Have you decided to landscape your homestead or yard? You pick plants from several different nurseries and calculate that to visit them all, you would need to drive 800 kilometers, which would take about 10 hours. And what if you had to repeat this tour several times a season—and in the rain?
For many plant lovers in Lithuania, this was the reality for years. Blogger and landscaping course organizer Lina Liubertaitė saw this problem clearly. She realized that plant buyers needed a solution that would save time, simplify searches, and at the same time help small farms and nurseries reach customers all over Lithuania.
L. Liubertaitė ir M. Vasiliauskaitė
This is how Emedelynas.lt was born—a specialized online marketplace for plants and gardening goods, which over three years united about 50 sellers and more than 7,000 products.
From Seller Skepticism to Weather Challenges
Buying plants online? But how will they be delivered safely? These were the questions the Emedelynas.lt team often heard, especially in the early days.
“In the beginning, we had to break the ice on both sides—buyers and sellers. More than one nursery was afraid to join online sales due to open competition, extra workload, or the risks of shipping plants. But those who dared quickly saw the benefits—for example, that buyers on the platform choose a completely different assortment compared to what’s typical in physical stores,” says Emedelynas.lt manager Margarita Vasiliauskaitė.
Another key challenge was ensuring quality, since plants are not standard products—their condition and appearance can be interpreted differently.
“When starting this business, we worried about how we would handle possible complaints about plant quality and meeting customer expectations, so from the very beginning we paid special attention to customer service,” says M. Vasiliauskaitė.
Three years of experience in this niche market showed that one of the biggest challenges remains seasonality: the main plant seasons are spring and autumn, but unusual weather can completely change both supply and demand plans. This year, for instance, late warmth, less sunlight, and excess moisture led to slower plant growth, increased diseases, and some nurseries could not offer their planned assortment, or the plants looked different than in previous years.
Logistics – A Critical Success Factor
Logistics is one of the most important ingredients in Emedelynas.lt’s success. Until recently, the idea of shipping plants by courier seemed too risky to many—fragile goods with a high chance of damage. But the COVID–19 period changed market rules and created the conditions for Emedelynas.lt to launch, offering the possibility to get plants delivered directly to your home quickly and safely.
“Most of our store’s partners choose to entrust their shipments to the courier company Venipak. And those sellers who don’t have an established logistics process can use the delivery solution we provide via Venipak—we’ve been offering it for three years now. This way, we can ensure the best delivery conditions so that sellers don’t need to look for shipping partners, negotiate contracts, or handle settlements. For us, it’s very important that partners can focus on their core activity—growing and selling plants—while logistics are handled simply and effectively,” explains M. Vasiliauskaitė.
According to her, plant delivery is a sensitive process where courier speed and responsibility are crucial, since delivery quality directly contributes to the company’s reputation and customer satisfaction.
“We’ve often received praise when delivery exceeded customer expectations. For example, one client recently wrote that she damages plants more when transporting them in her own car than when receiving them by courier—such feedback shows how much good logistics can influence a business,” emphasizes M. Vasiliauskaitė.
Looking Ahead: More Convenience for Buyers
The platform stands out for its narrow specialization: plants and gardening products require specific knowledge, both for advising customers and for understanding sellers’ business specifics. This allows processes to be tailored to create the most value for both growers and buyers.
“We closely follow market trends—both in landscape design and edible plants. For example, naturalistic-style gardens, which require ornamental grasses, are becoming popular, and buyers increasingly appreciate low-maintenance, reliable, climate-resistant plants. Interest in bulb flowers is growing rapidly, especially botanical tulips, admired for their subtlety and endurance. Peonies are also experiencing a ‘renaissance.’ By observing these trends, we strive to adapt and offer our clients a relevant assortment,” says M. Vasiliauskaitė.
According to her, Emedelynas.lt is a young but ambitious e-commerce business, currently growing solely from personal investments, but with big plans for the future.
“Being an intermediary between buyers and sellers is like a constant dance, requiring patience and flexibility. But we are inspired by plant lovers’ enthusiasm and trust. It’s great to see more Lithuanian farms joining the platform and seeing its future. We are convinced that online marketplaces are the optimal path for the plant trade industry, so we plan to continue expanding the offering, seek new convenient solutions for buyers, and grow together with our community,” concludes M. Vasiliauskaitė.
