These Are The Top 10 Indoor Plants Everyone’s Been Googling In 2020
Most of us have spent far more time indoors this year than we ever imagined, leaving us with ample time to sit and marinate in our home spaces.
It’s no shock, then, that random Amazon purchases, home DIY projects, home fitness products and services along with streaming have all exploded in popularity. Yet another upward trend in Google searches has been trusty indoor plants.
Plants not only beautify a ‘meh’ home space into a verdant sanctuary, but many species also clean and purify your air. Plants have also been shown to reduce anxiety and stress and boost mood and productivity – especially great when working from home or in lockdown.
Aussies have always loved plants, with 18 million of us buying a houseplant in 2019, according to a report from the Nursery and Garden Industry of Australia. And 18 to 35-year-old’s are responsible for dropping the most cash on them last year thanks to social media envy of other people’s plant babies.
View this post on Instagram
The biggest trends for Australia in 2020, according to Plant Life Balance, are easy-care indoor trees like Dragon trees, Rubber trees and Olive trees; as well as cluster plants such as Philodendron, Devil’s Ivy and Peace Lily.
If you’re interested to know what indoor plants our UK mates are coveting the most, then British mortgage group Mojo looked into Google Search data around the 10 most searched-for plants this year.
#1 Spider plant
View this post on Instagram
“One of the easiest indoor plants to maintain, the Spider Plant produces oxygen whilst purifying the air in your home and office by absorbing carbon monoxide. Additionally, Spider Plants are non-toxic and are in fact edible, making them safe for pets and young children,” says Mojo.
#2 Peace Lily
View this post on Instagram
In Feng Shui, Peace Lilies are said to balance energy, converting negative energies into positive ones. But these easy-care, pretty plants are good air purifiers – a NASA experiment found that pollutants like benzene, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde are some that a peace lily plant can absorb.
They can also increase the humidity of a room and do really well in bathrooms where they can absorb any moisture, helping to prevent mould and mildew.
#3 Snake plant
View this post on Instagram
Snake plant, also known around the traps as Mother-in-law’s tongue, isn’t just a champ at filtering pollutants like CO2, benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene – it’s also excellent at producing oxygen. In fact, Harvard found it to be one of the best oxygen boosting plants around. This all-rounder is also delightfully low maintenance, but take note that it’s not the best for furry friends as it’s toxic when ingested.
#4 Aloe Vera plant
View this post on Instagram
Indoors and out of direct sunlight, this succulent will grow nice and steady. Plus, you can use the insides of the leaves on everything from sunburn to adding to a digestion soothing smoothie.
#5 Bonsai
View this post on Instagram
Looking after a Bonsai tree requires your constant care and attention, which is probably why they’ve grown in popularity in 2020 with people having more time at home to tend to a hobby like this.
“Caring for bonsai is an age-old art and its origin dates back to ancient China, where these miniature trees were cult objects for Taoist monks,” explains Mojo.
#6 Money tree
View this post on Instagram
The money tree, with its braided trunk and lush, glossy leaves is said to bring luck and good fortune into your home in Feng Shui tradition. It also came up golden in that famed NASA study for purifying air polluted with synthetic chemicals from cleaning products.
#7 Jade plant
Bit of a 2020 theme building here, Jade plants were also popular in Brit’s plant searches being similarly auspicious for wealth and prosperity. This succulent, also known as Chinese rubber plant, has small, coin or stone-shaped green leaves that are said to symbolise growth and renewal.
#8 Anthurium
View this post on Instagram
Anthurium plants are characterised by the beautiful flowers they produce for long periods, but there is also anthurium crystallinum which has striking darker green leaves with bright green veining. These plants are great air purifiers and low maintenance.
#9 Swiss cheese plant
View this post on Instagram
Maybe you know this super popular plant as Monstera deliciosa, but either way it’s here to stay. Another air-purifying legend, this plant is dubbed the Swiss Cheese plant for the holes that form in its leaves as they grow. They usually grow in rainforests and love a bit of humidity, so a bathroom is a great spot for them. Otherwise be sure to give them regular spritzing.
#10 Chinese Money Plant
View this post on Instagram
These bad boys have been all over Instagram. Previously rare but now more easily available, Chinese money plant (or Pilea pepermioides) is another piece of aesthetically-pleasing greenery said to bring good fortune and financial abundance.
For the full list of 20 plants click here.
(Lead Image: Unsplash / Prudence Earl)
