Introducing just one plant to your home can improve the air quality and add a lovely touch of green. With so many people staying at home because of coronavirus, plants are becoming a popular and easy way to spruce up interior spaces, balconies, porches and outdoor living areas. But which plants are most popular? Research from Flowercard reveals 2020’s trendiest houseplants and what to expect in 2021.
Cacti
People love cacti. These low-maintenance plants offer an interesting look, especially with species like the Fishbone, Mistletoe or Bunny Ear Cactus. Popularity increases of 2280%, 1467% and 1985% respectively make these plants an especially trendy addition to any home. Just make sure to keep small children and pets away from these prickly plants.
Blue Star Fern
Blue Star Fern also saw a popularity spike over the last 10 years. Up by 1795%, these low-light houseplants offer a gorgeous green color. Blue Star Ferns love moist soil, making them very tolerant of over-watering. The flat, long leaves also spread out beautifully to add a lot of color to any area.
Velvet Calathea
Velvet Calathea, also known as the peacock plant, is set to be one of 2021’s biggest stars, with a popularity increase of 1291%. Named for its velvety texture, this plant’s wide, two-tone green leaves feature a herringbone pattern that looks a little like feathers. Calathea plants thrive in shady, humid environments and don’t need a lot of water. Give them some indirect sunlight, and you can enjoy their eye-catching beauty.
Snake Plant
Snake Plant, scientifically known as Sansevieria Zeylanica, is low-maintenance but beautiful. Coming in third place as one of 2020’s most popular houseplants, the snake plant sports tall, thin leaves in multiple shades of green. This plant thrives with indirect light and little water, making it ideal for any home environment.
String of Hearts
With gorgeous, unique heart-shaped leaves, it’s no wonder the String of Hearts plant’s popularity has skyrocketed by 1057%. Classified as a semi-succulent, this plant not only tolerates dry soil but can actually rot in overly moist soil, so be careful when watering. Keep the soil just slightly moist through spring and summer, and don’t worry when the plant goes dormant in fall and winter. Your patience will be rewarded in spring and summer when the plant produces pretty purple flowers. Place your String of Hearts up high to allow the vines to trail down and show off their unique leaves.
Happy Bean Plant
The Happy Bean Plant is native to rainforests. Up 796% in popularity, this semi-succulent plant features peapod-shaped leaves that sprout along tall stems. Happy Bean Plants liven up any space; just make sure to train the plant to prevent the leaves from growing out twisted. Avoid overwatering these plants, and give them plenty of indirect sunlight. Keep them thriving in peat-based, well-draining soil.
Chinese Money Plant
With a popularity increase of 668%, Chinese Money Plants rank in eighth place among the 10 houseplants seeing the biggest increases in popularity. This comes as no surprise considering the plant’s large, eye-catching leaves. Keep Chinese Money Plants happy with lots of bright, indirect sunlight and well-draining soil. You can give these plants a little shade to make the leaves grow larger and rotate the plant to keep it from getting lopsided. Droopy leaves are easily fixed with a little extra water.
Peace Lily
Peace Lilies, the fourth most popular plant of 2020, earn the nickname “closet plants” for being so low-maintenance. These beauties grow wide, pointed leaves in dark green with bright white flowers. At least, these look like flowers. These blooms are actually leaf bracts that resemble flower petals. Pretty cool, right? Give your Peace Lily medium to low light and make sure not to over-water. Water the lily when the soil is dry. Otherwise, just let it do its thing and this plant will stay beautiful for you.
Lavender
Lavender plants are also especially trendy right now, ranking second on the 2020 top 10 list of popular houseplants. Nearly 10 million total searches for lavender show that people are definitely interested in this fragrant herb. Who wouldn’t love this plant’s distinctive purple coloring and pleasant smell? Use lavender as a garnish, place sprigs of it around the house or use it as a jumping-off point to start an herb garden. Easy-to-grow herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano are great choices for a windowsill container garden. You can even experiment with cool ways to grow and display your herbs.
Aloe Vera
Earning the number one spot as 2020’s most popular houseplant, Aloe Vera earned a staggering 19,332,400 total searches. As attractive as it is useful, this plant’s thick, tall stems can be broken open to reveal juices that soothe rashes, burns and bug bites. As Flowercard puts it, “we love a plant that can multitask.”
Planting Around the Home
Houseplants help improve air quality and provide great-looking interior decor. Choose your plants wisely based on how easy they are to care for, how safe they are to have around and how they suit your personal tastes. Have fun with this green hobby, and play around with different plants.
Images via Flowercard, Pixabay and Shutterstock
