More Australians buying indoor plants to decorate their homes

A new home decorating trend is taking Australia by storm and it’s much less pricey than repainting and restyling.

Melbourne's Shajan Valaedan at home with his plant-wall in his inner city apartment. Picture: supplied.

Ordinary city homes alive with a spectacular plethora of indoor plants are still thriving after the Covid-19 pandemic, when nurturing plant life was a critical counterbalance for those experiencing multiple lengthy lockdowns in some capitals.

Plant sales rose exponentially – a crisis-led trend for living, breathing company that was also reflected in historic pet sales.

Nursery and Garden Industry NSW and ACT member services manager Tara Preston concedes that the main boost in indoor plant sales was during the first two years of Covid-19, but indoor plant sales remain well above pre-pandemic levels due to their enduring array of benefits for all those new converts.

“Indoor plants can go in any room with a window,” Preston says.

“People use plants in bedrooms, offices, bathrooms, kitchens and lounge rooms to improve air quality, boost moods and reduce stress, increase both productivity and creativity and for home styling.”

BENT Architecture director Merran Porjazoski at home. Picture: Tatjana Pitt/supplied

WE’RE HAVING A VINE TIME

Psychologist Dr Jan Eppingstall agrees, saying that house plants are beneficial for both our mental and physical wellbeing.

“Research indicates that merely being in the presence of indoor plants lowers our physiological stress levels,” Dr Eppingstall says.

“It’s even been found that the presence of plants increases a subject’s performance on cognitive tests of focus, sorting and memory recall.”

While Melbourne was ground zero for pandemic restrictions, the long-term legacy of those terrible days isn’t all grim. Today the city is arguably plant people HQ.

Inside Shajan Velaedan’s inner city living room, for instance, sits a custom-designed and built 3m vertical plant wall. Its shelves are home to 200-300 plants, mainly anthuriums, philodendrons and jewel orchids, creating what he calls a slice of tropical jungle at home.

Melbourne horticulturalist and Plant Runner co-founder Dominic Hooghuis and wife Malin Johansson have made a striking natural statement in their urban home. Picture: Jarrod Barnes

GREEN THUMB BLOOD

For the self-declared plant collector, his decades-long love affair dates back to childhood.

“My passion runs way back to when I was much younger,” Velaedan says.

“Mum has a green thumb and I get that passion mainly from her. Then I was introduced to the world of plants through Instagram.”

From this start on social media, Velaedan began planning and incorporating more house plants within his own living arrangements.

“When I was previously living in a rented property, I built a plant sanctuary in my bedroom where I slept with my plants,” he says.

“I bought my current property with my plants in mind. I always wanted a slice of a tropical jungle in my living space.”

PLANT RETREAT

Bringing him tranquillity and peace, Valaedan says caring for them is also cathartic.

“On average, it takes me about two hours to inspect and water the individual plants,” he says. “Ensuring they are healthy and not suffering from fungal or root rot and cutting away any dead leaves, or (doing) any repotting required if they have outgrown their pots or are not doing well in their current pot.

“It is these two hours that transport me into another world and allow me to zone out completely and be at peace after a long day’s work.”

horticulturalist and Plant Runner co-founder Dominic Hooghuis and wife Malin Johansson. Picture: Jarrod Barnes

Melbourne horticulturalist and co-founder of The Plant Runner, Dominic Hooghuis agrees that having healthy plants in your home requires time and effort.

“Feeding them, cleaning their foliage and watering them can take time but it’s necessary to keep them happy and looking lush,” he says. But even this perceived downside is beneficial in practice, he says.

“If you look at it like a weekly ritual, it can actually be very rewarding and beneficial to your mental health.”

AESTHETIC STUNNER

As well as the health element, Hooghuis and his interior designer wife, Malin Johansson, also appreciate what abundant foliage brings to their design style.

“Malin loves styling with plants,” he says. “She gets very creative in creating jungle vibes. Large feature plants can really create that wow factor and can create so much interest in a space.”

“We place plants in each room based on their light and humidity requirements but also from a styling perspective, larger rooms require larger statement plants or clusters of smaller plants. We’d have over 30 plants throughout the house at any given time. We add plants to our collection regularly and mainly focus on plants with interesting foliage or that fits a space or planter nicely.”

COMFORT CANOPY

Plants also inspired BENT Architecture directors Merran Porjazoski and husband Paul when renovating their own home.

“(Our) new living space … is conceptually an outdoor room with extensive glazing, paved floors and plants throughout,” Porjazoski says. “The room has great views to the garden below, but it also has generous sliding doors and windows which allow us to capture prevailing breezes. Indoor planting provides a sense of delight.”

Their collection of leafy green plants and potted succulents upon a ledge above the windows adds a restrained urban jungle vibe.

Melbourne's Shajan Valaedan at home with his plant-wall in his inner city apartment. Picture: supplied.

“It is the perfect setting for people and plants to happily coexist in the space, integrating landscape and architecture,” she says.

Porjazoski says urban jungles will continue to grow and thrive as city dwellers increasingly recognise the important, powerful interconnections between plants, architecture, interior design and human health in the modern world.

“Our connection to nature is innate,” she says. “Building an environment which incorporates interior plants is not a fad – it is just responding to our innate desire to be connected to the natural world.”

Welcome to the jungle. Picture: Jarrod Barnes

PLANT STYLING TIPS FROM THOSE IN THE KNOW

Choose a plant that fits your space. If you have lots of vertical space but not so much floor space, choose something upright like a Fiddle Leaf Fig or Giant Bird of Paradise.

If you’re creating a shelf jungle, look at using trailing plants like Hoya, Rhipsalis varieties or String of Pearls.

Get creative with colour and interesting planters and pots that tie in with your home decor.

Plant choice

Almost all tropical plants will grow in homes over most of Australia.

Start with easy-care plants such as Devils Ivy or Chain of Hearts.

Location

Start with one or two small plants in the rooms that get the most natural sunlight.

Be careful not to place your plants in front of heating and cooling or where a pet can nibble on them.

Light

Consider how much light a plant requires. Avoid direct sunlight; most indoor plants benefit from indirect bright sunlight.

Equipment

You’ll need a pot for each plant (with drip trays as they protect your furniture from water). You’ll also need quality potting mix and plant food.