It was a kind of joke throughout lockdown that it was now normal to talk to your plants. It was only a problem if they actually replied. Our time spent in isolation due to coronavirus showed more than ever that houseplants can be our best friend. And here’s how to create an urban jungle and decorate with popular houseplants.
Indoor plants are a booming business as more people appreciate the calming effect they have on us. Many plants are also known for their air purifying effect – a big plus with city-based, health conscious Millennials. A third reason sales of houseplants have shot up in the last decade is Instagram.
Houseplants and Mental Health – the Calming Effect of Greenery
It was Prince Charles of England who put greenery firmly on the agenda back in 1986 when he said he talks to his plants. Famously ahead of his time when it comes to all things nature and farming, Charles said it’s important to talk to plants. And that doing so keeps him relatively sane. He was ridiculed at the time, but soon experts began discussing whether plants actually benefitted from the air we exhale. Today, over 30 years later, plants are now given almost super natural powers.
How Houseplants help Promote Instagram Influencers
Houseplants are not cheap – but they are still one of the most cost effective home accessories. Celebrities and influencers are increasingly showing how to create an urban jungle with at-home selfies. And gorgeous colourful photos of flowers and trees attract huge numbers of ‘likes’ on social media.
How Sales of Plants have Boomed in Recent Years
Sales on houseplants in the last year have increase by well over 50 percent at some garden centres. Flowering plants have seen a steep rise – perhaps because they look so fabulous in pictures, as they do in real life. Alocasia plants, or elephant ear plants, are among the biggest boomers in sales. Striking looking with big leaves and eye-catching patterns it selling like hot cakes – ten times more than a year ago, on average.
How to create an Urban Jungle instead of Outdoor Garden
As Millennials and first time buyers scour the internet and property brochures, they often realise they can’t afford a garden. Outdoor space in city centres are expensive which means indoor plants have become ‘lifesavers’. They bring the outdoors inside. It has become increasingly popular crowding a home with plants – floor plants, hanging plants, plants in the widow space, in bedroom, bathroom, sitting rooms and hallways.
Rather than buy the flowers in bloom, there is of course also the option to sow and grow them yourself. I personally get a lot of pleasure from seeing them popping up through the soil…read here our post on growing sunflowers and marigolds indoors.
Low Maintenance Plants – Super Value for Money
At DU we are biased towards Snake plants – or the Sansevieria. It’s the easiest plant to look after and is an air purifier. If you forget to water it for a couple of weeks it somehow survives. And unless you have very green fingers and know how to keep a plant alive for months and years, plants can prove expensive.
Pick up a couple of Snake plants, an Elephant ear and a few small cacti and the total suddenly adds up to £50 plus… If they then dry out in a couple of months and you need a new supply, it can all end up quite costly.