BY ANGELA HAUPT
COLLECTING AND CARING for houseplants boomed in popularity during the pandemic, especially among younger adults without abundant outdoor space. Americans spent $8.5 billion more on gardening-related itemsr in 2020 than in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Vibrant communities blossomed on social media, like the #PlantTok corner of TikTok, uniting plant parents and making it easy to swap tips (and mail one another cuttings). The consensus among these enthusiasts: plants are an accessible, interesting way to make an otherwise drab space more inviting, and there’s a unique thrill to watching them grow.
Plus, there’s a robust body of research indicating they make us happier and healthier. “I tell people, ‘Let them bring you life, the way you do to them,’” says Libby Bolles, who opened Fancy Leaf Plant Co. in Parrish, Fla., in 2021.
1. They’re soothing
“We hold our stress hormone, cortisol, in our saliva, and we know this is decreased when we’re around plants,” says Melinda Knuth, an assistant professor of horticultural science at North Carolina State University. Even looking at photos of plants has shown to have a positive impact on stress levels. In one study, when people in a hospital waiting room were exposed to either a real plant, a poster of a plant, or no nature, researchers found that both the real plants and the posters were linked with lower levels of stress.
2. They can sharpen attention
Numerous studies have suggested greenery is restorative and increases the ability to concentrate, including among kids. One found that elementary-school-age kids in classrooms with a “green wall”—a vertical garden where living plants cover an indoor wall—scored better on measures of focused attention than kids in standard classrooms. Knuth says she has 50 to 60 plants at home, and 45 in her university office. The research supporting attention and concentration “is one of the reasons I justify having so many,” she says.
3. They may speed up healing
Plants may quicken recovery from an illness, injury, or surgery. According to one paper, hospitalized people who had a view of plants or trees were calmer and had better clinical outcomes, including a reduced need for pain medication and a shorter hospital stay, compared with those who didn’t. “They found that simply looking at plants had some benefits,” says Derrick Stowell, past president of the American Horticultural Therapy Association.
4. They can boo
