The Indoor Botanical Boom
Houseplant sales have skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic. Emily explores why this may be, and the benefits of having houseplants in your home.
The Indoor Botanical Boom - sales of houseplants have risen since the start of the pandemic. Illustration by Lorna Dolby-Stevens.
A selection of propagating and potted houseplants. Photo by Kat Clifton.
People have been bringing plants into their homes for thousands of years but the houseplant ‘hobby’ is often attributed solely to millennials, associating the trend with collecting indoor plants with the population of plant-based posts on social media platforms, particularly Instagram. Since 2014, 18-34-year-olds have spent more on house plants than any other age group, and this spending is constantly on the rise. At the date of writing this article, there are 5.2 million posts on the Instagram hashtag #houseplants with people sharing images of new emerging leaves and their new plant purchases. For millennials, the attraction is often considered to be one fueled by social media, and perhaps the apparent ease of keeping some species of houseplant alive. There are also lesser restrictions and a smaller commitment with keeping houseplants compared to keeping a pet, with most younger people now renting as opposed to buying their own homes.
Houseplants, previously thought to be a ‘trend’ taken up by millennials, is now a hobby that spans generations. Photo by Annie Spratt, Unsplash.
Photo by Kayesha Clarke, @ploonts_ on Instagram.
However, the Covid19 pandemic has seen an unprecedented increase in the popularity of houseplants across all age groups. A houseplant in the background of a Zoom or Teams call working from home can now be considered a staple piece of furniture. Houseplants are easy to purchase online, meaning that coronavirus restrictions nationwide haven’t had much of an impact on the ability of the public to purchase new foliage friends. The phenomenon has been termed by some as a ‘botanic boom’, which has hit all over the world. Patch plants told the Telegraph that their website has seen a 500% increase in sales during the first national lockdown. Houseplant sales on the Royal Horticultural Society’s website and in garden centres were up 22.8% in July compared to last year.
But why has there been such a huge increase in the purchase and trading of houseplants?
Caring for any living thing, including plants and pets, can be considered to be soothing, anxiety- reducing and can also boost attentiveness. They are known to remove air pollutants both outdoors and within the home, and have various other health benefits such as increased happiness, with studies quoting that people feel more carefree, playful, friendly and affectionate in spaces populated with house plants. Caring for plants triggers a neurochemical reward in our bodies via the release of endorphins to make us feel calm (source). A survey conducted following lockdown in March 2020 found that 12% of people who had purchased plants since March were first-time houseplant buyers, and 43% noted that their stress had moderately declined since introducing houseplants into their homes. People who spoke to their plants were 3.5 times more likely to show reduced stress during the pandemic.
Evidence suggests that houseplants are increasing in popularity throughout the pandemic due to their calming presence. Photo of a Variegated Rubber Plant (Ficus robusta) by Kat Clifton.
Houseplants are easy to get hold of, and there’s a variety of plants and pots to suit any home and taste. Photo and plant pot by Kayesha Clarke of Other Beings.
Houseplants are often more affordable than pets. But stark increases in prices have been seen in both the houseplant market as well as the purchase of puppies and kittens, with puppy prices more than doubling since the first national lockdown starting in March. Nevertheless, houseplants are still a cheaper alternative than their fluffy pet counterparts, or as referred to in a recent Vogue article, ‘Simply put, plants are great quarantine buddies!’. Many plant shops, such as Patch Plants, give all of the plants on their website names. You’ll find Rapunzel - the popular hanging Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum aureum) or even the aptly named Unkillable set of plants on their site, which are easy to purchase and are delivered straight to your door. It is thought that naming a plant forces you to care for it better, and even encourages a bond between ‘plant parent’ and plant.
Naming houseplants could create a sense of familiarity and comfort during times of isolation, and cement a bond between plant and plant parent. Devil’s Ivy/Golden Pothos (Epiprenum aureum) photo by Severin Candrian, Unsplash.
2020 and 2021 so far have been a time of great confusion and uncertainty. It seems that the almost constant availability of houseplants – something which people are able to divert their attention and care towards – has been very attractive to all generations across the world. This is an incredibly accessible hobby that can be as bank account friendly as you’d like and is proven to incite happiness. From shaded areas to bright south-facing windows, there are plants for every home. Houseplants are a great and affordable way to bring the outdoors into your home. This is especially great for people who do not have gardens or reachable outside spaces. When choosing the houseplants that are right for your home, it’s important to be aware of what kind of plant is suited to different environments, and also consider their impact on the environment. If you are looking to find the perfect houseplant for your home, you could check social media such as Facebook for plant swap groups local to you.
Houseplants offer a more affordable ‘quarantine buddy’, but the popularity of rarer houseplants has also increased due to the pandemic. Photo of a Variegated Swiss Cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa ‘Albo-Variegata’) by Emily Gilford.
You can find useful information in the sources linked throughout the article, including great starter plants and more information about the benefits of bringing the outside world into your home.
EMILY GILFORD
Emily is a Zoology BSc (Hons) and Ecology MSc graduate from the University of Exeter, currently based in Cornwall. Her interests lie in animal behaviour and blue health. Over the past few years, Emily has managed The Beach Clean Project in Cornwall, connecting people over a mutual love of keeping our coastlines clean. Emily enjoys being out with her camera spotting wildlife and learning as much as she can. Emily is an online article editor and contributor here at Bloom in Doom. Find her on Instagram @emilygilford