It seems crazy to say that plants are having a moment. The physical and mental benefits of plants are not new to humans. Plants have provided food, shelter, medicine and art for as long as mankind has been in existence.
But millenials are showing off their houseplants like never before, and as the largest adult population in U.S. history, millennials are thus giving plants their moment.
calling all plant parents
As low-budget apartment decor for people who want responsibility, but not kids, The L.A. Times recently went so far as to call millennials plant addicts. Plant Moms and Dads are taking over social media, and Instagram influencers are sharing their green interiors like curated fine art collections.
As far as millennial movements go, its hard to find a reason not to be on board with the houseplant push. That is, unless you are one of many people who, despite desperately trying, cannot keep a plant alive. The pressure to go green is real!
for those without a green thumb…
It’s not your fault you weren’t born with a green-thumb. It can simply be a matter of your home’s access to natural light, other time commitments, or your attentiveness leading to over-watering. While plants have natural healing benefits, for some, raising a houseplant doesn’t come naturally and can leave you feeling like you failed and wasted money… again.
Lucky for those who aren’t Jane of the Jungle, the business of preserved plants, or moss walls, is growing just as rapidly as houseplants.
Enter planted design
Our friends at Planted Design, a Certified Women Owned business in Emeryville, CA, have been dreaming, designing and building custom moss and living walls all over the country since 2015. In their world, plants are having more than just a moment, and Planted Design has created preserved moss walls for private homes, single office spaces and dozens of Fortune 100 companies.
Mosses, flowers and lichen that are stabilized in their natural state without the use of harsh chemicals are the answer for consumer’s with a history of killing potted plants because they require zero maintenance, but offer the same health benefits as living, growing gardens.
What are the top reasons for owning a preserved moss wall?
• No watering required
• No sun required
• No pruning required
Need, I say more? If so, here are all the reasons a moss wall may be your broken green-thumb’s saving grace!
Moss walls attract employees and show visitors your company values custom work. (Gusto)
1. Sustainable Design
Preserved plants are non-toxic and environmentally-friendly. These mosses and foliage are harvested in their ideal environment and then picked during the height of their natural state, like when a flower is in full bloom displaying its deepest color.
Preservation begins when the plant base is soaked in a mixture of vegetable glycerin, water, substrate and natural food coloring, replacing the moisture or sap with this mixture that is very close to sugar and 100% biodegradable. Mosses and flowers then take on bold, new colors that add to an aesthetic like traditional wall art, without the carbon footprint of mass produced home decor.
2. Employee Wellness
Plants are proven to help people feel relaxed and focused, which leads to increased productivity and creativity to generate new ideas. That increased flow is particularly helpful for startups, tech companies and small businesses where innovation and problem solving need to happen fast.
That pace of work, however, does not allow for an office jungle that requires attention several times a week. Moss walls also offer a sleek design that is attractive when recruiting top talent to your organization. And really, the current, huge, millennial workforce has come to expect it.
3. Sound Absorption
Moss walls are an acoustical treatment. Their sound absorption tends to be relatively high at mid-high frequencies, making moss walls very useful in classrooms and conference rooms to improve speech intelligibility associated with the quality of verbal communication.
Moss may not cancel standing waves in small spaces like recording studios, but where focus is needed in the workplace, moss makes an impact.
4. Property Value You Can Move
Planted Design was recently featured on HGTV’s Brother vs. Brother. Jonathan Scott chose a maintenance-free moss wall for his eco-chic design to add a “wow factor” that was environmentally friendly. If the future property owner isn’t a friend to Mother Earth, no problem (well, that is a problem, but…), the piece can be removed from the wall as it hangs on a traditional wall frame.
Moss walls are also zero threat to a potential home buyer that appreciates plants, but is intimidated by keeping up with the previous owner’s elaborate garden.
go green!
We hope this is more than just a moment for houseplants– the relationship between humans and nature needed to be restored. If you gave being a plant parent a shot more than once, even with the “easy” plants, don’t give up!
You’ll be a happier more productive person by adding green to your home or work space. Even if a fiddle leaf fig failed you, or succulents let you down, you can still become a boss of the moss!
About the Author
Kate Kareha is the marketing & content lead for Planted Design. She is responsible for giving plants a voice and sharing company insights with clients and the plant-public. Operating in the Bay Area, Planted Design is a certified Woman-Owned Business that dreams and builds custom living gardens and moss walls across the country. Upholding a responsibility to nature and design, their plant arrangements create an engaging environment and positively impact urban life.
Are you a plant person? How do plants effect your health & wellness? Share in the comments below.
I did not know that plants can act as a sound absorber. Thanks for sharing this.