Why You Need House Plants
My work from home setup when the COVID-19 quarantine started.
I love house plants and believe everyone can benefit by having a few more house plants in their life. In this post I’m going to try and convince you to get some plants. I’ve kept a lot of plants over the past couple of years - check out some pictures of my collection below!
Why You Need Plants
Science says you do. The NASA Clean Air Study was conducted in 1989 and showed that some of the most popular house plants are capable of filtering pollutants out of the air. Not only do plants release oxygen into a space but they help clean the air as well. This Forbes article details some of the scientific studies that show house plants can be beneficial for people. Studies have shown that plants can reduce stress and anxiety and even enhance cognitive skills!
Caring for something. One of my favorite parts of keeping plants is watching them grow. It feels good to know you have provided something with everything it needs to thrive.
Add texture and visual interest to a space. This is an architecture firm’s blog so I feel obliged to mention the design aspect to plants. Natural elements also help soften the rigid nature of the built environment. A few well-placed house plants provide a new texture and add visual interest to any space.
The first picture I have of my plant collection. I think two of these plants are still alive.
How to Keep Plants Alive
Choose easy plants. Last week we made a blog post of five easy to care for plants. These plants are forgiving to lapses in care and adapt to the indoor environment well. Check out the post here!
Research. I’ve never found it too difficult to keep plants because of the amount of information available only. Once you know what a plant needs all you have to do is provide them with it.
Consistency. Consistency in care is also important for plant care. I have to confess I’ve slipped up many times and killed quite a few plants - but most of that could have been avoided had I kept up properly caring for them.
Words of Caution
Toxicity. Some plants are toxic to humans and animals. Make sure you research new plants to see if you need to keep them out of reach of children and pets. I’m lucky my cat only occasionally eats plants but I still have to keep some plants away from her.
Plants are addictive. I started with one plant. Now I have too many. House plants can be a little addictive - be careful if you choose to enter this world!