Комнатные растения: история и современность

Ornamental plant in a home or office

A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are usually tropical or semi tropical, and are often epiphytes, succulents or cacti.

The history of houseplants is intertwined with the history of container gardening in general. Ancient Egyptians and Sumerians grew ornamental and fruiting plants in decorative containers. Ancient Greeks and the Romans cultivated laurel trees (Laurus nobilis) in earthenware vessels. In ancient China, potted plants were shown at garden exhibitions over 2,500 years ago. In the medieval era, gillyflowers were displayed in containers.

During the Renaissance, plant collectors and affluent merchants from Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium imported plants from Asia Minor and the East Indies. Creeping groundsel was introduced in Malta and the rest of Europe in the 15th century as an ornamental plant. In the 17th century, fascination in exotic plants grew among the aristocracy of France and England. Inventor and writer Sir Hugh Platt published Garden of Eden in 1660, a book which directed indoor plant growing methods. Wealthy British households purchased imported fruit trees, especially citrus trees, to grow in specialized orangeries. Less wealthy people would also grow plants, especially flowers, indoors. Orange trees became less fashionable as international commerce in oranges became more widespread. Succulents, such as aloes, were also cultivated.

In the early 18th century, windows in London became wider and brighter, expanding the opportunities for the lower classes to grow plants indoors. The expansion of European colonialism brought Europeans into contact with a wide variety of new plants, especially tropical plants more suited to growing as houseplants. Explorers and botanists brought over 5,000 species to Europe from South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. The decorative pot or cachepot specifically for growing houseplants (as opposed to a simple terracotta pot, or a decorative vase) was developed in this era as ceramic manufacturing took off. Some foliage plants which tolerated the typical gloomy and snug environment inside a Victorian house became popular. The quintessential Victorian plants were palms (such as kentia palms and parlour palms), the cast iron plant, and ferns. Ferns were grown in Wardian cases, an early type of terrarium. Geraniums were often placed on window ledges and in drawing rooms and were the most affordable houseplant for the average Briton. In 1818, orchids were introduced to Europe when they were used as packing material for the shipment of other rare plants. Other typical Victorian houseplants included mop head chrysanthemums and yuccas. By 1960, Florida produced more than 55% of American houseplants, and has since remained the main producer of houseplants for the American market. Many plants entered the United States and the United Kingdom through the influence of Scandinavian design, which featured plants. A lush display of houseplants fit into the environmentalist and hippie movements in the 1970s; a large indoor garden is characteristic of 1970s design. Leafy plants were popular, particularly ferns and spider plants, often in macramé hanging planters. Terrariums and bottle gardens began to appear as well. In the 1980s, houseplants were often limited to large, lush statement pieces, particularly in bathrooms. The rise of shopping malls with large skylights created a new place for plants to be grown. The 1990s also brought a wave of interest in artificial plants.

