The Floral Marketing Fund is hosting a webinar TOMORROW, Thursday, December 9 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern to reveal the findings of a consumer preferences study all about houseplants. The study, conducted by Dr. Melinda Knuth, NC State University, Dr. Hayk Khachatryan, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, UF/IFAS, and Dr. Charlie Hall, Texas A&M University, addresses trends in houseplant purchasing and discusses how the whole industry can capitalize on them.

The webinar will present answers to questions that I am sure are on your mind, such as:

• What type of outlets do different consumers prefer to shop for houseplants? 
• Why do older consumers have a lower affinity to buy houseplants? 
• Which houseplant categories are best liked? 
• To what extent do value-added attributes like decorative pots increase the probability of purchase? 

This is definitely one of those “You can’t afford to miss this!” webinars. You can thank the study co-sponsors Altman Plants, Costa Farms, Green Circle Growers, Hortica and Metrolina Greenhouses for bringing you this valuable information. Register for the webinar HERE.

Speaking of online learning events, Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB) is helping to share the news that biophilic designer Oliver Heath and the team at Oliver Heath Design have put together a series of evidence-based courses on biophilic design in the home.

The courses are engaging and interactive, and that makes each of the design concepts memorable. By enrolling in one of the three course levels, you are sure to come away with a solid understanding of biophilic design, how it can be implemented within a home setting, and why it’s important for our health and wellbeing to do so.

Level 1 includes Introduction to Biophilic Design (13 lessons). Level 2 includes the first course in addition to Biophilic Design in the Home, and with Level 3 you receive a consultation session in addition to the total of 40 different lessons. And, for full disclosure, if you sign up for the course, Oliver Heath Design will donate 10% of the registration fees to GPGB. A win-win! Learn more about this course here.

Don’t delay registering for the upcoming Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) coming up in Tampa, Florida, January 19-21, (do so HERE). Spaces for the event’s pre-show tours happening January 18 are selling out fast. As a reminder, those tours are the Production Tour of nurseries in the Apopka/Mt. Dora region and the Design Road Show walk/ride tour of both the triumphs and challenges of landscaping in an urban environment such as downtown Tampa.

Want to know what is happening, education-wise? They’ve prepared a handy downloadable PDF describing each of the several dozen education sessions. And as far as exhibitors are concerned, it’s a packed event! You can check out the list of exhibitors and make a plan to visit the ones that carry what you’re looking for. (That’d be all of them, right?)

Hope to see all of you there!

Monrovia, known for its outdoor ornamentals, is moving things inside. They are introducing a collection of easy-for-consumers varieties available in larger plants that are meant to make an immediate impact in interior spaces. Life is short, and who has time for that 6-in. Spathiphyllum to fill that empty corner space anyway? Folks want big plants now, and this new line is meant to fill that need.

The new collection features “dozens of varieties,” according to a press release on the topic. Available varieties hit the mark and include some of the more in-demand houseplants—Monstera, Ficus, Rubber Plant, Cheese Plant, Peperomia and Philodendron, to name a few. And yes, they are large items, with the smallest being at least 1-gal., and each pot containing three plants.

One last bit of very important information about Monrovia’s new houseplant collection: It’s available for IGCs only as of 2022—which isn’t all that far away. Interested? Contact your rep for more information.

It looks like Monrovia’s houseplant collection contains one or two of the most popular houseplants in America. That’s according to a recent survey from CraftJack, a lead generator service for contractors. Their survey of 1,111 houseplant-owning Americans found that:

• Two in three young Americans grew their houseplant collections during the pandemic
• Six in 10 respondents agree that “pets are the new kids and plants are the new pets”
• One in three married people say having a houseplant helps them wait before having children
• People spend $74 on average annually on houseplants
• 57% said having a houseplant during the pandemic supported their mental health

As for their Top 15 houseplant list, it looks like this:

1. Succulent
2. Aloe Vera
3. Cactus
4. Snake Plant
5. Spider Plant
6. Pothos
7. Fern
8. Bamboo
9. Philodendron
10. Jade Plant
11. Air Plant
12. Peace Lily
13. Croton
14. Monstera
15. Ivy

CraftJack also found that aloe veras, snake plants and pothos were the most “Millennial” plants, while spider plants, cacti and ferns were the most “Boomer” plants. Respondents also indicated that they spend about five minutes per week caring for their plants, which may explain the stat that two in three folks say they prefer having houseplants because it requires way less work. That’s a stat everyone in horticulture should note!

Some very not-useful-but-fun findings (the kind of findings that intrigue me the most!) are these: Aloejandro, Medusa and Karen are three of the most common plant names in general while Keanu Leaves and Fernie Sanders are two of the most creative plant names. The survey is well worth your review—have a look at all the survey results HERE.

How much does this list align with what's on your benches? Perhaps you would like to add or remove a plant or two? Drop me a note about it at ewells@ballpublishing.com.