Plant lovers unite! The surge of plant popularity has invaded the board gaming world, in a good way! Game designers have picked up on the fact that not only do people want to be plant moms and dads in real life, they also want to in games.
For everyone whose house or garden looks like a jungle, we’ve tracked down the best board games for plant lovers. Although you don’t need to have a green thumb to enjoy these games, each of them includes an element of caring for or growing plants, flowers, or trees. So grab your fellow anthophiles (plant lovers) and test these games on your table.
Floriferous
Take A Stroll Through A Garden
Floriferous is a card game in which players collect flower, arrangement, sculpture, and desire cards. Cards are collected over the course of three “days” in the game. Points are scored based on objective cards and what types of cards players collected.
Floriferous is just one of the most easy-going, relaxing card games out there, but yet it still has some interesting options for players. During the game, players take turns moving their pawns across a grid of cards, choosing the ones that will give them the best outcome with end-game scoring. But there’s no nail-biting, anxious tension of hoping someone takes the card you want, because players can easily pivot to something different that can still earn them points. The cards have beautiful watercolor images of flowers.
Planted: A Game of Nature & Nurture
Most Thematic
Planted is a board game in which players draft resource and item cards that will help them “care for” plant cards. Players fill their area with plants and add different decorations that will help them score points.
Besides picking-and-passing cards at the beginning of each round, Planted leans into the theme of getting plants and making sure you have the right resources to maintain them. What’s fun about this game is that you’re able to obtain all the plant cards you want, but they aren’t worth any points unless you spend resources to care for them or get decoration cards. The game has the most fun components too! Inside the box, there are cloth bags that contain acrylic water droplets and sun tokens along with wooden green thumbs and plant food. Planted is just an enjoyable experience all the way around.
Verdant
Puzzle Me This
Verdant is a game in which players try to arrange plants in rooms that will be the most beneficial for them. Players must lay cards and create a grid that scores the most points.
If you like puzzle-type games, this is the game for you. Each player starts with one room card and one plant card. Room cards have four symbols, one on each edge. The symbols are either Full Sun, Semi Shade, or Shade. Starting from their initial room card, players will place cards to complete 5x3 gid with the stipulation that no room cards can be touch each other.
Same with plant cards. If the lighting requirement on the plant matches the room, you receive a leaf token that can be placed on that plant, which represents points at the end of the game. The goal is to make your plants comfortable by having the correct room requirements, oddly, like having houseplants in real life. The plant cards are extra cool because they have facts about each plant on them.
Bonsai
No Two Trees End Up Alike
Bonsai is a game in which players lay tiles that represent pieces of a bonsai tree. Players strive to lay branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit tiles in order to score the most points and complete specific objectives.
Bonsai is just flat-out great! Not only is it enjoyable to place tiles that ultimately create a bonsai tree, it has good end of game objectives. The best aspect is looking around the table and seeing that no two people made a bonsai tree the same, unless they are deliberately copying each other. Although it sounds like a light, easy game, there are still some decisions that players have to make about what cards to grab, as each card either gives the players abilities to place tiles or how to score.
Earth
More Than Just Plants
Earth is an engine building game in which players play cards and take actions to create the best synergies.
Earth is all about planting cards to build a 16-card tableau and earning victory points. What’s awesome about this game is the photography used on the cards instead of graphics or other art images. Another small detail is that each card contains an interesting fact. Certain actions trigger adding growth or sprouts to cards that earn victory points. One of the best things about this game is that on one person’s turn, every player gets to perform an action.
Meadow
Good Depth For A Simple-Looking Game
Meadow is a nature-themed game in which players play cards that build on one another.
Meadow is all about building a meadow-space from the ground up. Players start with basic terrain cards and then place cards. Meadow is a fantastic game with gorgeous plant and animal art, and even though it might seem a tad overwhelming for beginning players, once you get the rhythm of a turn, it’s smooth sailing.
FAQ
Do you have to love plants to play these games?
No, these games require no knowledge of gardening or plants in general. They just have a fun, plant theme.
Are all these games good for beginners?
The best games for beginners are Floriferous, Planted, and Bonsai. Verdant is on the higher end of beginner level, and Earth and Meadow are good for intermediate players.
