Resident offers plant rentals

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

It’s common for someone to rent a car or an apartment.

Deerfield resident Mindy Ruby, also known as Mrs. Green Jeans, lets people and offices rent something a little more unusual: plants.

“I rent plants out on a monthly basis,” Ruby said. “I purchase the plants and install them in offices and homes and I clean, water, trim and fertilize the plants on a weekly basis. It creates a nice atmosphere, and people get attached to their plants. They’re happy to see me.”

Ruby began her business in 2000 after gardening in her own home for almost two decades.

“After I got married, I started gardening once we had our own property,” Ruby said. “I was gardening with flowers and growing vegetables and I really got a lot of happiness out of doing that.

“I grew huge zucchini and tomatoes. Not to make a pun, but the seed was planted then.”

Ruby began working for a plant supplier and when the owner of the business moved to Florida, Ruby decided to open a company of her own.

“When I was growing up, there was a children’s television show (called Captain Kangaroo) and on it, there was a character called Mr. Green Jeans,” Ruby said.

“I thought Mrs. Green Jeans was a clever name, because we are a green business,” she added.

Ruby said that typically, her clients – whether they are at home or in an office – will choose the vases and other containers in which to display the plants. Ruby will personally choose the plants to use in that environment.

“Some plants are more challenging than others,” Ruby said. “They have to have the right light and water requirements.

“It is not just going in and dumping water on a plant. I’ve got a whole library of plant books I refer to often.”

Ruby said plants differ based on their light preferences. Plants like palms or ficus need a lot of natural light, while plants like aglaonema typically thrive in lower-light settings, such as offices with fluorescent lights.

“One of my favorite plants is the ZZ (zamioculcas zamiifolia) plant,” Ruby said. “It is very cool. It has nice, thick leaves and it looks like it came from the prehistoric times.”

Ruby said there a lot of benefits to having plants in a home or work space.

“Plants work to brighten dull areas, aid in directing traffic through a room, act as visual screens and sound diffusers and soften hard architectural lines,” Ruby said. “Plants also generate oxygen, purify the air, add humidity during dry conditions and create a healthier environment.”

Along with offices, Ruby does work at apartment buildings throughout the North Shore. Tara, who declined to provide her last name, is the property manager at Deerfield Village Center, an apartment complex at 625 Deerfield Road. She said Ruby consistently does great work.

“She has been with the property since it was built 10 years ago,” Tara said. “She does an awesome job.”

Ruby’s plants are $25 and up. For information on the plant rental service, call (847) 702-1567.