If you’re looking to liven up your living room or bring a breath of fresh air into your bedroom, houseplants are aesthetic additions that will transform your interior living space. The best part is no matter your level of commitment when it comes to plant care, there is a houseplant variety that works for nearly every lifestyle.
From large, leafy, tropical palms to delicate, flowering beauties like orchids, houseplants can bring all sorts of benefits to both your physical and even mental environment. Learn about seven amazing benefits of houseplants that go beyond just their beauty!
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1. Bring the Outdoors In
If spending time outdoors brings you joy, houseplants are a great way to get some of that greenery indoors. Plants you add to your space help you embrace a nature-inspired design in your home, which is especially beneficial if you live in an urban location without a garden, balcony, or patio area.
If you live in a climate with long, cold, and dull winters, houseplants also create a much more welcoming atmosphere with all the time you may spend indoors.
2. Change up Your Space
Whether it’s a new year, time for a deep clean, or you’re simply feeling inspired to change up your space, houseplants help freshen up your home. The way that you choose to decorate with houseplants is entirely up to you. Here are some ideas to inspire:
- Showcase your style with uniquely designed pots or create your own from recycled materials.
- Try a vertical wall garden as an eye-catching centerpiece, or if you’re limited on floor and shelf space.
- Add more dimension to your home with a hanging garden.
- Play around with color and choose flowering plants that bloom big and bright.
- Liven up small or previously empty spaces, like windowsills or doorways.
3. Improve Air Quality
Indoor air pollution has many ways of sneaking into your home, such as cleanings or paint products, dust, mildew, and mold. You’ll be happy to hear that houseplants can improve indoor air quality!
As a result of their natural photosynthetic process, houseplants generate fresh oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the air. Furthermore, research has shown that plants and microorganisms living in their soil can remove other toxins like benzene, a chemical commonly found in glue, plastic, and detergent.
The bigger the leaves on the plant, the better the air quality benefits will be! A few recommendations include peace lilies, aloe vera, Boston ferns, and Monstera plants.
4. Control Humidity
In addition to improving indoor air quality, houseplants also positively affect humidity levels. It’s important to keep air well-circulated and moist. Doing so can help prevent health conditions such as dry skin or eyes. However, too much moisture is not ideal, as it can lead to a build-up of mold.
Luckily, large-leaf houseplants can promote a healthy humidity balance in the home. This process occurs through their natural evapotranspiration cycle when plants absorb water vapor from the air and release excess amounts from their leaves. Spider plants and jade plants are two excellent options that contribute a healthy dose of humidity to indoor air.
Some plants, such as peace lilies and air plants, can decrease humidity in the home. Consider these if you’re looking to add a plant to a stuffy bedroom!
5. Boost Your Mental Environment
Houseplants are a great way to support a stress-free environment. Studies have shown that certain bacteria, including Mycobacterium vaccae, a non-pathogenic bacteria commonly found in compost or soil rich in organic matter, can boost serotonin production. Since serotonin is one of the body’s natural chemicals that keep you happy, the more houseplants, the merrier you are!
Whether it’s a family of succulents that keep you company while you work from home, or a tall fiddle leaf fig that greets you from the living room each morning, select varieties that bring you peace.
6. Pet-Friendly Options
Cats are often tempted to play with plants with long stems or wispy leaves. Though some houseplants are toxic to pets, this doesn’t mean you have to avoid greenery in your home!
There are many pet-friendly varieties that will get along with your furry friends. So, if you have a curious pet who loves to take a bite out of your living room décor, consider one of these plants that won’t bite back. As a bonus, your pets will love some of these plants as much as you do!
The list below is a great place to get started!
- Cat grass: Long-stemmed indoor grass explicitly cultivated for households with pets. Seeds are usually a mixture of barley, oats, and rye.
- Cat nip: Rich in nepetalactone, a feline pheromone, which motivates cats to bite the plant, releasing more of the scent.
- Valerian: Animals are attracted to its strong scent and love biting on its roots.
- Wheatgrass: Can support your pet’s digestion and is full of nutrients.
- Spider plants: Grows long, thin leaves resembling spider legs with which pets enjoy playing.
7. A New Hobby
Because you need to set up a care schedule for your houseplants, they provide an opportunity for a new hobby. This routine of watering, checking for pests, pruning, propagating, and repotting is an excellent pastime.
Additionally, houseplants offer a fun way to get creative with your DIY projects! You can cut or dry the flowers of many flowering plants to make bouquets. For smaller succulents, try building your own terrarium!
Houseplants are rewarding home-based projects that bring joy and satisfaction year-round!
Have You Botany Plants Lately?
Houseplants make it easy to bring your love for nature indoors. They brighten and beautify your home, freshen up your physical and mental environments, and give you a new opportunity to get creative with your indoor décor. There are thousands of varieties from which to choose, and you can devote yourself to gardening all year long, no matter what the weather forecast predicts!
Which houseplants have you chosen to decorate your space? Start a conversation with other indoor gardeners by leaving a comment below!
