Plant big spenders not so rare
A love of houseplants is turning into a pricey pastime, Trade Me data show.
Yesterday, a variegated minima had met its reserved price of $9050 and was the most expensive houseplant on the auction website.
Almost a thousand people had added it to their watchlists and the listing had more than 15,000 views.
It is a variety of the philodendron minima, a vining plant that is native to tropical forests. The variegation refers to the colouring of the leaves, which happens by mutation.
Trade Me spokeswoman Millie Sylvester said there had been a noticeable trend in prices as the houseplant craze took hold.
‘‘Houseplants have become the ‘it’ item over the last couple of years. We’ve seen prices creep up and up as more Kiwis jump on this trend.’’
In May 2019, the average sale price of an indoor plant on the site was $34. In May this year, it was up 141 per cent to $82.
‘‘Rare varieties of houseplants including hoyas, monsteras and minimas are commanding massive prices and there seems to be thousands of Kiwis looking to beautify their house with some unique foliage,’’ Sylvester said.
‘‘In May, we saw a 15 per cent increase in the number of indoor plants sold on site when compared with the year prior.’’
Sylvester said there had been 17,000 searches for hoya, 6000 for monstera and 1300 for minima over the past seven days.
University of Auckland head of marketing Bodo Lang said there were a few drivers for the plant trend.
Covid-19 meant people could not travel, and often had more disposable income to spend on the likes of plants. They were also spending more time at home, exploring the world through digital channels such as Instagram, where they would encounter people posting about plants. Being at home more made it more likely they would want to spend money on things for the house.
Exotic houseplants were also a good way to satisfy consumers’ desire to look for new products and experiences, Lang said.
‘‘I think this is a big driver because many people’s lives have been severely curtailed of variety, with consumers being exposed to far fewer places, people and experiences than normal.
‘‘Therefore, there is a greater drive for variety and self-expression and the houseplant is one good outlet for that.’’
‘‘Many people’s lives have been severely curtailed of variety . . . and the houseplant is one good outlet for that.’’ Bodo Lang
University of Auckland head of marketing