Plant Parenting 2020

In my last blog, I talked about what’s trendy in gardening this year. My subject today is not just “in” for 2020, it’s been building for several years, but this year it’s come into full flower. I’m talking about houseplants, or more specifically –plant parenting. This relatively new term reflects that collecting plants is all the rage with young adults. While anyone with a love for plants and/or nature can appreciate this popular movement, the driving forces behind it are complex, compelling, and (like so many other things) heightened in this year of the pandemic.

When I was first reading about this subject, I was somewhat taken aback by the term “plant parenting”. Not only had I never heard of it, but it seemed a bit childish. However, I quickly came to realize that it has more of a whiff of sadness than immaturity. The fact is that young adults nowadays are putting off having children and just not wanting them is only a tiny bit of why. Staggering student debt, archaic and discriminatory employment practices, and lack of affordable housing conspire to keep people from starting families and pursuing the mythical American dream. So, some are putting their nurturing and latent farming instincts into their plant babies. Plants can also be a first step towards the responsibility of pet ownership. If you aren’t ready to take care of a plant, you may not be ready to care for an animal. One more advantage to plants: you can make any parenting mistakes (up to and including killing them) without consequences, except perhaps a little guilt. While this may sound cold, it can be reassuring to the anxious and inexperienced.

Apartments and other small-space quarters were once considered to be stepping stones to homes or, at least more spacious digs. Now that this is no longer a given, people are staying in these small places longer and making them as cozy as possible. This where plants come in. With plants, you generally do not need to worry about getting permission from or upsetting a landlord or paying additional deposits. They will not bark all day while you’re at work or pee wherever they want. This does not mean, of course, that you should turn your bathroom into a grow room – that could cause problems with more than the landlord. Here are some tips from a plant lover who has created an enviable oasis in an NYC apartment.

The rise of plant parenting may be based on serious social and economic realities, but it is fueled by social media – especially Instagram. This brand of social media is visually driven and inundated with beautifully staged images. A person may see an Instagram model and aspire to look that good one day, but for most of us, it is not ever going to happen. However, when one sees an inviting space full of lush houseplants, it can seem realistically attainable. And so the obsession begins. If you find yourself on the verge of jumping into plant parenting, there are some things to consider before you leap. And remember, ARBICO has help for houseplants, should you need it.

For many people, the health advantages of houseplants may not be top of mind when it comes to picking plants; but for millennials (who have been called the “wellness generation”), it’s part of the draw. Plants can improve air quality, reduce allergens, provide aromatherapy, produce medicine, and have innumerable mental health benefits (more on all they can do from WebMd here). Growing a plant that can directly benefit you is an easy step to getting self-care under control and that is not lost on many eager plant parents out there.

As the houseplant-loving community has grown, it has developed its own social media celebrities and favored bloggers like the Urban Jungle Bloggers. This blog calls itself “A Global Tribe of Plant Lovers” and embraces houseplants as/with design. They offer visually interesting and timely insights that appeal to hipsters all over the world. In April, they launched a challenge called “Stay Home with Plants” that addressed the lockdowns affecting everyone. It’s interesting to read about now, and is still relevant three months on. You can find it easily on their site.

In addition to social media influencers, more traditional communities of plant parents have appeared. Devotees can make actual human connections with like-minded people at a plant swap or a talk at a nursery. National conventions like the Tropical Plant International Expo have found a whole new and highly enthusiastic group of visitors with these young plant aficionados. I’ll bet they have changed the experience of convention-going for traditional attendees. All these events are an excellent avenue for someone to get out and make friends, and they are less sticky alternatives to online dating or meet-ups.

All of this may seem positive; but, just as with real parenting, there can be dark corners hidden from public scrutiny. Those with compulsive tendencies may find themselves over-buying and over-paying. Sometimes the act of acquiring is more fulfilling than the actual caring for the plant. This can cause an endless circle of buying as purchases die from neglect and new ones are bought to replace them. There are also instances where chasing the latest and most popular “it” plant has led to financial and emotional ruin. If you find yourself broke and you can barely make your way through the foliage in your apartment, you may have a problem.

Like everything else in 2020, this plant parenting thing has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. But not in a bad way. Sure, there are no plant swap meets or flower shows, but the community has been enriched with more eager and active members in lockdown. And nurseries, for the most part, have remained open. So it’s been easy enough for many to slip out and pick up a new baby, take it home, and hit Instagram to share it. Others are just staying home and nurturing their plants as they grow and change. And sharing that. After all, in a social media world, it is all about sharing and social media is wide open even when it seems the world is shut down.

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs on succulents (which are also experiencing renewed popularity) and unique houseplants.

