Floral Soul-Floral Soul te va ajuta să găsești plantele potrivit spațiului tău, le va amenaja și va avea grijă de ele.

“Once upon a time there was a potted plant…” – that’s probably how history would begin, although we don’t know who was the first person to pull the plant out of the ground, put it in a pot and bring it into the house. As far as human civilization is concerned, indoor plants are a fairly recent phenomenon. As a species, we were and still are fascinated by nature, but indoor plants were not always accessible and ubiquitous, on the contrary, at one time only the elites and the richest enjoyed them. The story of how they got inside is complex and involves a series of historical events. So let’s take a walk back in time to find out the history of houseplants and how they got to where they are today.

Domestication of plants (10000 BCE) – an important step for civilization

Early Neolithic people began domesticating crops. It was an incredibly slow process, in which plants that had traits favorable to cultivation and consumption were favored over generations. The domestication of plants allowed people to move from hunter-gatherer settlements to permanent towns and cities. Plants have indeed been a major factor in the creation of human civilization.



Hanging Gardens of Babylon (600 BC) – cultivation of plants for aesthetic reasons


One of the earliest known records of growing plants purely for their beauty involves the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II. He is famously associated with the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were created for his wife, Queen Amytis. These gardens featured massive tiered terraces supported by palm trees, cedars, date trees, and fragrant flowers.


Plants as a symbol of luxury in Mediterranean civilizations (400-500 BCE)

Wealthy Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, according to historical records, kept plants on their extensive estates. For the first time during this period, plants were used for interior decoration. Wealthy families with large estates adorned their yards and windowsills with roses, thyme, and hyacinths. While Greeks and Egyptians favored terracotta pots, the Romans preferred more delicate materials like marble. After the fall of these empires, there was a thousand-year hiatus during which houseplants fell out of fashion in Europe, being used primarily for food and spices.





Miniature Gardens or the Art of Bonsai (100-400 BCE)


The art of Bonsai originated in China and is one of the earliest forms of miniature gardening. This technique involves creating a scaled-down version of a large tree or forest. Cuttings or young woody seedlings are placed in shallow containers and meticulously pruned, with regular trimming of both leaves and roots, to maintain their miniature form.

Renaissance in Europe

Houseplants became fashionable again during the European Renaissance. After Christopher Columbus and his explorations, Europeans began colonizing the globe. They brought with them botanical specimens from America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The wealthiest Europeans began growing exotic and tropical plants in orangeries (early elaborate greenhouses), which allowed citrus fruits to be grown in cooler climates. As an increasing number of tropical and subtropical plants were imported from around the globe, the houseplant fad reached its peak.






Plants in the Victorian era


The Victorian era saw the first use of houseplants by the middle class. For the first time in Europe, at the beginning of the 19th century, people could heat their houses. This advancement allowed, architecturally, for higher ceilings, more stories, and larger windows. Thus, houses became brighter and warmer, and therefore much more hospitable for growing plants indoors.



The modern era – the proliferation of indoor plants

Houseplants became widely available only after World War II. Initially used to brighten often stark workplaces, these hardy plants naturally found their way into homes. Today advances in propagation and reproduction techniques have significantly increased the variety of indoor plants while reducing their cost. The turning point came in the 1980s when houseplants were recognized not just as decorative elements but as contributors to our health. Before this, there was a misconception that houseplants could attract pests and dust, making them seem undesirable. However, NASA’s research demonstrated their health benefits, leading to a surge in popularity.

Today, indoor plants symbolize not just wealth, but beauty, health, and clean living. What the next decade and future generations hold for indoor plants remains to be seen, but our enduring fascination with nature assures us of one thing: plants are here to stay!

Since 2017, we’ve been infusing homes and offices with the beauty of nature. Feel free to reach us online or visit us at the Orangery on M. Kogălniceanu Street, 54.

With a love for plants,
Floral Soul

Cover diez-01

A brief history of indoor plants

“Once upon a time there was a potted plant…” – that’s probably how history would begin, although we don’t know who was the first person to pull the plant out of the ground, put it in a pot and bring it into the house. As far as human civilization is concerned, indoor plants are a fairly recent phenomenon. As a species, we were and still are fascinated by nature, but indoor plants were not always accessible and ubiquitous, on the contrary, at one time only the elites and the richest enjoyed them. The story of how they got inside is complex and involves a series of historical events. So let’s take a walk back in time to find out the history of houseplants and how they got to where they are today.

Domestication of plants (10000 BCE) – an important step for civilization

Early Neolithic people began domesticating crops. It was an incredibly slow process, in which plants that had traits favorable to cultivation and consumption were favored over generations. The domestication of plants allowed people to move from hunter-gatherer settlements to permanent towns and cities. Plants have indeed been a major factor in the creation of human civilization.



Hanging Gardens of Babylon (600 BC) – cultivation of plants for aesthetic reasons


One of the earliest known records of growing plants purely for their beauty involves the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II. He is famously associated with the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were created for his wife, Queen Amytis. These gardens featured massive tiered terraces supported by palm trees, cedars, date trees, and fragrant flowers.


Plants as a symbol of luxury in Mediterranean civilizations (400-500 BCE)

Wealthy Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, according to historical records, kept plants on their extensive estates. For the first time during this period, plants were used for interior decoration. Wealthy families with large estates adorned their yards and windowsills with roses, thyme, and hyacinths. While Greeks and Egyptians favored terracotta pots, the Romans preferred more delicate materials like marble. After the fall of these empires, there was a thousand-year hiatus during which houseplants fell out of fashion in Europe, being used primarily for food and spices.





Miniature Gardens or the Art of Bonsai (100-400 BCE)


The art of Bonsai originated in China and is one of the earliest forms of miniature gardening. This technique involves creating a scaled-down version of a large tree or forest. Cuttings or young woody seedlings are placed in shallow containers and meticulously pruned, with regular trimming of both leaves and roots, to maintain their miniature form.

Renaissance in Europe

Houseplants became fashionable again during the European Renaissance. After Christopher Columbus and his explorations, Europeans began colonizing the globe. They brought with them botanical specimens from America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The wealthiest Europeans began growing exotic and tropical plants in orangeries (early elaborate greenhouses), which allowed citrus fruits to be grown in cooler climates. As an increasing number of tropical and subtropical plants were imported from around the globe, the houseplant fad reached its peak.






Plants in the Victorian era


The Victorian era saw the first use of houseplants by the middle class. For the first time in Europe, at the beginning of the 19th century, people could heat their houses. This advancement allowed, architecturally, for higher ceilings, more stories, and larger windows. Thus, houses became brighter and warmer, and therefore much more hospitable for growing plants indoors.



The modern era – the proliferation of indoor plants

Houseplants became widely available only after World War II. Initially used to brighten often stark workplaces, these hardy plants naturally found their way into homes. Today advances in propagation and reproduction techniques have significantly increased the variety of indoor plants while reducing their cost. The turning point came in the 1980s when houseplants were recognized not just as decorative elements but as contributors to our health. Before this, there was a misconception that houseplants could attract pests and dust, making them seem undesirable. However, NASA’s research demonstrated their health benefits, leading to a surge in popularity.

Today, indoor plants symbolize not just wealth, but beauty, health, and clean living. What the next decade and future generations hold for indoor plants remains to be seen, but our enduring fascination with nature assures us of one thing: plants are here to stay!

Since 2017, we’ve been infusing homes and offices with the beauty of nature. Feel free to reach us online or visit us at the Orangery on M. Kogălniceanu Street, 54.

With a love for plants,
Floral Soul

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