Gardening tips: Retro plants are back, baby

There’s a retro renaissance underway and it’s not just about home décor and fashion. Get your macrame out, it’s time to take a step back in time and unleash your ‘70s vibe in the garden.

It’s back! The era of huge houseplants, a plethora of hanging baskets, ginormous terrariums, and wine bottles with a few strategically placed tendrils of devil’s ivy. You know the saying ‘green is the new black’, well 2025 brings the indoor jungle back into vogue.

The 1970s saw a strong emphasis on bringing nature indoors and embracing all things green. Houseplants were décor, an indoor design statement where you really couldn’t have too much greenery. And plants were big! Monstera, ficus, umbrella trees, philodendrons, huge hanging baskets of Boston ferns and ribbon plants in every room of the house. Terrariums of all shapes and sizes and don’t forget African violets grown under lights in garages and rumpus rooms!

And it wasn’t just homes that fell for the green revolution. A swaying basket of Boston fern or maidenhair above the cash registers in supermarkets, substantial indoor gardens housing tropical wonderlands at the core of newly founded shopping centres, even the odd macrame hanger could be found in doctors’ surgeries.

While we were paying so much attention to bringing nature inside, (imagine watering day), the outdoor gardens were becoming fuss free zones with a new appreciation for native plants such as grevilleas, banksias and bottle brush. Bird attracting, hardy and low maintenance was the way to go.

Whether you’re feeling a little nostalgic or keen to be ‘hip’ (perhaps once again), the fashionable plants of that era are all fairly low-maintenance, easy to source and look great. You could forgo the macrame and update your look with tripod plant stands, baskets and beautiful bowls for a twist on the original.

Landscape designers are finding more ways to create lush green zones in offices, apartment buildings and public spaces, utilising walls and ceilings with mass plantings to create urban jungles in everyday areas using these simple but effective plant species.

Get the look

• Easy care, big impact - choose monstera (swiss cheese plant), ribbon/spider plant, Boston fern, kentia palms, philodendrons (there’s so many to choose from) and devil’s ivy.

• You don’t need to buy big plants. Young/small plants are budget-friendly and a great start for beginners or those with minimal space.

Get your groove on and enjoy a little extra greenery in 2025.

Happy gardening!