With a new year comes a whole wave of new trends. Along with interior design and fashion, the rise and rise of plants means green thumbs have scored themselves a 2020 trend guide.

Plant Life Balance has consulted nine experts, 20 nursery owners and 1500 Australians to conduct the report, a first of its kind in Australia.

Combining half a century’s research about plants and human wellbeing from the University of Melbourne and RMIT, the report outlines six predicted trends that give insight into the leafy decisions of tomorrow for plant lovers across Australia.

One such trend is nostalgia for nature, relating to the integration of the natural world in homes.

Suzy Coassin, interior designer and plant stylist, says plants in the home are more prevalent than ever before.

“A stampede of plant people that I never knew were there have come forward, and more people are embracing indoor plants but now with their interiors to match,” she says. “Psychology tells us that greenery in the home is good for you so people want their interiors to blend in.”

The study shows that interior designers are seeing green make its way into the home through colours such as minty green and soft sage. Coassin says plants, as well as natural tones, have become a key aspect of her styling work.

“Clients want the tones and the plants themselves everywhere,” she says. “In kids’ bedrooms, living rooms … it’s all about plants.”

While the report talks about wallpaper botanics, Coassin says there are other ways to ease green into the home.

“Always start with indoor plants,” she says. “Go simple and add some green cushions or a throw. I swear by cushions to transform an entire room.”

Another trend in the report is horticulture for health — one in four people surveyed were motivated to buy plants for mindfulness — and 2020 will see a rise in the use of gardening for mindfulness.

Researcher at the University of Melbourne and Plant Life Balance ambassador Dominique Hes says the human brain evolves while surrounded by natural environments.

“Being able to see plants or be surrounded by them can be an effective mechanism of dealing with stress,” she says. “Experts say tending to plants can be one of the most accessible and simplest ways to engage in mindfulness.”

The study goes on to say that both active and passive forms of gardening can make a difference to mental and physical health. The process of watching something grow can encourage optimism and creativity, and the actual process of gardening can be extremely calming.

“Being relaxed improves your mood; you can concentrate longer and you are more productive,” says Hes. “Simply seeing plants or being surrounded by them can be an effective mechanism for dealing with stress.”

Aside from interior design and wellbeing, here are the other four 2020 plant predictions:

1. Low-maintenance statements

Over the past 12 months, two in five Australians bought a low-maintenance plant. According to the report, 80 per cent of nursery retailers saw an increase in inquiries relating to easy maintenance plants and, not-so-proudly, Australians have managed to kill at least 70 million plants in the past year.

2. A home among the gum trees

The 1970s are making a resurgence in the plant world with one in four Australians opting for native plants. Retail nurseries have reported double the amount of enquiries in the past 12 months, while enquiries on drought-resistant species were up 70 per cent.

3. Truth and trust

Over the past 12 months, the biggest increase in spending observed by the nursery retailers surveyed has been from 18 to 35-year-olds, and this is thought to be largely driven by social media. The rise of the “plantfluencer” is very prominent.

4. The hybrid store

“Would you like a plant with that?” is a sentence experts believe we will hear more of in 2020. Hybrid plant nurseries are growing fast and are predicted to pop up even more.