How to Improve your Life with Indoor Plants
As I write this post, I am looking out the window at barren trees and ground covered in snow. Just looking out the window at the winter weather gives me a chill. But I need to do nothing more than turn my head to see reminders of the warmth of summer thriving in my home. And looking at the lush green of my indoor plants helps bring the heat of the summer sun to mind, chasing away the chill of the winter outside.
Indoor plants do so much more than just remind us of summer in the depths of winter, they clean the air and bring pops of color and life to our rooms. They also help us slow down, tune into the cycle of life and develop a new sense of perspective.
Cleaner air
Parlor Palm – a cat safe air purifying plant
NASA published a study 1989 looking at houseplants potential to improve indoor air quality. This study – Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement – found that the indoor plants tested were able to remove common household chemicals (and irritants to the human biological system) including benzene and formaldehyde. The study found that the plants, working with bacteria in the soil, were able to turn the chemicals into food – and the longer they were exposed to the chemicals, the better they got at processing them.
If you are looking for plants which can help clear the air in your home, ensure the leaves of the plant allow for air circulation over the soil – that is where these chemicals are absorbed and processed by the plant’s roots. Some plants which scored high on pollutant removal in the NASA study include: Gerbera Daisy, Chrysanthemum, Peace Lily, Bamboo Palm, Mother-in-Law’s tongue, and several varieties of Dracaena. You can read the full results of the study here.
Brighten a room
Part of my African Violet collection blooming in winter
When I look at my Pinterest pins of interior spaces, most of them include indoor plants. (If you don’t already follow me on Pinterest, be sure to follow NourishNestBreathe for tons of curated inspiration on how to live a life you love!)
The wide variety of greens in the plant foliage, and the flowers which indoor plants produce throughout the year, they all help bring a room to life. It gives the room extra dimension, and unlike artificial plants, living indoor plants bring a sense of change to the room – each day they are a little different – flowers opening, flowers passing, leaves unfurling, plants growing larger. These constant changes make a space feel alive.
Life lessons plants can teach us
Even in the rush of daily life, keeping indoor plants alive requires daily attention: checking them to make sure they have enough water, trimming off any dead growth, watching new leaves unfurl, and waiting expectantly for little buds to pop open into beautiful flowers.
I find a deep connection between my indoor plants and my life. The slow but steady progress of their growth reminds me that regardless of what is going on, life continues to move forward. Each day they reach for the sun and send out new shoots – tender baby leaves which grow strong and sturdy with time. Sometimes leaves die and need to be cut back, a reminder that sometimes in my life there are things which no longer serve me and it is ok to let them go.
When I am feeling stuck, checking in with my plants helps me remember that life continues to move forward, one small step at a time. I try to learn from them. Just like it is rare for full grown leaves and flowers to emerge over night, changes in my life happen over time as well. Everything starts with just a small bud, a small idea, a small step. It is through continuing to feed and nurture those new habits, ideas, and projects that they are able to grow big and strong, one day at a time, one small step after another.
And when a leaf turns brown and dies, I spend a little time with the plant – what does it need, is it underwatered, overwatered, does it need fertilizer, is there some other way the plant is being stressed, was that leaf just a part of the plant which had reached the end of its useful life and was no longer needed? Did the plant jettison that leaf so that the whole could thrive? I try to apply these lessons to my daily life, is there anything I am paying too much attention to, not giving enough attention, have habits, objects or relationships reached a point where they no longer serve me as a holistic being? My plants give me the opportunity to slow down, to take a few minutes with my thoughts, to observe, to be quiet, and to learn – about them and about myself.
Picking your plant
If any of this resonates with you, and you have yet to add a houseplant to your life, start with one plant, you can find them at local gardening centers, your grocery store, and the gardening center at home improvement stores.
Look for a plant that appeals to you. Check to make sure it will thrive in the light you have available (plants require a range of light levels – if you do not have natural light which reaches your house from all four sides, know what direction your windows face before picking a plant). If you have pets, check the ASPCA website to ensure the plant is non-toxic for your pet. (You can also Google the plant name + ASPCA + your pet breed – e.g.. Aloe ASPCA cat).
Once you pick a plant, bring it home, get to know it, spend time each day checking on your plant, learning about your plant, and seeing if it has anything to teach you about yourself.
With the hope that your days will be filled with the magic of plants even in the winter!
