Why the internet is obsessing over these houseplants
Americans hit the search button millions of times on social media and search engines looking for certain houseplants. TikTok has collected more than 3.125 billion views, and Google has 136,000 monthly searches for just five plants.
Houseplants can be intimidating. And there’s nothing worse than spending time and money on a plant that dies shortly after you bring it home. This is why it makes so much sense to do your research before buying an indoor plant. But researching plants can seem like an endless maze.
So what is the solution? We used internet search data to shorten the research process to find beautiful plants with simple care requirements.
Home and garden experts from Nature of Home and All About Gardening got their hands dirty.
Nature of Home analyzed Google searches and trends. At the same time, All About Gardening looked at TikTok data to determine which houseplants have the most views on the platform, are aesthetically pleasing and are beginner-friendly.
A representative from All About Gardening commented, “TikTok is a hugely influential platform for every aspect of daily life, including gardening and houseplants. It’s fascinating to see which houseplants online turn out to be more favorable when it comes to decorating of your home, with this list consisting of many beginner-friendly houseplants.”
Nature of Home also said: “The data came as no surprise, apart from the new Baltic Blue pothos plant. These houseplants are known as excellent beginner-friendly plants, and it’s great that more people are learning about them. They are the gateway to ‘ adding a touch of nature into the home. Google represents an overall sample size of different demographics, and it was interesting to see how that came along with the newer TikTok platform.”
Versatile pothos
Epipremnum aureum is more commonly known as Devil’s Ivy. Between the scientific and common nickname, pothos has collected 312.4 million views on TikTok. With an upward trend on Google to an average of 40.5 thousand monthly searches.
Out of the 21 known pothos varieties, the new Costa Farms release, Baltic Blue, was a breakout in Google trending data with a 1,250% increase in searches. The Baltic Blue has green leaves with a bluish tint that becomes more pronounced in the right conditions and as the plant matures. Leaves also develop into unique shapes.
Pothos plants can tolerate low-light areas in the home. Allowing them to thrive in places where other plants would struggle. Give these plants slightly acidic, well-draining soil, and avoid overwatering.
Aloe vera
The TikTok study found aloe vera to be the most aesthetically pleasing houseplant, with over 2.3 billion views under the aloe vera hashtag.
Aloe vera is searched on average 33,000 times a month on Google, with an upward trend from searchers wanting to grow and care for the plant.
Aloe vera is known to have numerous benefits, is relatively easy to maintain and thrives in sunlight and warmer temperatures.
Snake plants
The plant, known for absorbing toxins, ranked high on TikTok with 161.9 million views under hashtags related to the snake plant.
High uptrend results were similar on Google. There are over 201,000 snake plant searches monthly. For its scientific name, Dracaena trifasciata, there are 9.9 thousand searches every month.
Snake plants are one of the most beginner-friendly plants available. They thrive in virtually all light levels, from full sun to low light. Plant in loamy, slightly acidic potting mix, and avoid overwatering.
Swiss cheese plants
The Swiss cheese plant, known by its scientific name, Monstera deliciosa, has 242 million views on TikTok videos hashtagged with the plant.
Google search data shows 40.5 thousand monthly searches. It has rapidly increased in popularity since 2019.
The plant is trendy mainly because it is relatively easy to care for and rarely gets any diseases – ideal for anyone looking to get into houseplants.
Fiddle leaf figs
Rounding out the top five is the fiddle leaf fig, scientifically known as Ficus lyrata.
The fiddle leaf fig hashtag on TikTok has 94 million views, while the ‘ficuslyrata’ hashtag has 15.6 million views, bringing the total view count to 109.6 million – the fifth highest number.
Results on Google showed 12,000 monthly searches for fiddle leaf fig trees. The plant has been trending upwards since 2012, with the highest number of searches in August 2020.
Growing up to ten feet tall, the plant is a popular choice, thriving in bright spots that are not in direct sunlight, making them perfect for many spots throughout the home.
This article was written by Nature of Home and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
