Pop Culture
Eight ways indoor plants can improve your home
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In homes across the world, particularly in Millennial and Gen-Z households, a trend for houseplants is flourishing. Gone are the days when a solitary yukka plant or kentia palm occupied a corner of a living room. Now a profusion of plants and a much bigger variety of species fill homes to luxuriant and exotic effect – from the classic monstera deliciosa, commonly known as the Swiss cheese plant, to the sinister-sounding but decorative Neoregelia “Hannibal Lecter” with its dramatic, aubergine-on-green tiger-print pattern and prickly leaves. Houseplants are assuming as much importance as pieces of furniture in a room, and today’s plant propagators are not only increasingly horticulturally savvy but also know how best to pot plants and maintain them to ensure they thrive.
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The craze harks back to 1970s homes – the revival of the retro macramé hanging plantholder is a bit of a giveaway. The 70s loved Victoriana, and the houseplant boom is a throwback to that era as well. And the widespread environmentalist adoption of biophilic design and architecture – which highlights greenery, water, fresh air and natural materials and forms in interiors – is fuelling this phenomenon.
“Social media is boosting the boom, with people who love plants sharing pictures of them everywhere,” says Hilton Carter, US-based “plantfluencer” (a horticultural influencer) and author of new book Living Wild.
“The fascination with houseplants stems from people wanting to reconnect with nature,” says Emma Sibley, founder of the shop London Terrariums, which holds workshops teaching how to make terrariums – another facet of the trend. “Throughout lockdowns, people were glued to their screens while working from home, unable to be in nature.”
Houseplants satisfy people’s nurturing qualities, she tells BBC Culture: “They’ve introduced a ritual into the day that disconnects people from screentime and allows them to look after something that needs them.” We spoke to several plantfluencers to discover eight of the latest trends in styling houseplants.
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