Britain's houseplant boom enters its 'rare and weird' phase — and prices are spiralling

Rare cultivars now changing hands for thousands as collector culture takes off.

Britain's pandemic-era houseplant boom is entering a new, more eccentric phase, with collectors now paying thousands of pounds for rare cultivars that were considered curiosities just a few years ago.

A single variegated monstera with a particularly desirable leaf pattern recently sold at auction in London for just under £8,000, while waiting lists for certain rare aroids stretch beyond two years.

The phenomenon has attracted both genuine plant enthusiasts and a growing community of speculative collectors, prompting unease among long-standing nursery owners about the long-term sustainability of the market.

Industry bodies have begun to raise concerns about the illegal harvesting of wild specimens in source countries — a problem they say is being driven by precisely this kind of speculative pricing.

For now, the bubble — if it is one — shows no sign of deflating.