home gardening
Gen Z Turns the Houseplant Craze into a Lifestyle Trend: Shops Thrive as Gen Z Continues to Nurture the ‘Plant Parent’ Trend
Plant Parent: While many pandemic habits have faded, America’s houseplant obsession has only grown stronger. The indoor plants market was valued at $20.68 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $30.25 billion by 2032. Consider how mobile marketplaces are contributing to the trend.
Last Updated on January 13, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Gen Z Turns the Houseplant Craze into a Lifestyle Trend: Shops Thrive as Gen Z Continues to Nurture the ‘Plant Parent’ Trend
(Family Features) When Jessica Janik-De Gennaro started seeing her $20 succulents pop up between electronics and yoga pants on a mobile marketplace, she knew she’d found something unexpected.
The entrepreneur had been shipping plants nationwide since 2012, but joining Temu in 2024 opened an entirely new customer base.
“We saw growth right away,” said De Gennaro, the 43-year-old founder of Shop Succulents who sold 3,500 items on the platform in just four months.
Her success reflects a broader trend: While many pandemic habits faded, America’s houseplant obsession only grew stronger. Spending on gardening-related items jumped 18.7% in 2020 – an $8.5 billion increase from the year before, and that momentum hasn’t stopped. The indoor plants market was valued at $20.68 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $30.25 billion by 2032, according to industry research.
“The potential for scaling is enormous,” De Gennaro said. “Seeing our $20 succulents next to Temu’s bargain electronics was surreal, but that’s the magic – the algorithm doesn’t discriminate. Our plants became ‘items to explore’ for people who never knew they wanted a spiky plant until it popped up between yoga pants and kitchenware.”
Following a similar strategy, House Plant Shop’s inventory spans more than 500 species, from air plants and succulents to pet-friendly potted plants and rare tropicals.
After joining Temu in December 2024, sales on the platform rocketed. By May, it had become the company’s largest online channel, surpassing all other marketplaces.
“Temu quickly became bigger for us than any other marketplace,” said Andy Burde, 33, founder of House Plant Shop.
The platform’s young customer base has proven ideal for plant sellers. A survey by CraftJack found that 6 in 10 young Americans say “pets are the new kids, and plants are the new pets.”
The smaller plants, sold in 2-3-inch pots and priced around $10 by House Plant Shop, have performed especially well.
“They’re affordable, easy to ship and our customers love watching them grow,” Burde said.
The shift to mobile commerce has been crucial to both companies’ success. With 76% of U.S. adults using smartphones to shop online, platforms like Temu have become discovery engines for impulse purchases, including houseplants.
Now, House Plant Shop ranks among the top three live plant sellers on the mobile marketplace.
“Our goal is to become the No. 1 live plant seller on the platform,” Burde said. “We’ve found our second growth wave, and we’re excited to keep growing while staying true to our roots.”
Join the plant parent trend by visiting Temu.com or downloading the app.
SOURCE:
Temu
Culver’s Thank You Farmers® Project Hits $8 Million Donation Milestone
Link: https://stmdailynews.com/culvers-thank-you-farmers-project-hits-8-million-donation-milestone/
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home gardening
Start Planning Now for a Thriving Spring Garden
Winter offers an ideal time to plan for a successful spring garden. Assess your current space, research planting ideas, and design an efficient layout. Enhance soil health with compost, start seeds indoors for stronger plants, and organize tools to ensure readiness for the growing season. Prepare now for a thriving garden.
Last Updated on March 11, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Start Planning Now for a Thriving Spring Garden
(Family Features) While winter weather puts outdoor gardening on pause in most parts of the country, the colder months offer a perfect opportunity to begin preparing for a lush garden come springtime.
With a little creativity, and some extra time spent creating a plan, you can set yourself on a path toward success before the growing season even begins.
Assess Your Space and Research Ideas
Evaluate your current garden, taking note of what worked well last season and where improvements can be made. Use this downtime to sketch an updated layout, research companion plants and decide which fruits, vegetables or flowers you want to grow next based on what did (or didn’t) work last spring.
Build an Updated Blueprint
Winter is the ideal time to upgrade your garden design and make tweaks for efficiency. Use the offseason to consider crop rotation patterns for optimal soil health as well as ways to maximize your space such as raised beds, trellises or containers. You can also make a list of materials needed for any new features you may be adding, such as an irrigation system, and map out their placement so you’re ready to build as soon as the weather allows.