Submitted by Pam

Inside Out: 2020 Garden Trends

Gardens, gardening, yards, porches, balconies with all types of plants and plantings are beyond
popular now. People have been driven by a variety of factors (social distancing, food and economic security, renewed interest in nature) to nurture and enjoy the plants around them, and as the home-bound populace moves out into the sun, they bring these interests with them. So what does this mean trend-wise? What do 2020 gardeners want to see and do now that warm weather is here? Create the ideal outdoor space, of course. A few unexpected trends have developed in response to this but many are a natural extension of the spring gardening craze.

According to this article, which used Google Trends to get their results, the following terms have seen huge increases in searches in the last 6 months: Adirondack chairs (up 303%), patio daybeds (up 275%), outdoor small space furniture (up 243%), hammocks (up 216%), outdoor bars (up 192%), Egg chairs (up189%), outdoor tiles (up 174%), fire pits (up 148%) and outdoor kitchens (up106%). While it’s not noteworthy that people are planning their summer outdoor life in the first 6 months of any year, there is an argument to be made that these searches are indicative of a desire for comfort and livability in our in the summer of 2020.  With so many of the customary summer activities curtailed by Covid-19, people are spending not just time, but money, on enjoying being outside while staying home.

There are two styles of outdoor design that seem to be coming to the forefront this summer and, while they have some similarities and contain some of the trends mentioned previously, they are fundamentally quite different. One is the Boho/Bohemian style and the other is a more minimalist and sleekly contemporary look. Let’s look at each one:

Boho:  This look brings in fabrics and pillows (often
mismatched artfully), woven rugs, wood, twinkling lighting. The colors are generally muted or earth tones, but can be more vibrant. The idea is to mix textures for visual and tactile stimulation while maintaining a relaxed vibe. This design style harkens back to a groovier time in the 60s and early 70s. This look is ideal for someone on a limited budget as you can repurpose items you already have inside your home and simply drag them outside. Repurposing in this way is a huge trend on its own and this style is perfectly suited for it. Just a couple of words of caution, however: Mismatched does not mean clashing and mixing items does not mean adding clutter. Style icon Coco Chanel famously said (in regard to accessories): “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” I believe that this is excellent advice when decorating a Boho garden: step away and take a good look, then remove one thing. Or not; you may have it just to your taste.

Contemporary: This style is dominated by large objects and clean lines in white or muted tones relieved in places with pops of color. Think long, sleek bench or sofa-like furnishings surrounded by wow-factor trees or shrubs planted in dramatic urns. Concrete fits in well here – both the material and the color. It has become popular these days to mix this style with permeable pavers that allow you to add geometric shapes to your grass. This makes a visually interesting contrast to the simple lines of the furnishings in the contemporary theme, but the effect can be appealing within many different design styles. Many people consider the premier example of this contemporary design aesthetic to be Belgian Design, which is described is as the ultimate in luxurious simplicity. While many aspects of these contemporary designs are clearly high-end, people are still embracing (those that can, anyway) it as a way to add high-quality and enduring design to their homes. Those without the designer budget can look to the concrete angle as a way to build pieces that fit into the scheme and find inexpensive or old pieces to rehab and update to get the look.

There are other trends that weave through all the design styles. These include:

Garden Nooks: After being locked down with the family for so long, having a nearby and comfy place to escape them is high on many people’s wish list. Even if you live alone, having a spot to sit and read, meditate, or just doze can be incredibly rejuvenating to body and spirit. There are lots of ways to create a place for alone-ness without a lot of space or money. The internet is full of ways to DIY privacy walls. In addition to, or instead of, walls there are plenty of plants that grow into beautiful barriers. You could try bamboo, it is a prolific grower and would look good in almost any garden. Or go for a time-honored perennial like a rhododendron, which will give you low-maintenance and year-round privacy for many years to come. So be comfy amongst your pillows or stripped-down and zen on a platform, just get out there.

Outdoor Kitchens: Whether you have $50,000 or $50 to spend, an outdoor kitchen is just the ticket after being stuck in your inside kitchen for so long. Every outdoor space can contain an eating/preparing food space. Your challenge is to find a way to make it fit your needs and budget. Here are some DIY projects that may give you some ideas.

Wildlife, Pollinators and Native Plants:  It is one thing to have beautifully wonderful plants around you, but your garden goes to another level when you can use native plants and give sustenance and succor to pollinators and other wild creatures. Happily, this idea is now mainstream and on-trend. For more on how you can make your garden pollinator-friendly, read my blog on it here.

Outdoor Tiles: Decking and concrete are perennial favorites for gardens and patios, but tiling has emerged as a trend that is a stylish and easy-care alternative. And it fits any look that you are going for from homey to stark to vividly patterned to a natural-looking neutral. This site has more on this beautiful option.

What about those people who do not have a yard to create a garden in? What are the trends there? The answer is that there is a lot going on there and next week I will delve into that large group of garden-space lovers.

Submitted by Pam