With holidays on the horizon, Columbia homes will be adorned with traditional plants in all their glory — amaryllis, cactus, paperwhites, and poinsettias set off with cypress, rosemary, and other greenery festooned with bows and other touches.
Many holiday plants have been treasured for centuries, introduced into homes through international trade across the seas. Dutch growers imported several species from Mexico and South America in the 18th century that have become seasonal favorites, with the first blooms appearing in North America early in the 19th century. Paperwhite narcissus are native to the Mediterranean.
Rosemary, also from the Mediterranean, was used by early Greeks and Romans. In the 1820s, South Carolinian Joel Poinsett introduced the poinsettia from Mexico while serving there as U.S. ambassador. Known in that country as flores de nochebuena or “Christmas Eve flowers,” the plant was later named in his honor in the United States. The Christmas cactus is native to Brazil.
Today, Midlands area shoppers benefit from the knowledge and experience of established retailers. For the holidays, Manager Ellen Benton of Cricket Newman Designs says, “Seasonal plants like amaryllis, ‘Goldcrest’ cypress trees, paperwhites, Christmas cactuses, and topiaries are all popular choices this time of year for filling containers, in addition to decorating the home with standard greenery, orchids, and of course wreaths and garland.”
At B.B. Barns, formerly Woodley’s Garden Center, McKinsey Barnette says that herbs such as rosemary, lemon cypress, cyclamen, English ivy, topiaries, and red anthurium are all beautiful in the winter and offer an alternative to the traditional holiday favorites. She adds that amaryllis and narcissus are very versatile.
“Picture a fern, an ivy, or other small greenery, with a centerpiece of your choice like orchids, poinsettias, amaryllis, and paperwhites, all staged in a bowl or basket. Add some sphagnum moss on top for natural decor, and you’re ready for the holidays. When the holidays are over, you can remove the houseplants from your ensemble, repot them, and grow them throughout your living space.”
The list is endless and possibilities even more endless for creating a lovely festive indoor oasis. Jayne Blumberg, longtime Reese’s plant expert, suggests adding festive embellishments. “Try an array of bright beautiful bromeliads, unusual ferns, hoyas, hybrid Chinese evergreens in luscious colors, and succulents.” Succulents make really fun table toppers — just add in a few glass ornaments for sparkle.
Shaped hollies and boxwood, fragrant herbs, ivy, sweet bay, and European olive can all be used indoors or outdoors. They can stand alone or be used to create gorgeous container gardens with the addition of coral bells, euphorbia, and other seasonal flowers. “I am also a big fan of bringing live trees in the house for the holiday season. In the past, I have done magnolias and bare dogwoods — sparkly glass ornaments look really cool on the bare branches,” Jayne says. “I also like to use citrus trees, arborvitae, Carolina sapphire cypress, apple trees, and bare Japanese maples.”
For contributing to the environment, she emphasizes that each of these can be planted in the yard after the holiday season. If you don’t have the space, consider donating to a school, community garden, or just a friend who has more room.
Carol Isherwood, who owns Gardener’s Outpost with husband Randall, enjoys exposing Columbians of all ages to kokedama workshops and creations over the holiday season. The Japanese garden art form of kokedama comes from “koke” for moss and “dama” for ball. Kokedamas may be suspended from the ceiling with colorful strings or nestled in containers, perfect for Christmas.
Hanging many with brightly colored holiday-motif ribbons produces the captivating so-called kokedama string gardens. The ribbon colors and motifs can be maintained or modified as the seasons change. The ancient tradition produces a unique holiday decor and memorable gifts.
Catherine Horwood, a British social historian, traces the origins of houseplants in a revised edition of her notable book, Potted History: How Houseplants Took Over Our Homes. Egyptian Queen Hatsepshut grew trees in her temple, archaeologists found Minoan-era terra cotta urns on the Greek island of Crete, and Roman aristocrats scented their villas with citrus trees.
As early as 1608, Sir Hugh Platt wrote of having a “garden within doores,” in one of the first garden manuals with a section on houseplants. Commercial greenhouses began flourishing in the 1700s, and in 1704, Queen Anne began using her greenhouse at Kensington Palace for summer parties with evergreen orange trees as an aesthetic and aromatic backdrop.
Initially, houseplants were for the affluent. Humbler folk could scarcely squander limited household light on merely decorative features. While exterior kitchen gardens might contain herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes, windowsill space was limited in most dwellings. In England in the 1600s, a tax was imposed on the number of windows in a house, leading to the boarding up of windows. Consequently, only the wealthy had the luxury of space to display plants until the tax was repealed in 1851.
Plants became popular during the Victorian era, with ferns and palms bringing some life to dark, draped interiors. Like blooms that flourish and fade, design trends with flora and foliage have waxed and waned. After World War II, as the economy boomed and home ownership increased, houseplants again blossomed in popularity. Later, as women began to enter the workforce with careers of their own, houseplant maintenance chores became too time consuming for many.
Like a glorious new season, houseplants have again stepped front and center, promoted through the universal use of the internet and social media. A phenomenal growth in houseplant popularity began during the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2020, houseplant sales reached new heights. Garden centers with a large selection of indoor plants saw a growth of 18 percent in sales with no signs of slowing down. Even before the pandemic, houseplant sales in the three years leading up to 2019 increased by 50 percent to $1.7 billion, reports the National Gardening Association.
