaf Co.
If you've spent any time with me, you've probably figured out two things pretty quickly:
I really love plants...
...and I really love helping people realize they can grow them too.
Why Wanderleaf?
Wanderleaf started because I got tired of hearing the same sentence over and over.
"I could never afford one of those."
Rare plants shouldn't feel exclusive.
They shouldn't come with a secret handshake, a $500 price tag, or make you feel like you're not "planty enough."
I wanted to build something different.
A place where beginners feel just as welcome as seasoned collectors. Where learning is encouraged, questions are celebrated, and beautiful plants don't have to cost a fortune.
That's why we built The Wanderleaf Co.
My Growing Journey
Believe it or not, I wasn't born knowing how to grow rare plants.
I've killed plants.
I've overwatered them.
I've underwatered them.
I've chased every miracle product that promised perfect growth.
Like most plant people, I've learned through trial, error, curiosity, and a whole lot of patience.
Today I care for hundreds of plants, work with growers around the world, teach tissue culture classes, and spend my days surrounded by leaves instead of office walls.
But I'm still learning.
That's one of the things I love most about this hobby.
Plants always have something new to teach us.
Not Your Average Plant "Shop"
Wanderleaf has grown into something much bigger than selling plants.
It's become a place where you can...
🌿 Discover affordable rare plants.
🌿 Learn through the Wanderleaf Academy.
🌿 Access wholesale tissue culture through Wanderleaf Direct.
🌿 Read honest plant advice in Notes From Wanderleaf.
🌿 Laugh with us when things don't go exactly as planned.
Whether you're buying your very first plant or building the collection you've always dreamed about, I hope you leave here feeling a little more confident than when you arrived.
Meet Robby
If you've spent any time around Wanderleaf, you've probably heard me mention Robby.
If you have been on any of our lives...you have been graced by his presence!
He's my husband, my business partner, and honestly...the steady hand behind a lot of what makes Wanderleaf possible.
While I'm usually the one talking to the camera, teaching classes, writing articles, or getting excited over a new plant, Robby is the one making sure everything behind the scenes actually works. He's helping packing orders, buying and selling, solving problems, and somehow keeping up with my endless stream of ideas.
When I say "we" built Wanderleaf, I truly mean we.
Leaving the security of our careers to build this company wasn't a decision either of us took lightly. We chose to take that leap together because we believed rare plants could be more accessible and that we could build a business around treating people the way we'd want to be treated.
Robby may not always be front and center, but his fingerprints are on every part of this business. From the care that goes into every shipment to the systems that keep everything running, his work is woven into Wanderleaf.
He also happens to be my biggest encourager.
He's the calm to my chaos, and somehow, together, it works.
He's the first person to tell me an idea is worth chasing, the one who reminds me to keep going on the when I am laying on the floor convinced I've ruined an expensive plant, and the one person who believes in this dream just as deeply as I do.
Every order we pack, every class we teach, every plant we grow, and every milestone we celebrate is something we've built together.
I'm incredibly grateful that I get to do life—and Wanderleaf—with him.
Our Promise
We'll never pretend to know everything.
We'll never make you feel silly for asking questions.
We'll never forget what it felt like to be beginners.
And we'll always believe that rare plants should be grown, enjoyed, and shared—not locked behind impossible prices.
You are welcome to
wander here.
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Whether you're here for a single plant, a tissue culture class, or just because you accidentally fell down a rabbit hole of rare plants... we're glad you found us.
Happy Wandering,
Arlissa & Robby