What can you tell me about the history of plants, outside of agriculture?

I'm a plant ecologist, and I was chatting with a social scientist friend (interdisciplinary department) about people's relationships with plants. I realized that I know a lot about the history of my field, and plant science in general, a decent amount about the history of agriculture, but almost nothing about how plants became part of our homes, how species like roses or tulips became so popular in homes and gardens (or other things like lilies, spider plants, cacti). How long have we had a plant trade? How has our relationship with plants varied in time and space? You don't need tk answer these specific questions, but if you've come across histories of plants in your research and reading, I'd love to hear them!