The popularity can be attributed to several compelling factors. People are more concerned about personal and environmental health. While isolated during the pandemic, they discovered the emotional satisfaction of tending houseplants. This phenomenon is backed up by research; people who surround themselves with plant life derive measurable emotional and mental health benefits, according to research cited by Susan McQuillan, M.S., RDN, in Psychology Today.
Science also shows plants have a positive physical effect on humans. In the late 1960s, environmental scientist B.C. “Bill” Wolverton launched research into the environment’s natural ability to clean itself unless impeded from doing so due to destructive forces. In addition to scientific articles, he wrote How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office. His examples include the Boston fern, the ficus rubber plant, and the areca palm. Wolverton also wrote Growing Clean Water: Nature’s Solution to Water Pollution, explaining how plants can clean wastewater.
McKinsey advises, “Redirecting your energy toward bettering your environment to improve wellness is important. Often, as people visit our garden centers, they refer to their plants as their babies.”
Past Columbia Garden Club President Susan Shuler is among customers who have developed an affection for plants they’ve bought at the former Woodley’s. “I actually do have many beloved houseplants,” she says, “but there is one in particular — my fishtail fern (Nephrolepis falcata) — which is very special,” a purchase she made almost 15 years ago. The fern has even been given her own name — Pam.
“She is very thirsty, requiring water every two to three days, so she has babysitters when we are away,” Susan says. “She has lived in the den for all these years — only relocating for about seven months when we went through a renovation after the Great Flood of 2015. It was a traumatic time for Pam as she struggled with the relocation. She has never fully recovered but continues to plug along back in her ‘happy spot’ on my coffee table. She has good months and bad months — sometimes looking and I guess feeling better than other times, but she remains on my coffee table regardless. I am very attached to the ol’ girl.”
Although appreciated by all generations, millennials have especially embraced indoor houseplants amid the scarcity of outdoor spaces in urban settings. The desire to bring nature indoors took root while having to work from home. Social media further nurtured the enthusiasm when hobbyists began showing off their prized plants via Instagram, Facebook, and other social media sites. Online vendors could serve consumers across the country, and customers knew no borders when seeking out an unusual choice.
Philip Reese, owner of Reese’s Plants, says that he has been impressed with the knowledge of his customers and their willingness to invest by making discriminating choices. His savvy customers acquire their expertise through frequent online interactions. He particularly recalls with humor a lively debate among his Facebook visitors comparing Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti.
Most customers think of only the Christmas cactus as a seasonal holiday choice, but other shoppers inquire about a Thanksgiving cactus or even an Easter cactus. The differences among the three are found in the shape of the leaves.
Former Columbia Garden Club President Sabrina Barr, a lifelong plant lover, often is consulted for advice in planning houseplants for interior spaces. Sabrina, who has her own plant container business, The Creeping Fig, truly believes plants make people happy. Her favorites include rabbit foot and bird’s nest ferns, chartreuse pathos, and the ever-popular fiddle-leaf fig. “Every surface doesn’t need a plant; sometimes just cuttings of greens placed in a pretty vase work just as well,” she says.
For plant lovers who treasure the traditional Southern thrill of “passalong” plants, the Columbia Garden Club has a longstanding semiannual plant exchange. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, March 25, in the Talbot’s parking lot on Forest Drive, across from Trenholm Plaza. People can drop off contributions from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., and at 10 a.m. they start choosing free selections to take home to nurture.
CGC President Julie Crowder says, “I enjoy trying new plants and sharing with others plants that have thrived in my own garden. I love it when a plant finds its happy place. The plant exchange is a free, fast-paced fun activity, and we urge people to come to join in the fun.”
As co-author with Steve Bender of the book Passalong Plants, Southern plant expert Felder Rushing advises, “For the best success, try some of these tried-and-true houseplants that have proven themselves to be well adapted to these conditions: Sansevieria or mother-in-law’s tongue; philodendron, both shrub and vine types; Chinese evergreen or aglaonema; dracaenas; peperomias; dieffenbachia or dumb cane; rubber tree; dwarf schefflera; pothos vine; and peace lily or spathiphyllum.”
Coincidentally, the National Garden Bureau has chosen peperomia as its 2022 Houseplant of the Year. With more than a thousand species, peperomia can have leaves ranging from glossy green to textured, striped, and rose-tinted. Because they are nontoxic, they are a great option for homes with pets, says Danae Horst, author of Houseplants for All: How to Fill any Home with Happy Plants.
Even as the pandemic fades into history, the houseplant trend is here to stay, trendsetters say. Fiddle-leaf fig trees, the ‘Birkin’ philodendron, Ficus ‘Audrey,’ alocacia elephant ears, kentia and bamboo palms will remain popular. “Plants are good, not only for our health, but also for our souls,” declares noted British horticulturalist Andy Sturgeon, author of Potted and House Plants.
His philosophy of plants embraces the Chinese practice of feng shui, creating harmony in hearts and homes. So, bring the wonders of nature inside — nurture the plants you have chosen and, in turn, let them nourish you.
Always be safe and know if a plant is toxic to people or pets. The University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy operates the Palmetto Poison Center available every day of the year through its telephone hotline, (800) 222-1222. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals publishes a list of plants toxic for animals on its website ASPCA.org.