Beginning in the mid to late 2010s, fashionable plants from earlier decades were revitalized and popularized by social media, especially Instagram, with "plantstagram" becoming a major driver of trendy plants. In 2015, 5 million Americans took up plant related hobbies. In 2017, 30% of American households purchased at least one houseplant. Interest in houseplants exploded during the COVID 19 pandemic that began in early 2020. With people forced to spend more time indoors, many sought to fill their homes with houseplants. Plants were mentioned on Instagram an average of more than 3,000 times a day in July 2021 and the hashtag "#plantmom" has been used more than 2.6 million times. Some of the most popular plants in the 2020s are the Monstera deliciosa and other aroids, as well as the fiddle leaf fig. This era saw a larger interest in growing plants with interesting or attractive forms or foliage, rather than focusing solely on flowers. Within that limitation, there are houseplants which are native to many different types of habitats, from tropical rainforests to succulents and cacti native to deserts. Many houseplants are either epiphytes or live in seasonally dry ecosystems that help them adapt to the dry indoor air and inconsistent watering many houseplants are subject to. Often, houseplants from tropical areas are understory plants, and because they grown in shady conditions naturally, they are often able to thrive in lower light conditions. Selected houseplants are typically of healthy origin, with tidy leaves and upright stems. Houseplants which survive in conditions similar to a homeowner's living space will have a higher probability of survival. Tropical houseplants which grow under high thresholds of heat, for instance, will grow sun leaves which contain fewer chloroplasts. Plants which grow in the shade will grow shade leaves, containing more chloroplasts. Horticulturists at Texas A&M University recommend acclimatization, a gradual process in which plants with too much or too little light or heat exposure are balanced accordingly to prevent overexposure. The brightness and strength of the light source under which a plant lives, including how long it spends under that light source, is vital to its survival. Other factors, like humidity and ventilation, must be kept under regular levels to prevent plant failure and susceptibility to disease. Houseplants are typically grown in specialized soilless mixtures called potting compost (in the UK), potting mix, or potting soil. Most potting mixes contain a combination of peat or coir and vermiculite or perlite. Keeping plants consistently too wet ("overwatering") leads to the roots sitting in water, which often leads to root rot. Root rot is the most common cause of death for houseplants but keeping houseplants too dry ("under watering") can also be detrimental. Plants require nitrate, phosphate, and potassium to survive, as well as micronutrients including boron, zinc, manganese, iron, copper, molybdenum, and chlorine. Houseplants do not have access to these nutrients unless they are fertilized regularly. House plants are generally planted in pots that have drainage holes, to reduce the likelihood of over watering and standing water. Pots are typically broken down into two groups: porous and non porous. Porous pots (usually terracotta) provide better aeration as air passes laterally through the sides of the pot. Non porous pots such as glazed or plastic pots tend to hold moisture longer and restrict airflow. Houseplants experience a range of pests. Fungus gnats, spider mites, mealybugs, thrips and scale are common pests. With the right care, succulents avoid pests and diseases and achieve optimal growth. By picking the right succulent and taking care of its soil and watering needs, the houseplant lives long to serve its purpose.

Houseplants are also grown in a variety of media other than potting mix, often in a hydroponic or semi hydroponic system. This may overlap with aquascaping. Materials like sand, gravel, brick, expanded clay aggregate and styrofoam may be employed. Some epiphytic plants may be grown mounted, either with their roots in potting mix and their stems attached to supports, or with their roots wrapped in sphagnum moss and attached to a vertical surface with wire. This can also overlap with the practice of kokedama.

Houseplants are obtained either by collecting wild specimens of plants, or by growing them in greenhouses or commercial nurseries. Wild collection of plants for the houseplant trade is a major threat to many species, especially plants with limited native ranges. Plants which are particularly threatened in this way are cacti, succulents, and carnivorous plants, especially Venus flytraps. Plants grown for commercial production may be produced from seed, by using traditional propagation techniques, or through tissue culture. In 2002, the wholesale value of foliage plants grown in the United States was roughly 700 million dollars, mostly grown in Florida. In 2018, houseplant growers in the Netherlands produced a billion houseplants for the European market.

Although houseplants are commonly considered to have an active, positive effect on indoor air quality, much of the non academic reporting on the subject is based on experiments involving the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air, the evidence for which is unclear. However, this study tested plants in ways which are not representative of an indoor environment; in sealed chambers and with highly elevated levels of the VOCs benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde. and showed that they were effective at cleaning in higher VOC concentrations, but only at lower concentrations after the process had been "kick started" by a higher level of exposure. Houseplants do have a statistically significant effect on the concentrations of both carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in normal indoor environments, reducing carbon dioxide levels by 10 25% and carbon monoxide levels by up to 90%. The effect has been also investigated by NASA for use in spacecraft.

Plants also appear to affect the indoor microbiome, increasing the number and diversity of bacteria in homes, while reducing fungal diversity. They tend to increase humidity, reduce temperature swings, and reduce noise.