How do you navigate urban geography? For me, any town or city I have lived in became accessible by its network of parks and green spaces, but also that of flower shops. They are the fixpoints around which I map a city. Especially when new somewhere, I'd remember directions to a café or cinema along the lines of "Left of the market with the stall that sells unusual bedding plants", or "near the flower shop in the underpass".
When I moved to London all those years ago, an unreasonably large portion of the removal van was given over to my beloved indoor plants. Probably half of those are no longer with me, time constraints due to a growing family saw to that. However, I guess I would have replaced them if only I'd found the variety on offer I was used to being tempted by. Yet one of the first things I noticed on coming here was the comparative lack of indoor or conservatory plants sold in flower shops and garden centres. Why was that? Why did a country famed for its plant hunters, orchid mania and stove houses in Victorian days no longer care about indoor plants?
When I moved to London all those years ago, an unreasonably large portion of the removal van was given over to my beloved indoor plants. Probably half of those are no longer with me, time constraints due to a growing family saw to that. However, I guess I would have replaced them if only I'd found the variety on offer I was used to being tempted by. Yet one of the first things I noticed on coming here was the comparative lack of indoor or conservatory plants sold in flower shops and garden centres. Why was that? Why did a country famed for its plant hunters, orchid mania and stove houses in Victorian days no longer care about indoor plants?
Inside a stove house at West Dean: most plants here could be kept on the window sill
It didn't come as a total surprise to me: years ago, while at uni, I'd compared British and German gardening magazines and one thing that had stood out was this lack of interest in indoor greenery. But why? My own theory at first: As the traditional British house with its narrow front and long interior tends to be darker than continental town houses, plants can really only thrive near the windows. Perhaps droughty windows killed the tender tropic or sub-tropic guests, making people give up? I certainly lost several plants for that reason and still try to fill the gaps in the window frames with several layers of twine each winter. (In Victorian times, Wardian cases or similar would have protected these treasures and provide a plant-friendly microclimate in a living room setting.)
However, browsing the shelves of charity and second hand bookshops, I'd find publications on indoor plants by the metre! All of them from the Sixties, Seventies or early Eighties though. As window frames probably weren't different then, this theory didn't hold. I settled for the following: Since winters here tend not to be as harsh as those in Scandinavia or mid- to Eastern Europe, people can garden and have something in flower pretty much all year round. So while there may be less to look at in the garden, there is no desperate need for indoor plants! I guess, they simply fell out of fashion. While in Germany it happened to once popular species or genera which were replaced by new, "more exciting" ones - here in Britain it seemed to have hit all, safe the ubiquitous Phalenopsis or moth orchid.
However, browsing the shelves of charity and second hand bookshops, I'd find publications on indoor plants by the metre! All of them from the Sixties, Seventies or early Eighties though. As window frames probably weren't different then, this theory didn't hold. I settled for the following: Since winters here tend not to be as harsh as those in Scandinavia or mid- to Eastern Europe, people can garden and have something in flower pretty much all year round. So while there may be less to look at in the garden, there is no desperate need for indoor plants! I guess, they simply fell out of fashion. While in Germany it happened to once popular species or genera which were replaced by new, "more exciting" ones - here in Britain it seemed to have hit all, safe the ubiquitous Phalenopsis or moth orchid.
Assorted houseplants in one of our previous homes: Phalenopsis inclusive
Until fairly recently there were about four or five flower shops in my extended area, two of them old-school florists, another the very fashionable Rebel Rebel. A further shop around the corner gave up as we moved in: I'd seen it open when we signed the rental contract but when we unpacked boxes it was no more, very disappointing. A successor has come and gone since. It did offer a few indoor plants but I have to admit I hardly ever bought anything there as I deemed it too expensive. (A portrait about my local favourite was once published on the simply incredible, awe-inspiring blog Spitalfields Life. Sadly, Joanne's flower shop, too, has closed its doors this spring and moved to Essex.) Our best bet was - to some extent still is - the famous Columbia Road Flower Market.
Things have changed, however. A number of "new kids on the block" have appeared over the past two or three years. First, if I remember correctly, was Grace and Thorn on Hackney Road. Their floral creations, like those of Rebel Rebel, seem to be very popular in fashion and fashionable circles. However, it was their shop which immediately attracted my attention. Not only did it offer many indoor plants, most of them succulents, but it presented them very stylishly, too: attractive cachepots abound. Incidentally, Grace and Thorn are about to open their third shop in the very near future - on Brick Lane.
