Our Vision

A Passion for Tropical Plants

By germinating seeds and growing and trading these cold-hardy palm species for many years, Riphagen has become a specialist in cold-hardy exotic plants and palms.

However, his true passion lies with the more tropical palm species and plants. These are more beautiful, more diverse and more difficult, and therefore also more challenging.

From an Enthusiast’s Product to a Mass-Market Item

The pioneering work surrounding cold-hardy palms also had a downside that became apparent later. As palms shifted from an enthusiast’s product to a mass-marketed garden item, the focus shifted from love and interest to Marketing & Money.

ExoticsAtHome wants to continue making room for a love of plants, remarkable species, knowledge and the stories behind their origins and development.

Remarkable Plants, Photography and Sharing Knowledge

The vision of ExoticsAtHome is to allow retail customers to benefit from competitive prices. This is possible because ExoticsAtHome also supplies the wholesale trade.

We also share our photography. Almost everything has been photographed by us. We aim to offer new plant species before they are propagated in a laboratory and to keep exclusive plants in stock because these are also supplied to botanical gardens.

Sharing knowledge and trying to offer plants that others do not have are equally important parts of this vision. How wonderful it is to share something beautiful.

Attention to Natural Habitats

Another part of our vision is protecting natural habitats in cooperation with local communities, so that fresh seed can continue to be harvested in the future. Due to climate change and other factors, we see that some plant populations are under pressure in different locations.

A Changing Market

The market is changing. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people, particularly younger people, have begun engaging with plants in different ways.

Young people without a garden or balcony may, for example, buy a plug-and-play grow cabinet in which they can control the humidity, temperature and even the colour of the light. This allows them to create their own indoor jungle without keeping reptiles. Nothing is more beautiful than a personal jungle wall filled with carefully selected plants.

Due to milder winters, we are also seeing more exotic plants in gardens. Interest in exotic plants for indoor spaces and patios also appears to be growing steadily, particularly among younger people.

A Satisfied Customer Comes First

Drawing on previous experience with MyPalmShop, ExoticsAtHome has more than twenty years of experience in packing and shipping plants.

Packing plants is a specialist skill. Even more important is how a customer is helped when a shipment does not go well. Finding the right solution and ensuring a satisfied customer are our priorities.