When I was a teenager I went through a phase of keeping houseplants in my bedroom. A dozen of them. You might say I was a houseplant hoarder. But I left home to go to college and left my poor plants to die. I have gotten past my guilty conscience and have built my collection back up. And this time nobody gets left behind. Well, except perhaps the ferns. I cannot keep them alive. But ferns aside, let me share with you 5 great reasons to keep houseplants.
1. They improve air quality
You can literally breathe easy. Plants purify the air, converting the carbon dioxide we exhale in to fresh oxygen. They also absorb toxins like formaldehyde and benzene through their leaves and roots, leaving us with an altogether healthier environment to live in. Healthy lungs for us, all year round.
2. They look good
Giving us fresh air may be amazing, but a fresh look is just as good too. Keeping plants indoors brings a natural element to your home, that cannot be achieved any other way. It should be treated as another layer to your interior designing, softening hard edges and offering texture, height and colour.
3. Most are easily maintained
Okay, some of you may be nervous about a lack of greenfingers, but you needn’t worry. **DISCLAIMER: Let’s just brush over the fern issue**. Almost all of the familiar houseplants available in the local supermarkets and garden centres are going to be easy to look after. They all come with instructions about where to situate them etc. Once they are settled in and thriving the trick is not to move them too much and make sure the compost doesn’t dry out. If you still feel that this is asking too much then how about giving a home to some air plants? They just live off the moisture in the air and look spectacular.
4. It doesn’t cost the earth
Its a rewarding and inexpensive hobby. My monstera was bought in Lidl a few years ago. The big dracena came from Tescos. My spider plant is constantly sprouting new babies. The air plants and succulents come from the local gardening centre, who offer 3 for €10 on them and beautiful terracotta pots for €2. But honestly, plants will grow in any container (think canned food tins) once you have lavished upon them the right potting compost and adequate drainage.
5. You can prevent sniffles with a spider plant
All hail the fabulous spider plant! Apart from constantly having new babies to pot up, and being simple to grow, spider plants can actually stop you sneezing. The leaves actually absorb mould and dust. They boost humidity in a room, so you can prevent a dry nose and sleep peacefully. It’s one of the best plants to grow if you suffer from allergies or asthma.
And finally….. If I still haven’t convinced you of the benefits of growing some houseplants, how about faking it? You can pick up so many convincing plastic plants these days, for a great price. Meadows and Byrne and Penneys are just a couple of places to start your collection.
Thanks for reading,
B x