Houseplant Interest Before & After Global Pandemic

String-of-pearls (Curio rowleyanus)

With firm pea-shaped leaves, this unique plant is unlike any other on our list as it is a succulent, a group of houseplants closely related to cacti. These plants are for the more advanced grower, as they require full sun (difficult to provide if in the northern hemisphere) and have delicate root systems, meaning they can easily die of overwatering. The string of pearls is also harder to come by, only being sold in specialized plant nurseries or online.

For the reasons listed above, this plant has never been widely popular like the Ivy or the Pothos. However it seems that even it saw a slight increase in interest. This could possibly be existing casual houseplant hobbyists who decided to explore more advanced plants as they spend more time at home. Post pandemic, I have also started seeing these plants being sold in big box retailers which may have attributed to the trend as well.