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Millennials make up a significant percentage of new homeowners, so on any given weekend you can find them doing all sorts of home projects: cleaning, mowing, repairing, and — you guessed it — gardening. But gardening isn’t a hobby that’s exclusive to millennial homeowners; in fact, many millennial renters have passionately joined the “plant lady” and “garden daddy” movement, filling every square inch of their spaces with houseplants.
Industry experts say that 31 percent of houseplant sales in 2016 were fueled by millennials, who are shopping for all types of plants — from houseplants for better air quality and houseplants that are easy to take care of to house plants that are safe for cats and dogs. Popular houseplants like the Fiddle Leaf Fig, ZZ Plant, and Snake Plant have turned many millennials into plant lovers. In fact, according to the 2016 National Gardening Survey, 6 million Americans took up gardening that year — and 5 million of those were millennials.
So what exactly has inspired younger generations to join the plant movement? For one, social media — namely visual platforms like Instagram. A quick search will yield hundreds of dedicated Instagram accounts whose owners are passionate about gardening — and, more specifically, growing houseplants. With influencers like Hilton Carter and Apartment Therapy’s I Plant Even sharing weekly tips, tricks, and inspiration, learning to properly care for houseplants has never been easier.
Those looking for additional sources of houseplant inspiration can turn to former HGTV star Joanna Gaines. Known for her iconic farmhouse style, the TV personality is also an up-and-coming plant lady who often shares beautiful imagery of her garden (and you’d be hard-pressed to find a Gaines-designed home that doesn’t incorporate some house plants).
Another theory behind millennials’ new passion for plants has to do with their passion for health and wellness. Research has revealed that houseplants remove a shockingly high percentage of toxins from the air, and with so much information being discovered about their additional health benefits — like fostering increased concentration and calmness — we can understand why many millennials have been eager to fill their spaces with plants.
So tell us: Have you recently jumped on this millennial-led movement, or were you already a lifetime green thumb and lover of plants? We’d love to hear!