Then there are several shops that have added a few plants to what they sell - such as interior and fashion brand House of Hackney. With the latter's sumptuous, William Morris inspired designs, many of them featuring florals and foliage, this makes perfect sense and adds to the appeal of their shop. Others, like the one which otherwise sells fabric by the metre, seem to have added them to their portfolio because the owner simply loves plants and the optimistic and aesthetic boost they give to the shop - and perhaps because greenery in the window and on the pavement in front entices people to step in.
Things have changed, however. A number of "new kids on the block" have appeared over the past two or three years. First, if I remember correctly, was Grace and Thorn on Hackney Road. Their floral creations, like those of Rebel Rebel, seem to be very popular in fashion and fashionable circles. However, it was their shop which immediately attracted my attention. Not only did it offer many indoor plants, most of them succulents, but it presented them very stylishly, too: attractive cachepots abound. Incidentally, Grace and Thorn are about to open their third shop in the very near future - on Brick Lane.
Then there are several shops that have added a few plants to what they sell - such as interior and fashion brand House of Hackney. With the latter's sumptuous, William Morris inspired designs, many of them featuring florals and foliage, this makes perfect sense and adds to the appeal of their shop. Others, like the one which otherwise sells fabric by the metre, seem to have added them to their portfolio because the owner simply loves plants and the optimistic and aesthetic boost they give to the shop - and perhaps because greenery in the window and on the pavement in front entices people to step in.
Grace and Thorn at Hackney Road
Then in December last year, also on Hackney Road, opened the Conservatory Archives. You couldn't miss it, the place is a jungle and heaven to someone like me. Crammed to the rafters with indoor plants of all sizes, it still manages to present them in a way you covet them all. As far as I'm aware it's the only retailer that focusses entirely on indoor plants. Very quickly, they seem to have acquired not only a loyal following but also been asked to do all sorts of installations for other trendy or upmarket shops and events, such as Grow London or the London Design Festival.
This year, a small flower shop opened again a few yards from where I live. Whilst their main business is bouquets, they too offer some of the newly fashionable housemates. And only last week I came across a new place which seems to epitomise this whole resurgence: off Broadway Market in Shoreditch, which you could quite possibly call "hipster central", I found Twigs. It's a plant shop offering coffee and lunch to go, thus combining the big urban trends of recent years: with latte, cappuccino & co it caters for the needs of the Flat White economy (of course there's also Wifi and a table to set up your MacBook or other Apple device) and with street food style lunch boxes and treats like macaron-ice cream-sandwiches for the "foodie" as well.
This year, a small flower shop opened again a few yards from where I live. Whilst their main business is bouquets, they too offer some of the newly fashionable housemates. And only last week I came across a new place which seems to epitomise this whole resurgence: off Broadway Market in Shoreditch, which you could quite possibly call "hipster central", I found Twigs. It's a plant shop offering coffee and lunch to go, thus combining the big urban trends of recent years: with latte, cappuccino & co it caters for the needs of the Flat White economy (of course there's also Wifi and a table to set up your MacBook or other Apple device) and with street food style lunch boxes and treats like macaron-ice cream-sandwiches for the "foodie" as well.
Twigs, off Broadway Market, sells plants, coffee and food
So why are indoor plants "in" again, especially with hip young folk? [I do sound like an old owl, don't I :-) ?] For one thing, young urbanites are ever more likely to be renters these days. Many won't have access to a garden. But even if their current abode offers one, they are less likely to waste much time and expenditure on it: why would you if you may have to up sticks soon? Houseplants not only make an impersonal flat instantly and with minimal effort more personal and welcoming, you can also take them along as you - once again - move home.
Moreover, whilst the previous generation will have seen them around in prissy interiors when they were children and, on growing up, may have rebelled and dismissed houseplants as square, the current Twenty- and Thirtysomethings are untroubled by this image and rediscovering indoor green for themselves. Sansevierias are a case in point. Decades ago, my father was given one when he graduated from university. All through my childhood we had this indestructible plant on our windowsill, in an undeniably Seventies-style cachepot of what looked like crocheted plastic. In fact, my parents still have this very same plant though it resides in a beautiful ceramic pot now. Anyway, I hadn't seen it for sale in twenty years. Then all of a sudden, a few years ago it re-appeared and has since enjoyed a spectacular comeback: the not-so-lovingly named Mother-in-law's tongue is seemingly everywhere now.
