In the seventies having your house full of plants was the “in” thing. Every store you went in had aisles of houseplants, pots, soil and macramé hangers. Many new types of houseplants were introduced to feed the public interest. While the interest in house plants has waned a little, there is still good reason to have plants in the home and office.
Several studies have proven that people prefer rooms with plants over rooms without them, that they feel calmer and happier. Studies of hospital patients have found that patients report less pain and are able to go home sooner if the room has plants. Malls, hotels, casinos, medical buildings, office buildings and other large buildings usually feature some kind of indoor landscaping, because of the stress reducing and mood lifting qualities plants have, as well as their beauty.
Our indoor air is filled with pollutants. Gasses volatize off wood products, paint, inks, plastics and other things and fill the air with toxins like formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. Smoking, cooking and burning candles release toxins and tiny particles into the air that irritate the lungs. Newer, airtight homes are very prone to “sick air” from all the toxins swirling around inside with few drafts to provide clean, fresh air.
Plants pull that polluted air through them, using carbon dioxide to make food, neutralizing toxic chemicals and releasing pure oxygen into the air. Microscopic particles floating in the air are stored in the plants vacuoles, tiny water filled sacs in plant cells, until the plant dies, removing them from the air you breathe. The soil in the plants pot also absorbs and holds toxic chemicals in the air.
NASA thinks so highly of the plants ability to clean the air that they placed plants on space missions. The common spider plant was found to be an excellent air cleaner. Other good air cleaners are chrysanthemums, peace lilies, philodendron, pothos, dracaena and snake plants. All houseplants though, will help clean the air.
There is a houseplant to suit every room condition. Even offices without windows can have plants if they are well lit. While just the green foliage of plants is soothing there are houseplants that light up your world with flowers. Plants make excellent hobbies for people confined inside during the long Michiganwinters.
While retail outlets for houseplants are not as numerous as they were in the seventies houseplants are still sold in many garden stores and nurseries, often during the winter when the perennials and annuals are gone. Houseplants come in all price ranges but even some large potted plants can be purchased for less than $20. Beautiful pots and other accessories turn plants into decorating assets.
All plants will require some care but most only require a few minutes of time each week. Choosing the right houseplant for your light and temperature conditions will help assure the plant will grow and thrive for you with minimal care. Most will only require water, fertilizing a few times a year and occasional dusting of the leaves.
Even if you keep your home cool to save energy - 50 -55 degrees there are houseplants that will thrive. In fact cool air holds more moisture, which most plants like. Some plants that like cooler temperatures are English Ivy, geraniums, spider plants, Cuphea, Yucca, Cast Iron plant, Sansevieria ( snake plant), parlor palm, Norfolk Island pine, and Tradescantia. Some cacti will thrive in cool areas in the winter months.
There’s no good excuse not to make your house a home or your office more appealing with houseplants. People and plants belong together, inside and out. Whether its an elaborate indoor landscape or a few pots on the windowsill, plants in the home will make you healthier and happier.
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