Houseplants have taken off in a big way over the last few years with the younger generation, causing a swell of new ‘influencers’ to rise in popularity and likes across social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Consumers are turning to them for inspiration, plant knowledge, and beautifully aesthetic photographs of the rarest, best-kept plants in the UK.
You may think that buying a houseplant is no big deal, you just take it home from the shop, pick a nice pot, and put it on a shelf – crossing your fingers it doesn’t die on you(!) But fascinatingly, there is a whole subculture of plant-lovers and owners who trade tricks for likes in the plant communities on social media and treat a new plant as a major event to be documented and celebrated. Here we look at some of the best known, most successful users in the movement and learn more about the people behind the accounts.
Lucinda Frost (@leaf_lusts)
A sweet and simple display of magnificent houseplants run by Luci, 29 in Sussex. With just over 8 thousand followers she has enjoyed doing paid promotions and building a trustworthy base with her followers, often giving plant-saving advice and information out to those who need it. The nice thing about this account is that the creator often shares personal news and isn’t afraid to get in front of the camera from time to time so you do feel like you are getting to know them as a friend rather than a faceless interaction.
Georgette Olaiya (@thegardensofgaia)
Not only is Georgette’s joyful account full of gorgeous shots of her and her thriving collection of plants, but she’s also got some seriously useful plant advice to share. From how often you should be watering your snake plant to the amount of sunlight your Chinese money plant needs, her informative guides are perfect for first-time plant owners. Her modest following of just shy of 3 thousand people enjoy her beautiful selfies as well as videos and gifted paid promos full of helpful tips and tricks. The easygoing nature of this account makes it the opposite of intimidating or know-it-all and we just love it!
Kelly Wilson (@theplotbythefarm)
Originally starting as a blog in September 2019 – based on Kelly’s experience of taking on an allotment as a complete novice gardener, with less than ideal ground to work with. Kelly uses Instagram to share her triumphs, mistakes, and her knowledge with weekly updates on the progress in hopes to inspire us all to pick up a spade and start digging! Talking about the community of followers she has built up over time, she says “As a visitor here, you are part of a fantastic community of gardeners. Your comments, questions and answers will not only help grow my knowledge but also the knowledge of us all following! Your comments help build my garden and offer inspiration on getting my allotment to where I want it to be!” What really makes this account worth following though, is the funny gardening jokes and memes that are posted in between progress shots.
Andrea Grosu (@basillicana)
One of the biggest performers online with a massive 80 thousand followers, Andrea has a stunningly organised and varied feed full to bursting with greenery and home decor and by giving some handy tips and tricks, this account is a true leafy oasis. If you’re looking for the perfect plant to decorate your flat, @basillicana is jam-packed with inspiration. She has really utilised the newer features of Instagram such as Reels using the video time to explain and show how to repot certain varieties or improving the health of trickier plants. Being a younger influencer, it is brilliant to see how important the environment is to this account owner and we commend her regular promotion and efforts to more eco-friendly plant keeping.
Kat Mabbott (@oneproudplantmama)
UK-based plant and cat-lover Kat runs a carefully curated feed of to-die-for plants and cuttings, proudly displaying various types and styles of plants as decor around her home. She really does have an extraordinary amount of plants and posts snappy, happy captions along with each one. Occasionally you’ll see a lovely pet cat among the plants which makes it all the more wonderful to follow. Kat kindly runs and promotes giveaways and competitions from time to time so well worth a follow! If you’re a fan of some gorgeous close-up shots, this one’s the account for you.
Belle Chawisa (@plantattic)
Belle was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, and moved over to the U.K. in September 2011. She started Plant Attic on Instagram in May 2019 during the final year of her Ph.D. to “find some calm in my life and also to serve as an escape from long scientific papers!” The plant collection and appreciation have grown since then, creating an extended platform to share her experiences and introduce us to all the great people in the plantstagram community as well as share relevant information and websites to learn more about the plants we own. The enjoyable thing about plantattic is the video posts showing the whole plant and includes captioned progress dates for easy viewing.
If you think you’ve got what it takes to become a ‘plantfluencer’ then here’s a few top tricks and tips for attracting the right audiences:
- Take photographs in well-lit areas of 1 singular plant OR take a group photo of all your plants together for the most aesthetically pleasing grid
- Use a clean, white or plain-coloured background as a backdrop to keep your photos looking neat
- Post progress pictures using the multi-choice tool in Instagram
- People enjoy close-ups of leaf patterns, buds, flowers, pot detailing
- Use the less popular hashtags for better visibility
- Interact with other plant-based accounts as this will get your posts shown to more likeminded people
- Enter relevant competitions and giveaways and make sure to tag the accounts and share
- Don’t be afraid to post a selfie every now and then so that people can get to know you
