‘House plants help us slow down and connect to nature’

Gynelle Leon, founder of boutique cactus store Prick

GYNELLE, 32, below, was a fraud and compliance analyst before a relationship split triggered a life-changing move – she turned her passion for cacti and succulents into a career. ‘Going to botanical gardens and taking photographs of flowers was what I had always done to switch off and relax,’ she says. ‘But after my break-up and winning an RHS photography prize, I thought, “Why am I putting off doing the things I really love?”’ She got a Saturday job at a florist and, noticing the growing demand for house plants, saw a gap in the market for a shop offering customers diverse plants and artistically designed pots. After selling her London flat to raise funds, Prick opened in July 2016 and a book – also titled Prick – was published in 2017. It has already sold 25,000 copies, to add to Gynelle’s 11,000 Instagram followers. She says: ‘My favourite plant is a Clumping Mammillaria – a cactus that grows in clusters – which is more than 50 years old. Cacti and succulents are so graphic in their form – they look like natural sculptures, with a geometric design made by nature. ‘Caring for house plants gives us a sense of wellbeing. They help to slow us down and connect us to nature. I don’t think this is a short-lived trend that will be over next year. ‘Keeping house plants has become part of the norm, no different from buying a mirror for your home.’