Plant Life Balance app downloaded more than 18k times

Australians who have perfected their work-life balance are invited to consider addressing another aspect of their lives – their plant-life balance.

A new campaign by the nursery industry is encouraging people to increase the number of plants they have in their homes, workplaces and communities, through selecting species with benefits such as a ‘plant health rating’.

Plant Life Balance includes a free app for plant styling, with seven ‘looks’ to suit a range of design tastes and budgets, as well as to improve air quality and wellbeing.

The campaign has received significant media coverage across international, national and regional media, with the app now reaching more than 184,000 downloads since launching October 30.

Harnessing science and innovative technology, the app allows users to take a photo of a room then drag and drop a select range of plants, so they see a health rating and a visual of what their new green space will look like.

The seven styles available include Sharehouse Heroes, which looks at low maintenance plants to suit a range of housemates and plant growing skills; Birds and Bees, plants that attract native insects and birds; Child’s Play, a range of non-toxic plants that can withstand some rough and tumble; and one to suit the forgetful plant lover – Desert Dreams, a succulent mix of cactus and tough sculptural plants that can survive with minimal water.

The app can be downloaded via http://www.plantlifebalance.com.au/the-app/ and consumers are encouraged to join the Plant Life Balance online community via Instagram and Facebook.

The nursery and garden industry combined with Hort Innovation and RMIT University to develop the campaign, which forms part of the industry’s broader marketing effort to increase green space in urban areas by 20 per cent by 2020, under the 202020 Vision initiative.

Production nurseries are being encouraged to explore the looks and the app, so that they can contribute to its success through providing the right plants and making recommendations to excite consumers about the benefits of greenery.

It’s expected Plant Life Balance will in turn boost demand for nursery stock and provide better market signals and feedback for retail and commercial plant suppliers, that will allow them to better plan for future production.

Plant Life Balance is funded by Hort Innovation using the nursery marketing levy and funds from the Australian Government and is being rolled out across a range of retail nurseries across the country.

For more information about Plant Life Balance, or to download the app, visit http://www.plantlifebalance.com.au/. Or search for Plant Life Balance in the app store.

To find out more about the nursery industry’s marketing and R&D projects currently underway, visit: http:///www.hortinnovation.com.au/nursery.