Why Philodendrons have been named houseplant of the year

A still from the film Desk Set.

1-800flowers have named the Philodendron as houseplant of the year for 2024 (the outdoor equivalent is the peony). I wouldn't usually have much to say about this fluffy filler of a press release*, except to note that Philodendrons are not solely a 2020s trend. They were mighty popular in the middle of the last century too, so much so that they featured on a china pattern by the designer Terence Conran in 1956 that also potrayed the Swiss cheese plant, the snake plant, watermelon peperomia and a Goeppertia of some kind. Turns out they were on the big screen, too: I recently stumbled across a paper in the journal Philosophies about the role of a philodendron (P. hederaceum/heartleaf philodendron by the look of it) in the film Desk Set. 

Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy star in this 1957 romantic comedy about the computerisation of a New York TV research department. (You can watch the trailer here and the whole film is available to buy on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play as well as the Internet Archive.) The plot crystallises midcentury fears about computers taking over from humans in a way that may seem rather familiar from standpoint of 21st century anxiety over the rise of AI. 

The philodendron in question is the beloved plant of the main character, Bunny, played by Hepburn, and seems to symbolise the earthy opposite of the wall-sized computer brain known as EMMARAC. Oh, and did I mention it's set at Christmas? Perfect! I plan to settle down on a gloomy afternoon in the dog days of 2023 and watch Desk Set in full, glass of gin and tonic in hand. Aside from all the plants, the wonderful fifties fashion and Hepburn's transatlantic accent will do me the power of good. And I know I am not the only one staring at the plants in films, as this recent On The Ledge Q&A about a Monstera in the film Oppenheimer revealed. Do let me know what plants you spot in movies over the festive period.

Need more midcentury aroid exploration? The 1949 book The Plant in my Window by Ross Parmenter is definitely worth a read if you want to go deeper into this houseplant's history in the American consciousness. 

And if you're interested in more delving into the history of houseplants, check out On The Ledge episode 282 where I bring you a chapter from Legends of the Leaf on the venus flytrap. It's fascinating stuff.

And with that, I am packing up my mic for 2023. Thankyou for all your support this year: if you know anyone who'd appreciate this newsletter, please forward it on. And do scroll down for a packed news section with lots of nuggets of planty news: remember, you can email me anytime with news, tips and gossip - I love to hear from you!

*Especially as I just joined in the 2024 plant trends trend, contributing to this article by suggesting Aglaonemas (aka Chinese evergreens) for the win in the New Year. 

This blogpost was taken from The Plant Ledger, my email newsletter about the houseplant scene. Subscribe here and get my free in-depth guide to fungus gnats.