Across the messy desks of young adults today, there has been a recent addition to their typical home décor in the past year. Now, more than ever, industries are catering to a growing generation of succulent loving millennials. If you have been to any superstore anytime in the past year, you may have started to notice that fake plants or pictures of them are even taking over entire aisles. So why are cacti and other such plants appearing on everything from t-shirts to paintings, to sleek geometric accents of all shapes and sizes? Here are four conclusions that I have gathered online regarding our beloved green pets.
- The Rise of Millennial Gardening
According to a 2016 National Gardening Survey, “6 million new Americans have taken up gardening, and 5 million of them are millennials.” Apparently, young adults are increasingly growing attached to their plants, even more so than any other generation. Capitalism is just keeping up with this trend and continuing their production of all types of plant-related goods.
- Easy Maintenance
Real cactus plants, aloe, and other similar succulents that cover our shelves and walls are doing so for this outstanding reason. Their thick structures, much different to most plants, allow succulents to withstand drought for much longer periods of time. There are reports that certain species can even go weeks without watering.
- Accomplishment
The owner of a plant is completely in charge of its well-being, similar to that of any other kind of pet. With minimal effort, it can be comforting to know that this miniature life is benefiting from us. Placed on shelves, walls, and desks, they can serve as small reminders of our efforts and success. They can almost be considered our very own living, breathing trophies.
- Trendy Succulent Art
What can we say about all the wall art and artificial succulents that we see in shops then? If we do not have real plants, we sure do like the idea of them. Millennials’ demonstrated affection for succulent art and a gardening lifestyle could reflect a generation of people who value caring and appreciating the small things in life. We water our plants and continue supporting images of them on our home décor many other objects. One could also argue that succulents, as a reoccurring emblem in art, could even be interpreted as a social statement for how we, as young adults, recognize that we are continuing to grow as well.
Regardless of the reason for our newfound love of succulents, I think we can all agree that these plants make our dorms a little brighter. As college students, they teach us responsibility without being too much work. The little plants add a little life to otherwise sterile environments are really aesthetically pleasing.