Sprucing up the backyard, tending to the garden and watering indoor plants are time-honoured weekend activities that bring calm and peace of mind. In fact, new research by Plant Life Balance found that 18 million Australians purchased a houseplant in the past 12 months.

It’s a craze growing faster than devil’s ivy.

The research, conducted by Pureprofile, surveyed more than 1,000 Australians aged 18-65 who had purchased a potted plant in the past twelve months, meeting ABS benchmarks for gender, age group and state to produce a national sample of plant lovers.