Plants galore: Indoor plants are the millennial’s favourite home accessory.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
The key to a millennial’s heart lays in the simpler pleasures of life: a decent cup of coffee, smashed avocado on toast with a sprinkling of feta, and houseplants.
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I admit I am a lover of all of the above, especially the latter.
Leafy obsession: Australians have been buying more plants in the past couple of years.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
The houseplant had its previous heyday in the 1970s in the peak of the mid-century modern era, but with the growth of social media the lush greenery soon made its way back to modern-day living via the grids of Instagram.
While the COVID-19 pandemic drove hoards outside into their backyards to pick up the trowel, others turned toward cultivating their indoor collections.
With essential services open, going down to Bunnings to pick up a new drill also offered the opportunity to purchase a new plant. Or three.
According to the latest Nursery Industry Statistics 2019-2022 survey, the indoor plant category is seeing steady growth with total sales volume growing by nine per cent and representing 13 per cent of the market.
Shepparton’s Billabong Garden Complex staff member Sally Moseley said the store had seen exponential growth in the past couple of years in the indoor plant category, and not just from millennials.
“There’s definitely been a major shift with indoor plants and pots as well, people just love them,” she said.
Greenery: The fish plant has unique leaves and can be suited to indoor or outdoor climates.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
“The weeks leading up to Christmas the store was filled with greenery everywhere you would look, I think that was a huge Christmas present this year.”
She said the surge in popularity was driven predominantly by young people.
“We had a big surge in younger people purchasing them in the past couple years, especially teenage girls looking for a cute pot and plant to have in their rooms,” she said.
Houseplants call for a variety of green thumb owners; some plants are fickle with light and water requirement, while others — my favourites — can just sit for weeks on end needing only the occasional drink.
Ms Moseley said the peace lily had been a crowd favourite — it’s a hardy plant that requires little maintenance — with fiddle-leaf figs and philodendrons close behind.
“Watering is vital and just getting the right requirements is a massive part of taking care of the plants,” she said.
Her advice to plant lovers was to take them outside for a deep watering in the morning so they could get a little fresh air and a bit of sunshine before the harsh heat of the day.
“Let them dry a little rather than giving them too much water, that’s also a big thing.”
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