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Houseplants are growing in popularity by leaps and bounds. But did you know that the latest plant trend is giving names to your leafy house or office mates?
Since the start of the pandemic, with more and more people staying in, assigning names to plants who cannot talk or meow back to you when you speak to them actually comes with a host of benefits according to Well+Good. That’s because giving something like a potted fern a name ensures that you will take better care of it.
“Giving your plant a name solidifies that it’s here to stay, that you are in it for the long haul,” Erin Marino, the marketing director of a plant shop told Well+Good. “You’ll give your new plant a spot it will thrive in, water it whenever it needs it, and repot it when it grows bigger.”
Reasons to Name Plants
There are many reasons why people name their plants and while the trend is growing, it isn’t really new. Since houseplants have been popular for decades, people giving them names has been around for a long time too according to Apartment Therapy.
Marino theorized that it’s a way to think of plants as part of the family (as in plant babies) or workplace. “Maybe not in the traditional sense like a sibling, pet, or coworker — but as a beloved or treasured living thing that makes a positive impact on their home or work life, which can make them worthy of a name,” she told Apartment Therapy.
And naming your plants has even more benefits for you. Research shows that creating social connections through anthropomorphizing nonhuman things like plants or cars can make you feel less lonely. Plus taking care of living things like plants helps you to be a more nurturing and compassionate person.
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Be Creative
Naming your plant babies can be a creative outlet. Why stick to calling your cactus “Prickles” or your spider plant “Charlotte” when there is a myriad of names you can choose.
In fact, Mashable actually compiled 99 names that you can give your plants. The suggestions are broken down into six categories including: pop culture, food, cute adjectives, personalized names that are special to you, and variations on the word plant.
Some of the names are plant specific and some can actually be used for pets or future children, but Mashable thinks that may actually be a bit weird. Just give your plants a name and some TLC and they could help brighten your life.
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