Cacti are everywhere. Absolutely meets Meg Sangster, whose newly formed Club Cactus is spreading the love by sending plants to subscribers every month
Words Pendle Harte
Absolutely: What is the appeal of the cactus and why do you think they are having such a moment?
Meg Sangster: I think people like cactuses for a few reasons – for me, they’re a nice way to bring a bit of life and greenery into your home, plus they’re the ultimate low maintenance house plant. They’re great for busy people or even people who haven’t had much luck with plants in the past. Not to mention they look really cool!
But your club isn’t exclusively about cacti is it?
We’re offering all sorts of botanical themed goodies from house plants, cactuses and succulents to plant accessories.
What made you think of a delivery box subscription? Is your background in plants?
I’m a trained florist and have always liked plants, and my mum has always been a keen gardener – so from an early age I’ve loved gardening and flowers and have always been around plants.
I also really like giving presents and gifts bundled in a nice box, so it sort of feels like getting surprises and presents through the post!What will be in the boxes?
Well the specifics are a surprise! It will vary from month to month, but you can expect a potted plant – be it a cactus, succulent or house plant, and, depending on your plan choice, botanical accessories. No matter what plan you choose though, there are always little surprise extras!
Your brand’s illustrations and aesthetics are lovely. Can you tell us about them?
Before moving on to floristry, I studied fine art at uni and my boyfriend, Alex, is an illustrator, so we worked on this part of Club Cactus together. We live in a really creative environment where we’re constantly bouncing ideas off each other. We had a clear vision in mind of how we wanted everything to look and I’m so pleased we’ve managed to achieve that.
What have you learnt about plants through setting up the club?
Since setting up the club i’ve learnt more about plant care and things like which plants like to live in which rooms. I’ve also had to try to work out ways to post plants successfully without upsetting them.
Packaging a cactus must be tricky! How does that work?
It’s definitely not the easiest thing i’ve done! I’ve learnt now i just have to be firm with the plants, grab a pair of gardening gloves and just do it, wrap it up and then wrap it up again for good measure! We also use little card disks around the tops of the pots to help keep the soil firmly in place.
What’s next for Club Cactus?
In addition to the subscription boxes, we’re currently working on an online shop, where you’ll be able to buy a larger selection of houseplants plus lots of botanical themed goodies. So of there was something you really loved from your box one month you’ll be able to re-buy it individually and there will just be lots of exciting things for everyone! We’ve also had lots of interest from the US and Canada, where we unfortunately can’t post plants, but everything else from the web shop will be available to them.Club Cactus – clubcactus.co.uk
