Maranta, Monstera and Sansevieria. These words might sound like spells straight out of a Harry Potter novel. But in reality, they are some of the hottest plant names in the burgeoning green movement of homeowners cultivating indoor plants and living in what is termed a “jungalow” by enthusiasts.
In the past year, the jungalow trend of growing small-scale trees, bushes and succulents inside the home – and sharing their images on social media – have turned Instagram and Pinterest into a breeding ground of truly photogenic greenery. For context: the hashtag #indoorjungle has amassed 115,509 posts on Instagram as we write this, compared to floral-related tags like #flowersofig which only hovers in the 88,000 region.
Among enthusiasts, the popularity of indoor plants has to do with the wellness benefits of having them in the home. According to experts, house plants enhance the quality of air in living spaces by producing oxygen and combating harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde which can be found in manufactured wood products like furniture and laminate flooring.
Then there is the major style factor of “trendy” species like the Pilea peperomioides (colloquially known as the Chinese money plant), the lush Marantaceae, and the ever-popular fiddle fig leaf. Their exotic and amorphous appearances turn them into natural sculptures for interiors-obsessed aesthetes.
Plants with exotic features will dominate the narrative for the coming months. According to Pinterest, the number of saves by users for “patterned plants” — check out species like the rattlesnake calathea for #inspo — have gone up by 533 per cent in 2017 from the year before.
In the next few snippets, we meet several Singaporeans who have taken this lifestyle to a whole new level with their Insta-perfect plant shots.