Accordingly, you'll also find an ever-increasing number of books on the subject. However, these look nothing like the "How to care for" manuals of yesteryear. Instead, they are most likely to focus on style and design. A brief glance around a local bookshop yielded at least six such titles, all new or fairly recently published, and most were expensively produced. Typical titles: "Wonder plants - Your Urban Jungle Interior", "Botanical style - Inspirational decorating with nature, plants and florals", "Decorating with plants - The Art of Using Plants to Transform Your Home" or simply "Evergreen - Living with plants" ("Dispel gardening angst and warmly welcome plants into your home..."). "Green is the new black", they proclaim and are more likely to be the output of a stylist than a horticulturist.
Moreover, whilst the previous generation will have seen them around in prissy interiors when they were children and, on growing up, may have rebelled and dismissed houseplants as square, the current Twenty- and Thirtysomethings are untroubled by this image and rediscovering indoor green for themselves. Sansevierias are a case in point. Decades ago, my father was given one when he graduated from university. All through my childhood we had this indestructible plant on our windowsill, in an undeniably Seventies-style cachepot of what looked like crocheted plastic. In fact, my parents still have this very same plant though it resides in a beautiful ceramic pot now. Anyway, I hadn't seen it for sale in twenty years. Then all of a sudden, a few years ago it re-appeared and has since enjoyed a spectacular comeback: the not-so-lovingly named Mother-in-law's tongue is seemingly everywhere now.
Accordingly, you'll also find an ever-increasing number of books on the subject. However, these look nothing like the "How to care for" manuals of yesteryear. Instead, they are most likely to focus on style and design. A brief glance around a local bookshop yielded at least six such titles, all new or fairly recently published, and most were expensively produced. Typical titles: "Wonder plants - Your Urban Jungle Interior", "Botanical style - Inspirational decorating with nature, plants and florals", "Decorating with plants - The Art of Using Plants to Transform Your Home" or simply "Evergreen - Living with plants" ("Dispel gardening angst and warmly welcome plants into your home..."). "Green is the new black", they proclaim and are more likely to be the output of a stylist than a horticulturist.
A collection of succulents for sale
Preoccupation with style and a comparative lack of knowledge about how to care for indoor plants amongst this new target group - these too are the likely reasons why succulents and Tillandsias (or "air plants") especially are having a moment. They are easy to look after (i.e. won't die if you forget to water them) and are very sculptural at that. Moreover, there is a seemingly infinite variety of succulents - making it all but irresistible to build up a collection. Thus you'll find many shops that sell tiny plants in tiny pots at often not-to-tiny prices: the message, I guess, is that these really are collector's items. Affordable luxury. On the other end of the scale there are the "statement pieces" which command prices accordingly.
I may not always have the budget (or space!) for them, but I can no longer complain that you can't buy beautiful indoor plants in my neck of the woods. I'll finish by quoting from an article in The Telegraph: "How houseplants charmed a new generation of gardeners".
I may not always have the budget (or space!) for them, but I can no longer complain that you can't buy beautiful indoor plants in my neck of the woods. I'll finish by quoting from an article in The Telegraph: "How houseplants charmed a new generation of gardeners".
It seems not so long ago that smart interiors weren’t complete without artfully placed vases of cut flowers, but now a subtle, stylistic change is wrapping its leafy tendrils around the country’s most fashionable homes, shops and restaurants. Where once houseplants were the province of an older generation who had the time, knowledge and space to tend them, they’re now proving popular with a younger, cooler crowd. Smart parties, weddings and launches are lush with jungly magnificence, provided by self-styled “plant decorators”.
Like so many trend evolutions, this hip green renaissance is spreading from the style hothouse that is east London. Where once they came with their cocktails, food trucks and pop-up restaurants, now they’re here with their succulents and ferns, air plants and ivies, following a nurturing continuum from pop-ups to potting up. Where east London leads, can the rest of the country be far behind?
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