The growing plant craze is rooted in and has continued to expand in the last couple of months. Throughout social media there has been a plethora of different content attracting more people into indoor and outdoor gardening. The trend has been fueled visually by trending pictures and videos but also by the hard circumstances we are living in with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many people have been stuck at home more than usual due to COVID-19 regulations and that has led to people wanting to spruce up their home with plants. This has contributed to the increase in plant retail for many garden centers and nurseries. Tim Campbell, owner of Campbell Gardens, said “In the spring particularly when everybody was under shutdown there was an increase probably about 15%.”

With the large amount of time people have had on their hands, high customer traffic has not just been in Campbell Gardens. Betty Owens, Pike Nurseries associate, said, “I have been absolutely swamped with customers, it’s wonderful.”

“As sad as everything is, our business had just been booming.” – Betty Owens

People also tend to bring in pictures or videos of particular plants they see on social media that catch their attention. Owens mentions how she encourages customers to take a picture or screen recording if they are unsure of what the plant is. This allows her to take a better look at the plant and help customers find exactly what they are looking for.

Although it is easy to purchase a plant, keeping them alive and healthy is a challenge many people have come to experience. Sarah Vander Hyden, B.L Mullinax Landscaping associate, said, “The biggest problem with interior plants is that it’s easy for people to overwater or underwater them.”

“A good rule of thumb is sticking your index finger in the pot and if the soil mix is dry you can water it or if it’s wilting”  Vander Hyden said.

“In the winter you might have to water them more because you have the heat going on, so they’ll dry out a bit faster, but you don’t have to water every plant once a week just when it’s dry.”

Starting a collection isn’t as overwhelming or difficult as it might seem. The sansevieria also known as mother-in-law’s tongue or snake plant is one of the easiest to begin with. Owens said, ”It only needs watering about once every two-to-three weeks. It’s a low light plant but it’s so easy to care for you could literally grow it in a closet.”

Plants do improve and purify the air quality in our space but not to the extent we think they do. “Plants don’t do the same job that air purifiers do but they are certainly pleasant things to have in the house and the more the merrier.” Owens said.

As for the green thumb myth, anyone has the ability to grow and garden as long as they pay enough attention. Campbell said, “It’s a learning process, there is not a season that goes by that I don’t learn something new.”

“I think the people that are most successful with plants are the people that don’t overthink it. Don’t take all the information you read as exact facts because nothing is exact.” – Betty Owens

There is already more interest in vegetable gardening for the upcoming season – even with the introduction of windowsill gardens with cherry tomatoes and a variety of peppers. Trends come and go but plants are here to stay.