What can we do to take better care of our plants?

To get more detail into the most popular questions and what we can do to take better care of our plants, we paired with Nastya Vasylchyshyna, botanist expert for the NatureID app who gave us some insight:

The most searched for houseplant question in the UK is Brits asking why their peace lily is drooping. Why would this be, and what would you recommend to prevent this from happening?

In most cases, the foliage of the peace lily starts drooping because of underwatering and low humidity. Being a tropical plant, the peace lily is used to high humidity, which is often overlooked by plant owners. Infrequent watering and low humidity can lead to yellowing and drooping of the foliage. The leaves lose their elasticity and die. In this case, it’s necessary to adjust watering and misting. It's recommended to maintain 40–50% humidity around the plant. Two other common reasons for wilting are root problems and wrong type of soil. The tender roots of the peace lily can get easily damaged due to repotting, use of cold, hard water, and waterlogging.

If you worry about your plant rotting from excessive watering, carefully take it out of the pot, examine the roots, and remove the dead and rotten ones. Let the plant dry a bit and then repot it in a container filled with fresh soil. Make sure to avoid exposing your peace lily to air conditioners and heating appliances if you want it to stay happy and healthy.

When it comes to our house plants changing colour, what does it mean if our plants turn either yellow, brown or black? If this is unusual, is there any way to reverse this and restore the plant to a healthy colour?

Usually, a colour change in leaves signals improper care. The plant will return to its former healthy appearance if you act in time. Yellowing of the leaves can be caused by various care mistakes: insufficient or excessive watering, low humidity, drastic temperature changes, and using hard tap water for watering. In this case, it's necessary to adjust your care routine.

Yellow and white spots can appear on the foliage as a result of sunburn. Some plants have very sensitive leaves that don't react well to direct sunlight. Such plants should be shielded from full sun and provided with filtered sunlight.

The appearance of yellow spots that slowly take over the entire surface of the leaves except for the veins can be tied either to a lack of nutrients or a viral infection. Each individual case calls for its own treatment approach. When the plant lacks sunlight, it loses its green colour and starts to become pale and dry.

Variegated species which is where a plant is made up of various colours lose their unique colouring and become just green, slowly dying with time. The darkening of the leaves, as well as the development of brown and black spots can be caused by compromised immunity, a fungal infection, or a pest infestation. In most cases, excessive watering is the main issue of many diseases. Other factors include waterlogging, overcooling, and stress. In this situation, you need to provide your plant with the best care possible, remove damaged parts, and use insecticides if necessary. When buying a new plant, it's essential to learn about its basic care requirements: sunlight, watering, temperature, and soil. If you meet these requirements, your plants will thrive and please you with their beauty every year.

We found that aloe vera seemed to be the most popular house plant in the country. Why do you think this is, and what are your top tips for caring for an aloe vera plant?

Aloe vera's popularity can be attributed to the fact that it's easy to care for. Most people are too busy with responsibilities and don’t have enough time to pay attention to their plants. The aloe vera is quite undemanding, so it produces lush growth even with minimal care and is the perfect plant for beginners.

Of course, the plant's attractiveness and decorative appeal plays a huge role too. Aloe vera goes well with any interior. Alone or grouped with other succulents, it can bring more life to your home. Just provide it with adequate sunlight and moderate watering.

Remember that waterlogging can lead to root rot. Use only warm, soft water during watering. In winter, you can move the plant to a cool place and reduce watering to once a month.

Although aloe vera seems to be the current UK’s favourite house plant, do you know of any other houseplants that you predict to become popular?

The UK is known for its humid and overcast weather, so we recommend ivies. These plants stand out with their luscious, bright, elastic leaves. Ivy plants are great for adding more green into your home and are considered champions of vertical decoration.

Their advantage is that they are shade-tolerant, able to develop well in low light and feel great in high humidity. They are also quite undemanding. However, variegated varieties still need to be provided with bright diffused lighting for at least 2–3 hours a day so that they retain their beautiful appearance.

What houseplant would you say is the easiest to take care of?

Succulents are a group of plants which store water in their leaves (cacti falls under this category) and are really easy to keep. They are drought-tolerant and don't need regular watering and misting. They are also quite resistant to various pests and diseases.

Their main requirement is good illumination and they’re great for novice gardeners who are taking their first steps in the world of plant care.

We know it can be scary to start growing plants from scratch, so it is good to begin with resilient ones. Out of all the most popular, accessible, and undemanding plants – here are three species I can single out.

The first is birds nest snake plant which can survive in any conditions if provided with good care and it will please you with fast growth as well as its minimalistic beauty.

A great alternative is another plant called kalanchoe—it has thick, succulent leaves that help it cope with dry air and lack of moisture. This is a wonderful gift for your loved ones who are looking for a low maintenance plant. When kalanchoe is in full bloom, it's truly a sight to behold!

Apart from succulents, I would recommend chlorophytum—a perennial herbaceous bush that can purify air. This is a fast-growing, hardy plant with bright variegated leaves that blooms quite often. After the flowering season, its long thin shoots can develop new miniature plants with small leaves and aerial roots. They hang beautifully from the main rosette and create multi-level, lush cascades.