Plants in Barcelona: from a Maresme market to an orchid on the sill
In Vilassar de Mar, in the Maresme north of Barcelona, the Mercat de Flor i Planta Ornamental de Catalunya, a market whose name sets ornamental plants beside flowers, has more than 400 members. Plants in Barcelona arrive at a far smaller scale, one pot or one box at a time. What matters for a gift is the sill it lands on, not the market: how much direct sun that window gets, and whether the person receiving it wants to water every week or almost never.
An orchid in its own pot, or several gathered in a box
Most flowering plants here are moth orchids, Phalaenopsis. An orchid is sold with its roots still in bark rather than as cut stems, and the blooms stay open for two or three months.
A single plant in a clear pot, set inside a cachepot, suits a shelf or a table, something meant to stay put rather than travel on. Several orchids gathered into one box, as in "7 Orchids in a Box", reads as the bigger gesture, the kind a housewarming or an anniversary calls for. An orchid set beside something sweet, as in "Chocolate Candies with Orchid", works for a smaller thank-you, where the plant shares the gift with something else. Beyond the name, nothing is promised about what else sits inside either box.
Out of the August sun, a new spike once October cools
Barcelona's summer runs hot and bright: the daytime high sits around 29°C in July and August. It eases to about 23°C in October and drops to roughly 15°C in January, with winters that stay mild rather than cold. Left on a sunny sill through those summer months, a moth orchid's leaves scorch, so the RHS advises a bright spot that misses the midday sun from spring into autumn.
Once October's days settle below 27°C, the plant is able to start a new flower spike, though nothing guarantees that it will. Water about once a week in the growing season, less in winter, with any water left in the saucer poured away. The clear pot makes it easy to see whether the bark inside has dried out or is still damp.
Cacti and glass cubes for a city with 2,500 hours of sun
A city with close to 2,500 hours of sunshine a year, and summers that run hot and dry, suits plants built for scarce water rather than for shade. Succulents come from places where rain is rare, and they store it in their leaves, sometimes as much as nine-tenths of the plant's weight. Cacti follow that same pattern, needing very little water and even less attention.
An open florarium, glass left without a lid, suits succulents rather than ferns that want damp air. Something like "Cube Florarium with Hobbit Succulent" keeps its plant in dry air and gets watered with a spray bottle rather than poured. September and October are, locally, the wettest months, with humidity around 74 to 75 per cent, yet all of that stays outside the window. Indoors, a florarium gets only the water its owner decides to give it.
Plant delivery in Barcelona: a gift that stays after the flowers go
A cut bouquet is usually gone within a week or two. A potted plant is still on the sill after that, which makes it the choice for a housewarming or a thank-you meant to last. Some orders pair the two together, as in "Misty and Orchid Duo Box", so the moment gets colour today and a plant for the weeks after.
Every plant is put together once payment has gone through, and the florist photographs it before the courier leaves. Most orders are handed over the same day they're placed, the exact window shows in the product card, and delivery across the city centre costs nothing; details are on the delivery terms page. Sending a plant to a hotel or a hospital works the same way as sending a bouquet, covered on the hotel or hospital addresses page.
For a first order, flowering plants covers the orchids most people ask about when choosing plants in Barcelona. Florariums holds the glass pieces suited to a sunny sill, and potted plants by type covers whatever sits outside both.
