Exploring engagement with indoor nature amongst apartment dwellers in Malta

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the engagement of apartment dwellers in the urbanized Northern Harbour District (NHD) of Malta with indoor plants. The objectives include exploring the importance of indoor plants, identifying the drivers and limitations of indoor gardening, and examining the impact of different types of greenery on human-nature connection. An embedded mixed methods design was utilised, with a mainly qualitative approach using semi structured interviews, and a complementary quantitative questionnaire distributed to adults residing in apartment buildings in the Northern Harbour District of Malta. Interview results were analysed through thematic analysis, while questionnaires provided additional information on drivers and levels of engagement. Thematic analysis revealed that participants found gardening beneficial to their well-being and this helped them feel connected to nature. Participants expressed various motivations for indoor urban gardening, including aesthetic value, improving air quality, and the desire to care for something living, as well as as mitigation for living in a heavily urbanised context. Drawbacks included dealing with insects and finding someone to care for plants when travelling. The study also examined the role of nature connectedness and found no significant correlation between nature connectedness scores and characteristics of indoor gardening. Future research could explore whether the presence of plants or the act of gardening itself provides psychological benefits, as well as comparing engagement with indoor nature in the NHD to other districts with green spaces.