Plants Are Cool Now
Plants have had a resurgence over the last few years. From the BBC's Great British Garden Revival to Jezza and his allotment (RIP Mr Corbin), tending to your garden is no longer seen as just an old people's habit. Au contraire: Instagram boasts floral wonders from all over the world, from ornate arrangements to modest bunches.
Lush East London design studios and flats groan with trailing plants, their thick leaves and twiggy branches creating a newer, edgier take on the traditional, romantic style where they originated and high street clothing stores are pushing florals and palm patterns like they're going out of style (which apparently they never do).
In short, plants are more hipster than Heathcliff. According to the charity Mind, being close to nature and spending time in green spaces has been well documented as a tonic for your mental health, as well as simply a hobby. It can improve your mood, release feelings of anger, and improve your physical wellbeing. So whether you're a born and bred botanist or the sort of person who has managed to kill the office cactus and had to buy a new one in secret, here are some floral activities sure to get you feeling at one with the Earth.
1. Join the Royal Horticultural Society and enjoy unlimited days out in any of their four beautiful gardens: Wisley, Rosemoor, Hyde Hall and Harlow Carr. These can be family days out, romantic strolls or solo roams and while you're at it, check out our Lavender Fields range in partnership with RHS. Designed and packaged with a sleek, modern and leafy pattern that will go well with any bathroom decor.
2. Start planting seeds, growing veggies and learning what's seasonal. There's a world of herbiage to discover, and you don't even have to have a garden for this - a herb patch will grow on a terrace, and pot plants will flourish on a windowsill. Just make sure to get green-fingered with our In The Garden range to help keep your skin soft and supple after hours with the flowers.
3. They say smell is as powerful as sight. If so, then taking time to smell the flowers is as important as looking at them. Take some time out and soak up some heady floral aromas in the bath with our Vintage & Co Fabrics & Flowers Soap Flowers. There's an old Chinese proverb that says "Life begins the day you start a garden." So go forth, get inspired by what's green in your area, and begin your life.
