New information from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) Garden Retail Monitor system, shows that last year 13% of all sales of houseplants in garden centres in 2022 were made in December. The industry is expecting a similar level of trade this year.
Laura Jeffery, Market Research Manager at the HTA, said: “A houseplant really is the gift that keeps on giving, usually for many years. Some greenery and colour bring cheer to us all in these darker months as well as continued pleasure, long after the wrapping paper from other presents has been recycled. This all makes a houseplant a sustainable present in more ways than one, with benefits to mental and physical wellbeing too.”
Although poinsettias are often a top choice at Christmas, other types such as Dracaenas, Epimediums and Philodendrons (resilient all year round) thrive in very low winter-light levels.
The festive season is a vital trading period for the UK’s garden centres: the HTA found that 10% of total annual garden centre turnover in 2022 was made in December, and that nearly a third (29%) of sales in that month came from their Christmas departments.