Do you ever look at that plant sitting on your shelf or table and wonder who the first person was to decide to bring plants inside? Yeah, me neither. Nonetheless, it is an interesting question into the history of our relationship with houseplants.
Early History
We know that plants have been cultivated since the early neolithic period. Houseplants, however, do not have as clear of a history. Surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly, no one was taking a detailed history into when plants were moved into homes for our enjoyment. Many experts believe that houseplants started as early as 1,000 BC with ancient Chinese cultures. They used small trees and plants as ornamental features in their homes.
https://www.builddirect.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-houseplant/
With hardly any written historical documents, we’ve garnered information from early paintings and sculptures and learned the early Greeks and Romans grew many plants in pots. And it’s very possible that they could have brought them inside their homes as well. Earlier civilizations of Japan, Egypt, and India also had ornamental plants commonly potted and placed in courtyards and gardens surrounding their home and it’s very possible that they were often brought into their homes.
Houseplants served as a sign of wealth or status and also served as a way to practice your green thumb year-round. Working with plants was an extremely valuable skill since most of the people in these early eras depended on their green thumbs for survival.
Around 600 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the construction of the infamous Hanging Gardens of Babylon for his wife, Amytis. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and these gardens contained olive trees, pears, figs, almonds, grapes, dates, pistachios, as well as many others that spilled in and out of the large constructed building as seen here in this artists rendition below.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon could be one of the first large scale productions of bringing plants into our living spaces and into our homes.
By irrtümlich (”mistakenly“) zugeordnet Maarten van Heemskerck (1498-1574) – http://www.plinia.net/wonders/
17th Century
After the fall of the Roman Empire, it was common for monks to cultivate functional houseplants while only wealthy individuals were able to showcase their wealth in houseplants. It took a lot of work to get a plant to thrive in living spaces that were drafty and cold (there wasn’t any modern heating systems yet!). So houseplants stayed in their native areas and if you had the money, you would be able to bring them into your home in special conservatories or greenhouses.
Cultivating houseplants continued without much comment until the 17th century when Sir Hugh Platt, an English agricultural authority, wrote about the cultivation of plants indoors. Not long after his writing, greenhouses and conservatories became more popular and spread around Europe to house exotic plants. At this point in time, the plants that were collected were chosen for their foliage and flowers.
Victorian Era to Today
Houseplants only grew in popularity from there. In the 1800’s (Victorian Era) they became common in the homes of the wealthy and middle class. Popular plants in this time period included begonias, ivy, geraniums, lantanas, ferns, rubber plants, and cast iron plants due to the hardiness of these plants and being able to survive in the cold dark homes of Europe. Large Victorian homes often featured open parlors, conservatories, and greenhouses to serve as a home for their plants. Houseplants were often placed in the unused fireplace in the summer to keep them insulated from the heat of summer. They also placed plants in hanging baskets, or used Wardian cases which are predecessor to terrariums.
Interestingly, people called palms a parlor plant. Because of this, there is now a species of palm called the Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) because it did well in the dark, unheated British apartment parlors.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/
Cast Iron plants (Aspidistra elatior) also became extremely popular due to the plants ability to survive in drafty homes with hardly any care. Eventually, as time went on, they actually became a sign of the middle-class and were seen as a stuffy overused plant. George Orwell even used this plant in his novel “Keep the Aspidistra flying” as a sad symbol of the middle-class and solidified it’s place as undesirable. The Cast Iron plant has yet to make it’s comeback to this day.
https://www.amusingplanet.com/
Later in the 1940’s, houseplants became mainstream. Anyone who had a remote interest in plants would have them in their home. Houseplants became a hobby or symbol of beauty and wellness instead of a sign of extreme wealth.
Today in the 20th century houseplants continue to be popular and more accessible than ever. Not only do we have stores worldwide that specialize in houseplants, but we have online stores that can get people different houseplants from anywhere in the world. To highlight just how far reaching this houseplant hobby has become, as many as 70% of millennial’s consider themselves a “plant parent”. A far cry from where we started with our ancestors having plants in their homes!
Listen to “The History of Houseplants” on our podcast, Plant School Podcast here OR learn more by watching this brief video about the history of houseplants.