The best plant shops and nurseries in Melbourne

You wouldn't think that the small shopfront of this Lygon Street nursery leads into an outdoor oasis home to impressive-looking shrubs, seedlings and edible plants. Lygon Street Nursery's stock of indoor plants are equally gorgeous: get your hands on hanging plants like devil's ivy or Boston ferns. Got plant care questions? Owner Michael Khalil is a professional landscaper who will happily arm you with info on how to care for your indoor and outdoor plants. 

Botanicah bills itself as the biggest plant warehouse in Melbourne's south, and with 350 square metres of floors space dedicated to plants and pots, it's easy to agree. The business began when flora-loving friends Harris Mashood and Bowen Walker decided to turn their passion into a business. Botanicah sells a curated range of indoor and outdoor plants, for a range of conditions and gardening abilities, with cacti to monsteras up for grabs.

The Garden of Eden is a great way to describe this sprawling nursery in Albert Park. The Dahan family has run the nursery for over two decades and they're experts on all sorts of greenery from landscaping foliage to indoor greenery for lazy homeowners. They're also big on environmental gardening practices so quiz them on the best ways to keep your plants alive sustainably. Take a look at the homewares section for gifts or to complete your new green interior with stylish pots, woven baskets, and other hand-crafted pieces. 

This adorable little greenhouse is located in the Rose Street Market in Fitzroy. Pop on over and say hi to owner Han Nguyen, who takes pride in the ways her shop builds a sense of community through the love of plants. Recently 100 per cent of the profits made from selling succulent-filled terrariums went towards an organisation assisting families in and around Kabul. If you're after quirky and weird greenery for your home that will also help to make a social impact, look no further.

Fitzroy Nursery on Brunswick Street is a haven for plant lovers, stocking everything from terrariums to mature trees that are ready to plant in the ground or in pots. Check out the cacti and succulent section and the indoor plant section with lots of air-purifying plants (it's a thing) like ferns, devil's ivy and peace lilies. The outdoor nursery, laid out like a garden, is a great spot to browse for your next plant project, whether you're after vegetable seedlings or blooms for the balcony.

Whether you live in an inner-city apartment or a squashy suburban sharehouse, you can grow your own food – you just need to know where to start. The Little Veggie Patch Co is all about spreading knowledge of all things planting, composting and pest control. Don't have a garden? No worries, you can buy your own little veggie patch from the nursery and fill it up with some heirloom vegetable seeds in time for the growing season.

That's right, Bunnings isn't just for tradies and home DIY fans. The bigger stores often have really good nurseries that sell vegetable seedlings, fruit trees, outdoor foliage and indoor plants. They'll also have all the hardware you need (think pots and shovels) to plant your new green friends so you can be ready for that springtime bloom. In inner-city Melbourne, your best Bunnings branches for plant shopping include Collingwood, Hawthorn and West Footscray. 

You're probably familiar with CERES's community farm, but you won't regret a visit to the CERES Permaculture and Bushfood Nursery (restrictions permitting, of course). This nursery has everything a good nursery should have, but we're more excited about the vast range of potted fruit trees and bushfoods seedlings. Add some lemon myrtle or some Warrigal greens to your veggie patch – just ask the staff to choose the best bushfoods for your garden. While you're there, stock up on mulch, compost and worms to keep your garden healthy. 

This little homewares shop and gallery on Sydney Road is an IRL representation of those dreamy, plant-dominated Instagram accounts. Mr Kitly is the creation of Melburnian Bree Claffey, who even wrote a book titled Indoor Green: Living with Plants. You can find a limited range of fully grown plants here, but we come here for their steel plant stands that hoist your plants off the ground, as well as the inexpensive and colourful plastic self-watering pots that are a saviour for the black-thumbed plant keeper.