Back Alley House Plants

06/18/2026

Tonight at Octagon Center for the Arts! Join us for their Third Thursday event at 427 Douglas starting at 5:30 pm. The event will take place in their alley space BEHIND the art center - enter via the alley that is approximately across the street from the library.

Free 3-5” terracotta planters and paint will be provided. Back Alley will have $5 plants available for purchase and FREE cuttings and stickers available for sharing. This is an all-ages event as long as younger folks are accompanied by an adult. Snacks and beverages are available for a free-will donation.

06/14/2026

Today is the final day to pre-order a shirt, shipping or in-store pickup in July! You will also earn double Leafy Rewards on shirt pre-orders.

Stop in and enjoy some World Cup soccer with us and the Wu-Tang-icorn 🦄, and vote for the champion in our Plant World Cup tournament! 🪴⚽️ We are open 12-6.

06/13/2026

Are you in need of some colorful additions to brighten up your space? We have plenty in store for you! Beyond our lovely collection of houseplants we now have in some handmade isopod plushies from The Vallée Creations, some beautiful pride stained glass window hangs by floweringglass, and some lovely new pots. Come see them in person! We are open this weekend Saturday 9-6 and Sunday 12-6.

06/12/2026

Check out this fun event for a good cause, and win plants!

Our Leaf No Dog Behind Trivia Night! in Ames, Iowa is TWO WEEKS AWAY! Mindi and Kristen spent this (very hot) morning hanging up flyers all over town to promote this fun event!

This general trivia night is hosted by Back Alley House Plants at Alluvial Brewing Company on June 24th and all of the prizes are PLANTS! You also get a free plant for each person on your team just for registering!

Don't wait to get your team signed up in advance: https://secure.everyaction.com/9Ni_iozxUkGOeAszgBA4Iw2

06/11/2026

Absolutely over the moon that we will be hosting Krystal in Ames in November with Dog-Eared Books Ames. Shameless fangirl. 15/10. So looking forward to this event!

AMES, IOWA! We got a Book tour announcement! I will be headed to Ames, Iowa on November 15th.

A huge thank you to Dog-Eared Books & Back Alley House Plants for hosting me and making this event happen. There will be a carnivorous bog planter workshop available and/or author conversation to choose from!

Tickets available here: https://dogearedbooksames.com/dog-eared-presents-krystal-duran/

See you soon! 🪴

06/06/2026

Today’s the day for Pride on Main with Heroic Hair! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Hop on down to 209 Main starting at 11 am to grab your bingo card. Visit over 25 participating Downtown Ames businesses to get your bingo card stamped. Return your card to Heroic before 4 pm to be entered in the drawing. The more stamps, the more chances to win fabulous prizes!

At the shop, we will have Double Leafy Rewards on any purchase of $25 or more, plus free ✨sparkly✨ rainbow 🌈 stickers for all bingo participants! We will also have more opportunities to win prizes at the shop. No purchase necessary to participate in the bingo event or to win prizes from the shop.

🌈

06/05/2026

Happy New Plants Friday! Don’t forget, tomorrow is Pride on Main with Heroic - grab a bingo card from them starting at 11 am and visit over 25 participating businesses for stamps and freebies. At Back Alley we will have in-store specials, FREE sparkly Pride🌈 stickers, and opportunities to win more prizes.
In the order they are shown:
- Assorted Philodendron
- some cute new pots 🌈 ft. a cactus showing off its fruit!
- Dieiffenbachia Tiki
- Maranta Silverband
- Hoya Bella
- Dracaena Marginata
- Ponytail Palms!!!
- Aglaonema Stripe
- Paper Spines Cactus

05/30/2026

Shirts shirts shirts! We have been working behind the scenes with Rippke Design this spring to roll out some new merch designs for y’all and things are finally coming together. Now through June 14, pre-order one of our new shirts and earn double rewards on your order. We anticipate shirts will be available in early-mid July, for pickup and nationwide shipping! We will also have shirts available in-store in July, but this is the best way to guarantee size/color.

Shirts will be screen printed locally on Comfort Colors 100% cotton tees. The size chart is on the ordering page, or stop by the shop and we have blank shirts for you to try on for sizing. Surf on over to www.backalleyhouseplants.com and click on Shop, or you can pre-order in-store.

Need sizing outside what’s offered? Just ask! We can go down to youth medium with this screen and Comfort Colors tees go to 4X.

*I am having a small issue with the pre-order not always triggering double rewards, so if they do not go through for your order, I will add them manually.

05/29/2026

New plants and new blooms in this week! If you are looking for a vibrant, warm red to brighten up your space look no further than our very own entryway. We have an assortment of Caladium beauties in the shop and so much more!
In the order they are pictured:
- Caladium Assorted
- Herbs! Catnip, Lemon Balm, and Oregano
- Monstera Pinnatupartita “Siam”
- Aralia Fatsia Aurea
- More Caladium!
- Fern Rabbits Foot (shadow included for The Last of Us fans) (Happy Pride)
- Calathea
- Hibiscus
- Bromeliad Neoregelia

05/28/2026

Next week, head to The Memorial Union Workspace, select a planter for Paint Your Own Pottery, and you'll get $5 off at the shop! Plus we will have free cuttings available at the shop for Workspace craft participants.

We can't wait to open for the summer next week starting June 1! Come in and paint any floral-themed mug, bowl, or dish and receive a $5 coupon to Back Alley House Plants 😍 Choose a vase or planter to paint, and you can also stop by their downtown shop for a FREE plant cutting to propagate or pot at home. 🪴