In this new regular feature, Ursula Sutcliffe, of Bradford houseplant store and coffee shop Plant One On Me, looks at how houseplants are a growing phenomenon – and suggests a ‘starter’ plant for those wanting to join the green revolution

I THINK most of us have a childhood memory of the houseplant our parents or grandparents had that took pride of place in the home.

We were given a sandwich and kicked out to play after being told to only come home when the street lights switched on – and in the meantime that houseplant was being lovingly wiped down with milk.

Houseplants were a staple feature of most homes for a long time and then came the mid-90s, when chintz and houseplants were considered old and cluttered ( I blame techno music!).

Well, not any more. Restoring things of the past has been on the rise for some time now and with that our houseplants are back – and in a big way. In fact houseplant sales have risen by as much as 80% over the last year and they don't show signs of slowing down.

So who is buying these houseplants and why? and before you silently scream "Millennials!", I've found that's not the case.

Six months ago I opened Plant One On Me in Bradford city centre. Combining my love of houseplants with my ambition to have my own little store has been a dream come true – and I also thought my main customer base was going to be young women wanting to have their own insta-worthy pads, but I was wrong. My youngest customer is seven and my oldest is 89.

I have married couples, single men, single women, teenagers. the mature generation and people from every culture.

With new studies finding that having houseplants can help with our mental well-being and are good for purifying the air ( NASA even performed experiments to determine which plants improved air quality) it seems us humans can't get enough of bringing a bit of nature indoors.

Each week I'm going to try and help you build your own houseplant collection, provide tips for the virgin 'houseplanters' out there, offer help and advice with any plant problems you might be experiencing and give you some style ideas for your home, work or even special event.

But for now let's get you started with your first houseplant. An easy go-to house plant has to be the sansevieria – also known as the snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue. The sansevieria is a great air-purifying plant as it absorbs toxins through its leaves and releases pure oxygen.

Keep these anywhere but I'd recommend in the bedroom. My rule of thumb for this one is to water once a fortnight in the summer and once a month in the winter. It really is as easy as that. It's also a great plant for propagating. Just remove one of its leaves and stick in water. Once you have a good set of roots, get planting again. Easy care, attractive, health benefits – and we only have to buy it once for it to give us plenty of plant babies.

Until next time, planters!

Plant One On Me is at 11 Upper Millergate, Bradford BD1 1SX, part of the Sunbridge Wells complex.

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