National Indoor Plant Week kicks off next week, September 18-24. Traditionally celebrated the third week of each September, NIPW was a movement started by Chicagoland-based firm Interior Tropical Gardens as an industry initiative to promote and increase awareness about the importance of living plants in homes, places of work and interiors of all types.

We as an industry know and celebrate the good things that indoor plants do for interiors—they put us in a better mood, lower stress, and even help us heal faster. Do our consumer customers know? We like to think they do. How about this, though: Just in case they don’t, tell them all about it as best you can.

Growers, let your retail and interiorscape customers know to order and to inform store and office building visitors. And retailers, it’s not too late to push your houseplant department via e-blasts or social channels, too. And by “pushing” I don’t mean pushing plant sales (although why not?). Push the benefits of indoor plants along with growing tips, combo ideas and maybe some variety highlights. Here are a few non-industry sites you can link to that will help customers understand houseplant and foliage superpowers.

• Healthline
• Time
• Everyday Health

Why non-industry links? Because your customers won’t feel like you’re trying to be a plant pusher.

What are your planned campaigns for NIPW? I know a few of you have them! Drop me a note about what you have going on at ewells@ballpublishing.com.

This time of year is an excellent opportunity to serve the needs of the indoor plant-buying public, and National Indoor Plant Week is a good way to get that message out. An organization that is promoting plants indoors and out 24/7/365 is the National Garden Bureau, who once again shared some insights into NGB.org site visitor search terms.

What are they interested in with regard to the world of houseplants? From these terms we can guess consumers are interested in both home and office décor and utility—i.e., they want their plants to serve a purpose as air purifiers.

Here are the search terms and percent increase from previous weeks for visits to NGB.org during the last week in August:

• Ways to hang plants indoors: 200% change
• Moss terrarium: 90% change
• Office plants: 10%
• Window shelf for plants: 9%
• Kitchen plants: 10%
• Air purifying house plants: 30%

The search term for “kitchen plants” is a great reminder that indoor plants can include items other than tropicals and houseplants.

Maybe you are looking for houseplants and foliage, too. Last week I received two updates on sources.

First is about three new products from Westerlay Orchids in Carpinteria, California. I’m smitten with their new Westerlay Wave and what they are calling “the perfect expression of contemporary California Coastal design.” This phalaenopsis’s 5-in. double spike is trained to present as a Pacific wave breaking along the shore. Very cool!

Also new are the Westerlay Kokedama, which incorporates a 3-in. orchid into a 5-in. moss ball bound in natural twine, and the Westerlay Bramble, which is their line of “flask to finish” 3-in. phals that are hand-trained.

The Westerlay Kokedama

The Westerlay Bramble

All three have limited releases until January 2024. You can check out these items and all the other Westerlay Orchids offerings at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce and Floral Show in Anaheim, California from October 19-21.

And second, how about some succulents and tropical foliage from Syngenta Flowers? They now have 45 varieties in 16 collections available in all the leaf shapes, colors and habits you can think of when it comes to these categories.

According to Bossman Beytes’ notes on his visit to Syngenta during CAST, Syngenta has taken some time to source and build up their stock, which is all produced cleanly in Guatemala. You’ll see some fundamental varieties if you check out their succulent and indoor foliage availability HERE, but you’ll also see a few patented and/or protected varieties, too. Welcome to the category, Syngenta!

Back to spreading the news about all the great benefits of indoor plants. No one knows these benefits better than biophilic designers, the folks who essentially use plants as mental, physical and environmental medicine in interiorscapes. Plant Pop, a horticultural film studio that tells interesting stories about plants and how they improve people’s lives, premiered their latest film via YouTube just last week and this one follows biophilic designer Jeffrey Allis of TruVine Design.

It’s quality work, this film. Making it even richer is the portrait of a man with a passion for creating serene spaces with a nearness to the holy. A hotel lobby or penthouse living room as holy place? There’s something about plants that can make that happen.

Check out the Jeffery Allis video HERE. And it turns out there is a treasure trove of tropical/houseplant-related videos on the Plant Pop site that you should see. If you really want to spread the indoor plant love this coming week, you cannot go wrong by socially sharing one of these videos each day. Amazing work, Plant Pop!