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.
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.
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%).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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Header photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
