Go back 40 years ago and there were two important events on university campuses~one was the Fall used textbook sale; and the second was the Fall annual indoor plant sale. Everyone bought indoor plants for their rooms and apartments, and these sales were held at universities across Canada. Indoor plants were a big “thing”.
As The Economist writes, indoor plants which pretty much disappeared off people’s radar for decades are now back~and it is young people leading the trend towards houseplants. Even Greenhouse Mag describes the social media trend towards indoor plants, viewing the universally accessible Instagram and Pinterest as “democratizing access to high design”. That includes young people using houseplants in interiors as a fashion statement in keeping with “nature-infused design aesthetic”.
Google searches for succulents (a type of plant) have increased ten times in the last nine years. On a more practical level young people often live in apartment units without yard access, and while there is care involved for houseplants, “they are neither as demanding nor as costly as pets or children”.
Fast Company quotes The National Gardening Survey which found that 80 percent of the 6 million people who started gardening in 2016 were aged 18 to 34. An interest in indoor plants may also be a way to reconnect to nature after so much time spent on screens. The online plant company The Sill has a motto that “Plants Make People Happy” suggesting plants as “a form of self-care and wellness”.
While online sales of indoor plants have increased exponentially, they are also good for you~house plants can remove 87 percent of toxins in the air in 24 hours and can improve concentration and productivity by 15 percent.
Here’s a beginner’s guide to indoor plants, and a YouTube video from Planterina on how to pick the right plant for your place. Happy indoor planting!
