Millennials are really into Plants; here’s why

On Thursday, while making my way home, I stopped into a small florist and plant shop. I emerged 20 minutes later carrying 4 succulents and one Pothos plant. Already waiting for me at home were three succulents and my second orchid of the year.

I am becoming a plant lady. And I have no shame about it. I have spent my few free moments reading up on the latest on the best plants for my place, which plants live in the best light, and exactly how much I should be watering. I like my new hobby of caring for these little green beings, that, in addition to my cate, Phoebe, make my house feel like a home.

And I am not alone, the LA Times, the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Huff Post. “Millennials were responsible for 31 percent of houseplant sales in 2016,” according to business adviser for the gardening industry, Ian Baldwin.

But it goes beyond just aesthetics. Writer Jess Melia says there is “A need for us millennials to feel as if we’re caring for something other than ourselves in a time where making major life choices have to come later and later.” After all, Millennials came of age around the 2008 housing crisis, most of us are crippled with student loans, only to be released to a job market that was not ready for us. A lot of us work multiple jobs or are underpaid in our current career paths. Many of us rent…