Life
Assorted houseplants

One in ten brits ‘do a King Charles’ and talk to houseplants

One in 10 Brits ‘do a King Charles’ and talk to their houseplants – with one-fifth of millennials going so far as to name them.

One-tenth of adults (13%) admit they chat to their natural decor on a regular basis, with almost one-fifth (17%) of millennials (aged 25-34)  saying they even give them a name.

The habit of chatting to plants is something younger generations are more likely to do, with one in five (19%) claiming to do so – compared to just 10% of those aged 55 and over.

These younger ‘plant parents’ are following in the footsteps of climate-conscious King Charles who famously revealed in a 1986 interview that talking to his plants helped them grow.

PIC FROM FEATHER & BLACK (PICTURED: INFOGRAPHIC SHOWING MAIN SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR HOUSEPLANT NAMES)

Just 7% of Brits name their houseplants but 21% of the millennials who do, name them after their favourite authors.

The names of book characters are first choice as monikers for 17% of 18-24 year olds and 22% of 25-34 year olds.

Film characters and celebrities also prove to be a good source of inspiration for 25-34 year olds, with 19% opting for Hollywood namesakes.

Of the 2,000 Brits quizzed in the survey, commissioned by luxury bedroom retailer Feather & Black, one in 10 (11%) claimed they value their houseplants the same way they would a pet.

Orchids were crowned the UK’s favourite plant in the survey, followed by cacti, peace lilies, spider plants and aloe vera.

PIC FROM FEATHER & BLACK (PICTURED: INFOGRAPHIC SHOWING HOW MUCH PEOPLE SPEND ON THEIR HOUSEPLANT COLLECTIONS)

The survey revealed the majority of the population spend between £1-50 on their houseplant collection while 1% of Brits fork out more than £500 on their houseplants.

Of those quizzed, half (50%) said the most popular place for displaying houseplants is the living room.

Other favourite spots are the kitchen (23%), hallway (7%), bedroom (5%) and bathroom (4%) and home office (4%).

PIC FROM FEATHER & BLACK (PICTURED: INFOGRAPHIC SHOWING WHERE PEOPLE KEEP THEIR HOUSEPLANTS)

Despite Britain being a nation of plant lovers,  a whopping 63% of people regularly forget to water them.

This is something more likely to happen between the ages of 25 and 44, where three-quarters (75%) in this age group people frequently forget this task.

At the other end of the scale, one in five (18%) of plant owners arrange care for their precious greenery while on holiday – with men more likely to do this (20%) than women (16%).

On average people have six-and-a-half houseplants in their home, with one third (32%) owning between three and five.

One fifth (21%) own one to two, while one fifth (19%) have six-seven plants in their homes.

PIC FROM FEATHER & BLACK (PICTURED: INFOGRAPHIC SHOWING MOST POPULAR PLACES TO DISPLAY HOUSEPLANTS)

A dedicated one in 20 (5%) claim to own more than 20 houseplants.

More than half of the population (54%) add houseplants to their interior design to promote wellbeing and relaxation.

Houseplant therapy is especially popular among Gen Z with 36% claiming to use houseplants for mindfulness.

PIC FROM FEATHER & BLACK (PICTURED: INFOGRAPHIC SHOWING WHY PEOPLE DECORATE WITH HOUSEPLANTS)

Half (47%) of people simply feel the desire to incorporate nature into their home, while 38% said they incorporate houseplants into their decor for aesthetic purposes only.

Air purification (29%) and mood boosting (25%) rounded out the top five main reasons for decorating with houseplants.

The poll also revealed one in ten (11%) men use plants to boost creativity, explaining why 7% of blokes keep plants in their home office.

In comparison, fewer women get plants in order to boost creativity with only 5% of women claiming to do so.

PIC FROM FEATHER & BLACK (PICTURED: INFOGRAPHIC SHOWING MAIN SOURCES OF INSPIRATION FOR DECORATING WITH HOUSEPLANTS)

When deciding how to decorate with houseplants, more than a quarter of people (27%) turn to friends and family for ideas.

While a third (35%) of respondents don’t feel the need to search for inspiration, those that do turn to Instagram (16%), print magazines (12%), Pinterest (12%), online magazines (11%) and TikTok (8%).

While Instagram remains the most popular platform for Gen Z (32%), a quarter of Gen Z plant keepers (25%) find their houseplants decor inspiration on TikTok.  

PIC FROM FEATHER & BLACK (PICTURED: INFOGRAPHIC SHOWING WHAT THE MOST POPULAR HOUSEPLANT IS IN EACH CITY)

Laura Burnett, buyer at Feather & Black, said: “There are many studies suggesting plants have multiple health benefits.

“Our findings add weight to the importance of incorporating houseplants into interior design.

“Seeing that such a significant proportion of the population use houseplants to boost their mood and improve wellbeing will hopefully encourage people to expand their collection.”

For more information, visit here.

Header photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Join the discussion

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles