move over, coachella

Pioneering Houston plant shop sprouts up with free weekend 'PlantChella' family festival

PlantChella takes place at The Plant Project Houston in Montrose.

Photo by Angelica Marie Photography

Houston’s first Black woman-owned plant shop — and also the first in Texas — is celebrating its first birthday and inviting the city to party in a green weekend bash.

The Plant Project Houston (2031 Buffalo Terrace in Montrose) is hosting PlantChella, a free, three-day event running July 29-31, to celebrate its first anniversary. Free activities throughout the weekend include workshops on growing succulents, rum tastings, cigar rolling, yoga, sound baths, kids activities and more.

Tickets for each day are free and not required (but are recommended) and can be found online. Here’s a breakdown of events.

On Friday, July 29
“Plants & Pixel” teaches guests how to create their own succulent garden, roll cigars, enjoy a hand-rolled cigar from Cigars with 1502 and Sterne Fine Cigar, sip rum, and catch the film Hitch. 6:30 pm-9:30 pm.

Saturday July 30
“Nature & Nurture” calms the body and mind with free yoga (guests must bring their own mat), sound baths, planting, and more. Sponsored by Athleta, the event also includes cocktails from Traveling Spirit Bar, Acaí bowls and smoothies by Everbowl, and a DIY self-care shower Bundle Bar and Simply Perla Bar. 11 am-1 pm.

Sunday July 31
“The Plant Project Day” features free family fun with a kid planting station, Stevie the Photo Bus photo booth, artsy fun with Vivid Paintings by Al, and a complimentary leaf shine in a leaf lounge by We The Wild. Treats include a Topo Chico Bar, premium artisan pops by Wonder Pops, free cocktails from Traveling Spirit Bar, bites by Gift of Graze, the Little Pot CBD Mobile Dispensary, and more. DJ Good Fat will spin tunes all day. 11 am-2pm.

Also look for the launch of the new Adopt a Plant Texas initiative, which aims to put a plant in every home and focuses on creating a healthier, greener, life — especially in underserved communities — through plant therapy. To celebrate, The Plant Project will give away 150 plants to kick off the initiative.

“I’m Houston-born and raised,” said Plant Project Houston founder Bree Clarke in a statement, “and when I came back home a year ago, I wanted to create a place where everyone, regardless of their skin color, could experience plant joy and what it is to cultivate with your hands and your heart. We’re so grateful to everyone in Houston for the love and support in our first year and can’t wait to share this jam-packed weekend of fun with everyone, as we celebrate the joy of being a place where both plants and community grow.”

Founded on July 31, 2021 in Montrose, The Plant Project has grown to three shops in Houston and Dallas. Clarke also founded an inclusive lifestyle brand called The Iman Project, which focuses nourishing relationships and building a diverse community through style and design workshops.

PlantChella takes place at The Plant Project Houston in Montrose.

Photo by Angelica Marie Photography

PlantChella takes place at The Plant Project Houston in Montrose.

festivals nature families kids inspiration urban-renewal

income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

As the cost of raising a child balloons in major cities like Houston, many families are weighing the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Houston — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Houston, however, is somewhat more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $21,868 to raise a child in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family

move over, coachella

Pioneering Houston plant shop sprouts up with free weekend 'PlantChella' family festival

PlantChella takes place at The Plant Project Houston in Montrose.

Houston chef's hip new Italian restaurant now open in Heights hotel

Airbnb pledges over $1 million to improve Houston before World Cup

Eclectic comfort food restaurant to shutter after 21 years in Houston

income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home