Rare plants and smaller terrarium species will continue to captivate plant fans, as they allow owners “to have the ‘look’ but keep things manageable sizewise,” said Leaf and Spine owner Dustin Bulaon.

“There’s a big trend for high-humidity plants, especially with the aid of the Ikea Milsbo cabinets that people are customizing to create mini greenhouse/terrariums. Expect hoyas to continue to be popular with collectors and the succulent stapeliads, which are prized for their unique flowers.”

Pink is alive and well, especially in high-maintenance plants that Annette Gutierrez, co-owner of Potted in L.A., likes to call “supermodel” plants (gorgeous but difficult): calatheas and Chinese evergreen “Pink Valentine.”

“Pink plants, in general, are huge right now,” she said.

Many experts predicted Costa Farms’ Raven ZZ plant would be the one of the year’s hottest houseplants. The slow grower has a striking, gothic look with bright green growth that matures to a rich, purple-black hue.

A spokesman for Costa Farms, which has the exclusive rights to produce and sell the plant, said the rare ZZ, a popular topic on Reddit, will be shipping to California stores that purchase its Trending Tropicals collection.

Neon plants will make a big splash in spring and throughout summer, according to Jaime Curtis of Greenwood Shop in Valley Village.

“Neon pothos, neon cordatum and Dracaena fragrans ‘Limelight’ as well as the more exotic plants like the philodendron ‘Prince of Orange’ or ‘Florida Ghost’ will be in high demand.”

As the pandemic continued and people stayed home, Americans turned to their plants for reassurance.

Gutierrez said that at times she feels like a therapist. “We had one woman come in yesterday who brought her plant in as if it were a child,” she said. “She was so distraught because the plant kept wilting and not thriving. We had a therapy session, and she left feeling like less of a failure and armed with a little more knowledge and support. I love seeing how people are connecting with each other regarding their plant problems and successes. Maybe that’s the trend: plants as emotional-support decor.”

It used to be that plants set the stage for offices. Now they set the stage for Zoom meetings, classes and video calls that can land you on Twitter accounts like Room Rater. Because our homes have become our offices, several stores, including Plants.com and the Sill, now offer plants specifically for the home office.

Because of the pandemic, several plant stores have been forced to host virtual classes and workshops in place of in-person events.

Felix Navarro of the Juicy Leaf hosts regular potting classes on Instagram. Bloomscape’s Rookie Plant Care class often has as many as 70 participants.

Thanks to the allure of growing your own food, edible plants will continue to grow in popularity as people continue to spend time at home, said Bloomscape plant expert Joyce Mast. Many herbs, including common culinary herbs such as basil and oregano, can be grown on a kitchen windowsill, as long as you have about four to six hours of sunlight. Some hybrids are designed to be grown indoors in your kitchen or on a sunny windowsill.

A big way to make a statement is with plants, and according to Mickey Hargitay of Mickey Hargitay Plants, the weirder the better.

“People are now appreciating the unique exposed stems and the curves and bends that are created with age,” he said. “Lush and fresh off the truck is still in high demand, but more and more we are seeing customers looking for something with a little more architectural charm.”

Look for Ficus altissima and Ficus benghalensis to replace the popular but finicky Ficus lyrata, otherwise known as fiddle-leaf fig.

“I feel they’ve been so ubiquitous for the past 10 years that designers are starting to shy away from using them for fear their work will look dated,” said interior designer Orlando Soria.

Last year, Bloomscape’s top-selling plant was the mini money tree, which is purported to bring positive energy and good luck to the owner.

Look for other miniatures to trend this year, including string-of-pearls, happy bean and petite terrarium plants.

Plant propagation will be particularly big in the next year as many first-time plant owners perfect their horticultural skills.

“I think as people understand their environments better, they will get more into propagating the plants they have and sharing them with friends,” said Curtis. “When we are all vaccinated and can see each other again, I expect a ton of plant swaps and prop parties to happen and hope to host them here, as well!”