It may seem as if Millennials are causing the downfall of certain industries left and right. Casual dining, golf, cereal, and even the napkin industry are all reeling from Millennials’ lack of interest. At-home gardening, however, seems to have struck a certain chord with Millennials. In fact, the 2016 National Gardening Report found that of the six million Americans new to gardening, five million of those were between ages 18 and 34. Pantone even named “Greenery” as the 2017 Color of the Year!
Here are four reasons why houseplants are the ideal Millennial trend:
- They’re less expensive and less maintenance than adopting a pet. “A houseplant is therapeutic,” Tovah Martin, author of The Indestructible Houseplant and The Unexpected Houseplant, told the Washington Post. “It gives you something to nurture.” Though Millennials do love their pets, many of them don’t want to shoulder the financial and social burdens that come with them. Plants do come with their own degree of maintenance requirements, but no one has to leave a party early in order to go home and water a plant.
- Plants are good for personal well-being. There are few things Millennials love more than #healthyliving. They are much more likely to buy organic, free-range, or small-batch than any other generation. Having houseplants falls squarely into this box. Plants contribute to better air quality in your home, and many Millennials channel their green thumbs into growing their own fresh herbs for cooking.
- Plants are Instagrammable, and they make the rest of your home more attractive as well! Millennials are nothing if not a visual generation, and they love to document their purchases online. A quick search of the hashtags #urbanjungle, #monsteramonday, or #plantlady will give you an idea of just how big of a trend this is. Naturally beautiful shades of green, plants don’t require any filters.
- Houseplants are apartment-friendly, and weatherproof. Millennials are living in cities for longer periods of time than their parents did, and for many of them, they only experience nature in public parks. They don’t have backyards in which they can plant full gardens. Having houseplants is a way to bring nature into the home. Certain plants, especially aesthetically-pleasing succulents, even thrive in small spaces.
While Millennials are clearly the drivers of many trends—some high profile and some more in the background—the power and influence of the generation cannot be understated. It will be exciting to see how the plant industry adapts to woo Millennials and keep them interested as they move toward other traditional markers of adulthood.
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