How the housing crisis led to me becoming a houseplant influencer

For those without a garden, filling indoor space with as many houseplants as possible is the most viable and affordable way of getting some green into your home life.

Influencer Claire Lowrie posts videos on her YouTube channel The Jungle Haven teaching people how to keep plants alive at home. Lowrie taught herself how to care for houseplants and her growing influencer career has seen her amass around 200,000 subscribers on YouTube and appear on Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club on ITV and BBC’s Gardeners’ World.

“I got into houseplants because I didn’t have any access to any outdoor space,” Lowrie tells Big Issue.

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“When I first started getting a plant here or there before it got into crazy obsession territory, I was living in a teeny, tiny flat that had ridiculously high humidity to the point that there was black mould growing all over the ceiling.

“I was working with one little window sill and that was it. So it forced me to be quite creative over the years.

“It’s just learning about whatever environment you’ve got. I really do think almost anyone, even if you’ve just got a room, can grow a plant.”

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Lowrie says the process of constantly learning how to grow plants has helped deal with anxiety and ADHD.

She bought a house with her partner last year after years of renting but, even though she now has a garden, houseplants offer a different kind of satisfaction.

“The joy that I found from growing things was immense and it’s amazing what you can do when you don’t have access to outdoor space,” says Lowrie. “Now that I’ve actually got a garden, although I love it, I cherish my time with my house plants because it’s something I can do year round.”

So what is Lowrie’s top tip?

“I think probably the biggest thing that I always say is that underwatering is always better than over watering,” she says.

“Most plants are actually much more drought tolerant than you think they are.”

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