Fern-tastically tranquil plant shop Grounded in Southsea named regional finalist in Muddy Stilettos Awards

Grounded in Southsea, owned by Sam Cooper, opened its doors in September 2023 after the mum of four discovered her obsession with plants following a house move a few years prior.

The owner, who also works part-time at Devonshire Infant School, started experimenting and making plant pots during the lockdown - and she hasn’t looked back since.

Sam said: “I decided to give selling our handmade pots a go and found that buying really good quality houseplants at affordable prices to fill them was almost impossible and that was how the idea for Grounded in Southsea started.”

In 2021, Sam started selling her products at local markets and she ‘loved absolutely every second of it’.

As her stall grew, so did her dreams of opening up her own shop and, after years of hard work, she has not only opened her shop - but she has also been nominated for a Muddy Stilettos florist award.

Sam said: “The shop is relatively new, we’ve been here for about 18 months now and we are at the heart of Marmion Road and we love being here, it’s just the most wonderful place to be. We’ve been embraced by the community and I think this is a safe, happy, calm place to be.

“We are super excited to be nominated for an award - we did win an award for being Portsmouth’s greenest business last year so this is the second award we’ve been nominated for and I’m just so excited because it’s voted for by our customers.”

The annual Muddy Stilettos Awards aims to showcase some of the best independent businesses across the country. Customers have to nominate their favourite businesses for them to be in with a chance of winning.

Sam added: “We would absolutely love to win. Before I had the shop I was working on the markets selling the plants for years so I’ve worked really hard to get where I am - and I think it would be a recognition of that hard work.”

“We specialise in easy-to-care-for house plants. People have busy lives and want something that’s going to green up their space without too much work and we are passionate about what we do.”

From quirky plant markers to wax melts, hand-crafted plant pots and, of course, a huge selection of plants, Grounded has something for everyone. The shop also sells plant-themed jewellery by local jewellery maker, Mica Peet, as well as a range of gifts.

For more information about Grounded in Southsea, click here.