Back Alley House Plants

Back Alley House Plants 501 Main St, Ames
Spring-Summer Hours:
Mon-Tue Closed
Wed-Thur-Fri 12-6pm
Sat 9am-6pm
Sun 12-6 pm

Happy September! We have some beautiful shades of orange and yellows in store this week with hope that colors begin to s...
09/04/2026

Happy September! We have some beautiful shades of orange and yellows in store this week with hope that colors begin to shift outside beyond this heatwave 😶‍🌫️ Tons of new Hoya to look through, and a little bit of everything else to see! Stop in today until 6, or come down this weekend! Saturday 9-6, Sunday 12-6 🪴
We hope to see you!

In the order they are shown:
- Philodendron McColley’s Finale
- Peperomia Caperata Carnival
- Peperomia Caperata Green Ripple Variegated
- Fern Birds Nest Leslie
- Ficus Altissma Golden Gem
- a variety of Sansevieria
- Peperomia Caperata Quito
- Fittonia Tissue Culture Varieties
- cute little cacti
- Hoya Heaven!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out this weekend - we invest so much time, energy, and money into growing, sourcin...
09/01/2026

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out this weekend - we invest so much time, energy, and money into growing, sourcing, labeling and packing everything up for Midwest Tropical Show. Connecting with so many regional plant lovers and sending many wishlist plants home with you makes it all worthwhile!

Small business retail has been a rollercoaster for a lot of us this year. We so appreciate you choosing to spend some of your hard-earned dollars with us, especially when everything else is so expensive. Even if plants aren’t in the budget right now, every like, comment, post share, online review, or recommendation to a friend makes a difference. We are always open to feedback, ideas and product recommendations!

Thank you, thank you. Planty people are our kind of people ♥️🪴

Happy Sunday! If you couldn’t make it to Midwest Tropical Show yesterday (or even if you did but still need more plants)...
08/30/2026

Happy Sunday! If you couldn’t make it to Midwest Tropical Show yesterday (or even if you did but still need more plants), we have a treat for you today - double leafy rewards on any purchase of $25 or more! We still have dozens of rare and hard-to-find houseplants left from the show. I’m the first to admit we, uh, overdid it with sourcing this summer. But, that means we still have tons of cool stuff to share with our local plant people 🥳🪴

Bonus: I was thrilled and a little intimidated to be booth neighbors with theeliteleaf at the show on Saturday. I have been a fangirl ever since I bought my hoya gunung gading from her at the first Midwest Tropical Show in 2023. She was generous enough to give us a great deal on some of her remaining hoya, which means we brought dozens of her spectacular specimens back in Ames to share with you. I’ll post more about species and cultivars tomorrow but wow. I am just so impressed with the quality of these hoya!!

We’re open Sunday 12-6 ☀️

Rain rain, go away! But we’re out here with many other pre-moistened plant lovers til 2 pm at Ted Lare Garden Center. Sh...
08/29/2026

Rain rain, go away! But we’re out here with many other pre-moistened plant lovers til 2 pm at Ted Lare Garden Center. Shop is open 9-6. Have fun, stay dry!

New plants in the shop this Friday! We will have a lot of these (and more) at the Midwest Tropical Show tomorrow, but we...
08/28/2026

New plants in the shop this Friday! We will have a lot of these (and more) at the Midwest Tropical Show tomorrow, but we can put anything you like on hold or you can pre-purchase. Our shop will be open for our regular Saturday hours tomorrow (9-6) so you can still come by and say hello!

Find us at the show!
2701 Cu***ng Ave
Cu***ng, IA 50061
United States

In the order they are shown:
- Peperomia Caperata Quito, Puteolata Stilt, and Angulata Beetle
- Hoya Curtisii
- Hoya Callistophylla ‘Vena’
- Hoya Obovata Variegated
- Hoya Keysii Australis
- Hoya Minibelle
- Hoya Australis ‘Lisa’
- Hoya Meredithii
- Nepenthes Alata Pitcher Plant
- Begonia Conchifolia Variegated

We know Reiman Gardens Stink Floyd is sooooo last summer, but we have two stinky bloomers in the shop today - matelea cy...
08/26/2026

We know Reiman Gardens Stink Floyd is sooooo last summer, but we have two stinky bloomers in the shop today - matelea cyclophylla and stapelia hirsuta!

Matelea cyclophylla is another weirdo caudiciform and is native to Mexico. Like a lot of caudiciforms, it has a dormancy period, so don’t worry if it loses its leaves as long as the caudex isn’t mushy. Stapelia hirsuta has an other-worldly weird flower - striped, hairy, stinky, definitely looks like it could consume your soul - what’s not to love. In both cases, the stink attracts flies, which aid in pollination. 🪰🥩

If you love coming home and saying “ugh who forgot to take out the trash” but it’s just one of your houseplants blooming, these plants are for you! Come sniff them today 12-6

Midwest Tropical Show at Ted Lare Garden Center is only 9 days away!!! 😱 August 29th from 9 am -2 pm, join us and 20+ re...
08/20/2026

Midwest Tropical Show at Ted Lare Garden Center is only 9 days away!!! 😱 August 29th from 9 am -2 pm, join us and 20+ regional planty vendors. We will be bringing you lots of uncommon, unique, lovely and hard-to-find horticultural wonders. We have been working all summer to grow and source cool plants for this event, and the last few weeks we have been heads down and working hard to pull everything together. Sarah will also be teaching a short seminar on pinguicula care and cultivation, we will put the link in the comments! Registration is $20 and includes a ping.

We’re bringing:
- carnivorous plants, including lots of pinguicula + gravel mix, 3D printed pots and rocks
- anthurium hybrids galore
- weird succulents, cacti and sansevieria
- home-grown hoya + some recently acquired rarities
- handmade pottery and plushies
- cool, tiny orchids
- and really whatever looks good and will fit in the Subaru

See you on the road!

(I am trying to put together a list of stuff we’re bringing, feel free to message about specific varieties, holds, pre-purchases, etc.) (also if you’d like to buy a shirt I may bring some of those)

Looking for a new pot? A big shipment is being unpacked and ready for shopping! Lots of large pots to find, from classic...
08/14/2026

Looking for a new pot? A big shipment is being unpacked and ready for shopping! Lots of large pots to find, from classic terracotta to more decorative designs. Come check it out!
Plant features this week include our Hoya Bella, Hoya Fungii x Pubicalyx, and Kalanchoe Flap Jack (shown on slide 7, 8, and 9 respectively).

Happy Wednesday! We’ve got 1155 lbs of pottery hitting the shelves over the next few days, but first we gotta put on an ...
08/12/2026

Happy Wednesday! We’ve got 1155 lbs of pottery hitting the shelves over the next few days, but first we gotta put on an extra layer of deodorant and get it unpacked. Mostly terracotta but a few decorative pieces as well - including some larger pots! Peep that big teal planter on the bottom corner. 🐬

Address

501 Main Street
Ames, IA
50010

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 6pm
Friday 12pm - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 6pm

Website

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