Two D.C.-area plant moms have created Grounded, a virtual shop that’ll ship houseplants to aspiring plant parents, and import some wellness along the way.

“We’re helping people in our communities realize that this is a cheap kind of therapy,” says co-founder Mignon Hemsley, 26. “Just watering my plants and checking them is helping me stay sane.”

Fittingly, the site launches in full on Earth Day—Wednesday—at 3 p.m. Through it, co-founders and friends Hemsley and Danuelle Doswell are connecting their passion for gardening with improved mental health.

“We felt like especially in our community, the black community is not as knowledgeable when it comes to different mental health outlets,” Doswell, 26, says. “So that ignited our business.”

Mental health care remains a stigma in the African American community: Only one in three African Americans in need of mental health care actually receives it, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Doswell and Hemsley want to offer an outlet to disconnect and decompress from constant stress, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caring for plants not only gives you a sense of responsibility, but also a feeling of accomplishment once they start growing and blooming, says Hemsley.

Here’s how it works: Subscribers will receive customized packages of plants and vases every month or few months depending on their preferences. Subscriptions require a three-month commitment, and cost between $50-$100 per month, depending on type of space (a home versus an office) and number of plants in each package (two or four, with additional options for customizable subscriptions).

Non-subscribers can pick from an initial selection of three indoor plants—aloe vera, golden pothos, and snake plants—that cost $15 or $20 each. Grounded is starting out with these simple, low-maintenance plants to test the market and ease inexperienced people into caring for plants. They’ll add more within the next six months.

Plants will either be hand-delivered or shipped for free.

Grounded sources its plants from nurseries and garden centers in the region and New York City—Doswell splits her time between Alexandria and Brooklyn while Hemsley lives in the District. Their decision to open a virtual plant shop rather than a standalone location has proven to be wise, since most jurisdictions—including D.C.—have ordered nonessential businesses to close and implemented stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“The pandemic has proven that everything being online is much more accessible and that’s definitely the future,” Doswell says.

Opening a plant shop made sense for the women who say they like to post proof of their green thumbs on social media. Both maintain gardens: Hemsley grows tomatoes in hers, while Doswell and her family, “get ours from Wegmans,” she says. “Or Walmart,” Hemsley adds.

Professionally, both women work for themselves. Doswell is a freelance digital marketing and social media strategist with a background in psychology, though she’s quick to say she’s not a licensed mental health specialist. Hemsley works as a freelance photographer, DJ, and graphic designer.

While they don’t have formal training in agriculture, both women grew up helping their parents and other relatives garden, and they bonded over their passion for planting. And the paternal side of Doswell’s family were sharecroppers. In essence, Grounded is literally taking them back to their roots.

“Everything is derived from somewhere,” Doswell says. “There is a connection to my lineage and my ancestors.”

In addition to the plant service, Grounded also offers a newsletter. When it launches in full on Wednesday, it’ll also offer a blog with tips on caring for plants and the ability to purchase and read about the plants they’re offering.

They’re thinking about what the business will look like after the pandemic.

“We do plan to do pop-up shops throughout the region and even in New York once everything opens back up,” Doswell says.