More than three quarters (84%) of the region are 'plant parents' and they're going as far as naming, talking to and playing music for their foliage friends

The green-fingered craze isn't slowing down as 59% intend to expand their house plant family

The humble houseplant has become a must-have home accessory in the South West, with 46% of people believing they make a home instantly stylish, but this is only one of the reasons more than three quarters of the region have adopted them into their homes. An overwhelming majority (93%) credit house plants with positively boosting their mood whilst 89% feel a real sense of pride and achievement in being able to keep a plant alive. The study into the UK's green-fingered habits comes from Dulux in celebration of the new Greenhouse Palette from its ColourFutures 2022 collection. The palette champions biophilic design and brings the benefits of the great outdoors into the home with nine fresh natural tones inspired by nature. The nine shades are made up of light natural tones of green, grey and blue and have been specifically selected by Dulux design experts to compliment the bright, airy blue of Bright Skies - its Colour Of The Year 2022. The new colour palette is the perfect backdrop for the nation's house plants which are more spoiled with attention than ever before. One in five (27%) of those living in the South West admit to regularly talking to their plants, whilst 13% play music to them, making them the most musically cultured outside of London (18%). 16% of those in the South West have also admitted to naming the members of their plant family. More than a fifth (23%) have such a deep bond with their houseplants that they worry about them when away from home and six percent even admit to talking about their plants as if they're children and six percent use plants as a practice run for a dog. In fact, house plants have now risen the ranks to become the top 'new home' gift with almost a third (31%) saying this is their go-to gift, with alcohol (19%) taking the second place spot. More than a third (39%) say plants are a perfect way to add an instant splash of colour to their homes, while nine percent buy plants to add to their collection. It comes amid a boom in interest in houseplants, which has been helped along by an influx of plant influencers like Joe Bagley, who has been enlisted by Dulux to help tell the story behind the Greenhouse Palette to his 57k followers on the @UKHousePlants Instagram. He explains: "Social media has played a huge role in the increasing popularity of houseplants. "For me it was really instrumental in showing me that there were other people out there who shared my interests and had large quantities of plants in their homes." Joe's home contains 1,500 plants and he spends £200 a month on upkeep and adding to his collection. His interior design ethos is rooted in biophilic principles of giving nature more prominence in interiors, which in turn benefits building users. He adds: "Being with nature provides a really welcome escape from stress - it helps you forget all the troubles of the outside world. "We all spend so much of our daily lives glued to screens for work and for leisure, that enjoying the natural world at home is the perfect way to detox and unplug. "I use a lot of my plants to soften up my home by breaking up the rigid, right angles you find in most interiors." Joe says the Dulux Greenhouse Palette provides a deft backdrop that allows the natural beauty of plants to shine through. He says: "I really resonate with the palette because of the contrast it provides. "The last thing you want to do is to paint a wall dark green, as all the plants would get lost. This palette, with its mixture of blues and greys, really lets the plants shine." Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director of Dulux UK says: "How we choose to decorate our homes is constantly evolving. "The humble house plant was once derided as a naff moving-in present, but that's all changed. "Now they have become a really important element of many people's interior design schemes - helping their homes look good and improving their well-being. "The shades of our Greenhouse Palette have been specifically designed to bring the positive effect of the outside world into our homes, allowing us to enjoy all the benefits nature brings."