House Plants

Exploring the economics, science, and cultural significance of houseplants, a many-tendrilled history of our domestic, pot-bound companions.

Our penchant for keeping houseplants is an ancient practice dating back to the Pharaohs. House Plants explores the stories behind the plants we bring home and how they were transformed from wild plants into members of our households.

A billion-dollar global industry, house plants provide interaction with nature and contribute to our health, happiness, and well-being. They also support their own miniature ecosystems and are part of the home biome.

Featuring many superb illustrations, House Plants explores both their botanical history and cultural impact, from song (Gracie Fields's "Biggest Aspidistra in the World"), literature (Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying), and cinema (Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors) to fashion, technology, contemporary design, and painting.


About the Author
Mike Maunder is a gardener and conservationist and executive director of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, University of Cambridge.