As plant popularity booms, hobbyists bond around collecting

The last time Rachel Becker counted all her houseplants, it was well over 400.

“And it’s grown,” the Sioux Falls woman said. “I’ve always loved plants. Since I was a kid, my grandma always had houseplants, and over the years, I’ve gotten plants from friends who have brought them over and said, ‘Here, you help me save it.’”

Eventually, she just started reaching out on local marketplaces to see what people were selling. “If I saw something I liked and it was affordable, I got it. Then I started getting into the rarer plants. I’m just trying to find affordable ways to grow my collection.”

She said it’s a hobby that quickly can take on a life of its own – searching for the next best thing and figuring out how to get or grow one, whether that’s a less-expensive cutting or splurging on the whole plant.

With the more expensive, rare plants, Becker takes cuttings from those she’s established and sells them, which helps her reinvest in other rare plants and gives others a chance to grow their own collection.

“To me, that’s the fun part, buying those smaller cuttings and playing around with different propagation methods,” Becker said. “You start to learn what those plants need. Some need more humidity. You don’t always win. I’ve had my tears over some that I spent money on.”

Ann Holman’s love of indoor gardening began simply: watching her grandmother tend to her houseplants.

“I call her my Nanny,” Holman said. “She had a huge love for plants and gardening, so I remember that, and every time I work with plants or deal with anything with my plants, I think of her, and it brings back happy memories.”

Those memories led her to begin cultivating her own houseplant collection, buying common varieties at local stores and greenhouses. Holman, like many houseplant enthusiasts, started with pothos. Those are the trailing plants with the heart-shaped leaves seen on every bookshelf in home decor magazines. “They are so easy to grow, and there are so many varieties,” she said. “They can be low light or high light, and they are hard to kill because they grow like weeds.”

Then, she began looking for more unusual plants and, eventually, downright rare ones she imported. “You can grow all different types of plants in other countries,” said Holman, who lives near Lake Vermillion.

“People just love houseplants and gardening,” Holman said.

It’s true – houseplants have exploded in popularity. From the app Plant Parent to TikTok trends to the boho decorating style that prominently features houseplants, decorating with greenery indoors is more popular than ever. And it’s for more than just an indoor vibe.

“Studies have found that less than 20 minutes is enough to make us feel more at peace,” The Washington Post reported last year on the benefits of being around plants. “In one experiment, participants who spent even five to 10 minutes in a room with a few houseplants felt happier and more satisfied than those in a room without plants. In another study, participants felt more peaceful and positive after spending 15 minutes in a room close to a tall plant – one about 5 feet – compared with other objects.”

Swapping, sharing plant lovers connect online

Holman’s love led her to start various local Facebook groups, which bring together other enthusiasts in South Dakota to share tips and tricks for growing and propagating as well as where to buy plants and, sometimes, selling or trading plants.

“I like to have fun with people and joke around, so it’s kind of my outlet,” Holman said of the groups. “We started having some plant sales and swaps. We’ve done one for the past few years at McCrossan Boys Ranch, and it brings awareness to the ranch. It’s turned into a bigger thing than I ever thought it would be.”

“Every time I go into town, I post a ton of pictures of all the plants in the stores, so people know what is available in the stores. It is a hugely popular hobby for a lot of people,” Holman said. “I have friends who have 300 or 400 houseplants in their house.”

The group also does some seed swaps. Holman grew Missouri foxtail cactus, which is native to South Dakota, from seed. “I was pretty impressed with myself,” she said. “I bought seeds, and out of 20 seeds, five of them survived. They produce beautiful flowers, and they are native, so you can plant them in the ground.”

For some, it’s a love of plants that has come down through generations – like how Holman and Becker attribute their green thumb to their grandmothers.

“I have one lady in the group who has some Christmas cactus that are huge, and they were passed down in her family,” Holman said. “A lot of time, it’s people who have had things handed down to them from mothers, grandmothers, whatever. I think that’s part of it. But then it’s just the nurturing something and watching it grow and learning how to care for different things. Some are failures. I have failed many times, and some are great successes, and it’s rewarding.”

Holman also loves Christmas cactus. She notes that many you’ll find in the stores are Thanksgiving cactus, which come in more colors. The true Christmas cactus is a bit harder to come by, but you can grow one easily from cuttings, she said. “They produce beautiful flowers,” she said.

Holman notes that collecting rare plants can get quite expensive, but regular houseplants are just as fun. “I would say start with the easier ones, like any sort of pothos. She also recommends spider plants – don’t be frustrated when the tips of their leaves get brown – and even the massive monstera, a huge and hugely popular plant. “Those are so super easy to care for, but you have to have the space for them.”

In the summer, Becker brings a lot of her collection outside. But now, as it dips below 50 degrees overnight, she begins bringing them back inside. She keeps plants in her home and her office. “As I accumulate more, you have to think a little harder,” she said with a laugh. “How do I organize this to make it flow better, to make it look better and easier to water?”

Part of her passion is in the individual characteristics of each plant. “The new growth, the different colors – every plant has its own unique quality,” Becker said. “The leaf shape, the colors. Do they hang? Do they climb? Do they grow up? I just really like that. You can look at a plant, and it’s near death and to bring it back and see all that new growth? It’s kind of like us – it’s never over until it’s over.”

“Don’t give up. Keep going, and don’t give up on your plants either,” she said. “There are times I’ve thought I’ve totally failed. It’s a goner. And then I walk by a few weeks later, and you have new growth. It just makes you smile.”

That happened with cactuses and succulents, she said. “I was so used to the tropical things. It would die on me. I found out you were better to just set it and walk away.”

Becker recommends knowing how much you are willing to spend on plants before you begin collecting. “Don’t kill yourself trying to get all the rare ones. By the time you think you have the rarest thing out there, somebody is going to come out with a new hybrid.”

One of her favorites is the Spiritus Sancti, a type of philodendron native to Brazil that can sell for anywhere from $500 to $5,000. “A few years ago, it was one of the most endangered, rarest plants in the world,” Becker said. “Now, they have figured out how they can tissue culture them, and they have come way down in price.”

Of course, now there’s a variegated version. “I don’t have that,” Becker said with a laugh.

Becker’s favorite common plant is Tradescantia, with green and purple leaves. “They’re pretty, and they grow quickly. They’re very forgiving, and they come in so many different varities of colors. I have two favorites – the Nanook, or bubble gum, and the tricolor. They are beautiful and everybody notices them.”

Her favorite rare plant is what she calls the ‘ab plant,’ or anthurium veitchii.

“It looks like it has instead of a six-pack of abs, a 30-pack, and the leaves are long. It’s a sexy plant. It’s different than a lot of stuff you see.”

She said most guests are surprised and fascinated by her collection. “Many will say, ‘That’s the coolest plant I’ve ever seen,’ and others say, ‘Wow, you live in a jungle,’” she said. “But I have fun with it, and I enjoy it. The friendships you make along the way doing this, you get to meet people and share knowledge.”