A Belgian garden centre has sold a rare plant for GBP 1,500 in less than half an hour thanks to surging interest in houseplants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The monstera adansonii variegate, about 15 centimetres tall, is a rare variant of the ‘normal’ monstera adansonii, a houseplant with holes in the leaves that is also known as ‘monkey mask’.

The Intratuin Lovendegem garden centre in the Belgian region of Flanders said they sold the plant in less than half an hour for a whopping EUR 1,799 (GBP 1,564).

An Intratuin Lovendegem spokesperson told Newsflash: “What makes this plant so special is the variegation in the leaves. The variegation is a kind of mutation that produces white and yellow spots on the leaves.

“The mutation in colour also results in the plant growing slower, making the whole process longer. All of this makes the plant very rare and popular among plant lovers.

“The plant has about 10 leaves and is 15 centimetres tall. To our great surprise, it sold within half an hour.”

The spokesperson added: “Since the pandemic, we have noticed a huge demand in houseplants. People have to stay at home a lot and have time to get into a new hobby.

“So far, it is the most expensive plant we have sold. Previously, we sold houseplants for EUR 140, but a price tag of EUR 1,799 was a first for us.

“Our garden centre is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and has long been established in the area. Since we saw the demand for special houseplants increase, we also wanted to offer this sought-after plant. It is very unusual that we can offer this special plant to customers as they are quite rare.”

The spokesperson told Newsflash: “The buyer was in his 30s and is an avid plant lover who wanted to add this one to his collection.”