Nourish the Soil
Even if the ground is frozen, you can prepare your garden beds by adding compost, leaves or organic matter in late winter, ensuring nutrients are available when spring arrives. Also remember to test your soil’s pH level now, which can help guide your fertilization plan.
Start Seeds Indoors
If you’re eager to get your hands dirty, consider starting your seeds indoors. Early seed starting gives plants a head start, allowing you to transplant stronger seedlings outdoors when temperatures warm.
Get Organized
Use the slower pace of winter to clean and sharpen your garden tools, sort through leftover seeds and make a supply checklist so you’re ready to dig in when warmer days arrive.
Find more advice to get your garden ready to burst to life in spring at eLivingtoday.com.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
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Last Updated on February 27, 2026 by Daily News Staff
7 Vegetables to Grow Easily in Your Home Garden
(Family Features) Growing fresh, healthy vegetables at home may not be as hard as it sounds. Novice gardeners just need good dirt, easy plants to grow, lots of sunshine and the right amount of water.
Once you’ve prepared your garden plot, select one or all of these vegetables, which are among the easiest to grow:
- Lettuce – Plant lettuce seeds directly into the garden or a pot then repeat every two weeks. It can be cut a few weeks after planting. Some harvest lettuce by pulling it up – roots and all – but cutting a little off the top every few days can keep it growing until summer’s heat turns it too bitter.
- Spinach – This vitamin-packed green is planted and harvested just like lettuce.
- Cucumbers – Make several mounds of dirt near the edge of your garden and place 2-3 plants around the center of each. Cucumbers are notorious for growing vines that overtake other plants, so be vigilant about keeping them contained.
- Squash – Like cucumbers, summer squash is planted on small mounds at the edges of a garden so their vines can be contained. Most varieties, such as yellow squash and zucchini, are quite prolific and just a few plants can feed a large family all summer long.
- Tomatoes – Purchase plants that grow best in your area of the country from your local garden center. All plants should be staked or enclosed in tomato cages because successful plants produce an abundance of large, heavy fruit throughout the summer months.
- Bell Peppers – Bell peppers are easiest to grow from plants. Space them about 1 foot apart then watch them take off with little care required. The only real trick to growing bell peppers is knowing when to harvest. If you’re growing red, orange or yellow varieties, they’ll start out green then turn color as soon as they ripen.
- Carrots – Dig a long, shallow trench in soil that is free of rock. Sprinkle the seeds along the row, cover lightly with topsoil and wait for the top of the carrot to pop through the soil. Once a bit of orange appears, pull and enjoy.
Find more tips for growing a bountiful garden at eLivingtoday.com.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
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Last Updated on February 27, 2026 by Daily News Staff
4 Tips to Plan a Bountiful Garden
(Family Features) Whether you’re a novice just learning to cultivate a magical display or an avid gardener with years of experience, early planning can help bring this year’s garden to life.
These simple tips can help you start planning, and before you know it, you can start putting your plans into action.
Assess your environment. Determine what factors may aid or hinder your garden’s success. What do you know about the soil? Lighting? Exposure to threats such as hungry or curious wildlife? Uncovering potential roadblocks early can help you identify potential solutions or alternatives that may help you bypass issues altogether.
Create a mental image. Look through seed catalogs, magazines and books, and browse the internet for inspiration. Vibrant colors and textures are the hallmarks of a beautiful spring garden, but spend time learning exactly what appeals to you most. Take notes, particularly as you identify new species you may want to introduce. You’ll need to do additional research to ensure their growing requirements are consistent with your environment.
Put it to paper. Transferring your vision to paper can help you plan appropriately and ensure you’re not overfilling or leaving unsightly gaps in your garden. Understanding where each plant will go and how much each needs to flourish before you turn a spade of soil can help make planting a breeze. Remember it is easier to change your mind with a pen and paper in hand than with fragile vegetation.
Create a calendar. Timing is critical to maximizing the time you are able to enjoy your garden. Understand the growing season for each plant and map it all out on a calendar so you can stagger when new varieties emerge and keep your garden active and thriving. Be sure to give yourself some wiggle room for unforeseen circumstances, such as weather, that may prevent you from planting exactly as you’ve planned.
For more tips to safely begin planting, visit eLivingtoday.com.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
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