houseplants
From humble beginning to main player
2019 was the year of the houseplant according to the GCA’s Barometer of Trade (BoT) report. Last year, the houseplant sector saw the biggest increase in sales at garden centres across the country with an increase of 17.6 per cent compared to 2018. But how did they become so popular?
How the resurgence began One main element is the fact that bringing the outside in has become fashionable again. Particularly popular amongst “Generation Rent” and millennials, this urban trend for houseplants has taken off as residents with a lack of outside space start to create their gardens indoors. According to the English Housing Survey,
“Generation Rent” makes up 48 per cent of households aged 25-34, up from 21 per cent 10 years ago. With many living in flats or houses with no garden, and the RHS revealing that city dwellers spend an average of 90 per cent indoors, it is little
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wonder that this urban demographic are creating their own little green havens inside their homes. Another reason why houseplants and lush
indoor greenery have become so popular is thanks to their ease of care, and ability to add colour to interiors cheaply and easily. They have become the new ‘pet’ for many, or as many refer to themselves, ‘plant parents’. In a time when the traditional signs of adulthood seem out of reach, millennials have become obsessed with houseplants as they offer a sense of responsibility and home ownership without the obligations of children and mortgages.
Houseplants also offer instant impact, for such a busy and time-poor generation. Additionally, houseplants also tap into the
increasingly important ‘wellness’ trend, as they work to purify the air that we breath and remove toxins and other chemical nasties found in furnishings, paints, detergents and cosmetics around the home. The RHS lists several health benefits too, including reduced blood pressure and breathing problems and, if you work from home – as many of us currently find ourselves doing – studies have shown that houseplants increase
GCU Spring 2020
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