Mary, my daughter, bravely got on a plane Sunday afternoon, in the middle of a pandemic, and flew 2000 miles to Seattle. As a recent college graduate, she will be starting her new life in the Pacific Northwest. While texts that include pictures of her smiling face in front of Meredith Grey’s house (We are HUGE Grey’s Anatomy fans!) have helped to ease my mind, as quite a few of you know, the burden of missing a child can be tough. It feels as though a portion of my heart flew to Seattle as well. Baking, canning, and taking cuttings from a houseplant have brought me joy in the days since she left.
The houseplant was a present from me to my grandfather during the final years of his life. Tending to it when I visited him gave me some sense of purpose during a time that I really didn’t feel that there was much I could do for him. Now his Ivy sits in our living room as a very real reminder of a man whom I loved very much. For Christmas I want to give my children each a houseplant that was taken from the cuttings of ‘Great Grandpa’s plant.’
In a time that the state of our health has never been more important, I thought it would be wise to take a look at the health benefits of indoor plants. Most of us will be spending the majority of the next 6 months inside our homes. Purchasing, growing, and caring for houseplants may be exactly what we need to get us through the winter months.
The health benefits of indoor plants are plentiful and varied. Bayer Advanced studies document that having plants indoors decreases the incidence of dry coughs, dry skin, colds and sore throats. Winter months lead to decreased humidity in our homes. Having plants in a home is a natural way to increase the humidity. Houseplants add moisture to the air through a process called transpiration.
In addition to moisture, plants also give off oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. Through this process they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Extra oxygen has been proven to aid in sleep. Orchids, succulents and bromeliads are three houseplants that emit oxygen at night.
Houseplants also improve air quality in our homes. NASA estimates that houseplants can remove up to 87% of air toxins within 24 hours. Also according to NASA there are certain plants that have a higher success rate of removing these indoor air pollutants. They are spider plant(Chlorophytum comosum), bamboo plant (Chamaedorea sefritzii), chrusanthemum(Chrysantheium morifolium), gerbera daisy(Gerbera jamesonii), Peace Lily(Spathiphyllum wallisii), mother-in-laws tongue(Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’), English ivy(Hedera helix), golden pothos(Scindapsus aures), azalea(rhododendron simsii) and red-edge dracaena(Dracaena marginata).
Working from home? My alma mater Texas A & M has proven that having houseplants in a workspace increases memory retention and concentration. Indoor plants can also increase creativity and productivity. A University of Michigan study showed that when a person is ‘under the influence of plants’ their memory retention can increase by up to 20%. Need help with that daily cross word puzzle? Buy a houseplant.
Feeling stressed? Seeing and more importantly, interacting, with greenery can help us feel more calm and relaxed. Research in the United Kingdom found that homeowners that live with nature around them feel much happier. Caring for plants, much like caring for a pet, can give us a sense of purpose. Caring for houseplants often leads to a sense of empathy. That sense of purpose often assists with the feelings of loneliness and depression. Indoor plants can feed our souls.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
