You don’t have to be a botanist or have a green thumb to experience the benefits of having plants in your home. Just think about what kind of plant best suits your home environment, lifestyle and schedule. Think about the natural light your home gets, the space you have available, and maintenance time you are able to provide your plant. Plants give us so much back in return for our care and we benefit from the natural environment, clean air, and growth they give to us.
Let the Light In
One of the greatest benefits to owning indoor plants is that they light up your world. In order for them to be happy they need light! It’s important to assess your home to find out if your space would better suit plants that need low, moderate or direct sunlight to grow into their best selves. If your home has a large south facing window or a great porch or kitchen windowsill, you would probably have the perfect environment for a cactus or succulent. If your home tends to get less sunlight, or if you close your blinds during the day, you would probably do better having a fern or silver pothos that thrive in low light.
Breathe Deeply
An amazing benefit to owning indoor plants is improved air quality! NASA did a study on plants and ranked them based on their ability to provide clean air. If this sounds awesome to you, do a quick google search to find out if your favorite plant is highly ranked for providing clean air. Just a few of these highly ranked plants include: the snake plant, philodendron, Boston fern, and peace lily.
Facilitate Growth
Another fantastic benefit to having a plant in your care is the growth and change that you witness before your eyes. When choosing a plant it is exciting and important to learn about their rate of growth and what that growth looks like for them individually. Do they grow flowers? Will they grow flowing down or growing up? Will they need to be transplanted after a period of time? Plants such as the philodendron or pothos will grow rapidly in a low light environment whereas a snake plant will grow slowly but steadily in natural light.
Choosing Your Perfect Plant
Because there are so many kinds of plants that can grow indoors, it can be intimidating to know where to begin. To help get you started, I have organized an indoor plant guide to promote some of my favorite plants that grow well indoors and help you breathe deep, let the light in, and facilitate growth
Snake Plant
If you have great natural light and a south facing window, I recommend the snake plant, also known as mother-in-laws tongue. It is easy to care for, grows slowly and steadily in good light and is rated highly for its clean air quality. The snake plant comes in a variety of shapes and sizes with colors ranging from dark green to bright yellows and muted greens.
Philodendron
If you’re looking for the perfect plant to grow over the side of a bookshelf, or from a hanging basket, consider starting with the philodendron! It also has a few different varieties; some are darker or lighter in color and have larger or smaller leaves depending on the kind. It grows very quickly in the right low to moderate light conditions and is very hearty. It Is also highly ranked in clean air quality. These plants are very easy to find and tend to be inexpensive, which is another huge perk.
Ficus
If you’re looking for a plant to take up a little space and make a statement, look no further than the ficus family! You will likely recognize the fiddle fig or the rubber plant right away as they are very popular houseplants. Unlike the snake plant and philodendron, ficus plants are known to take up about as much time and energy as they do space in your house. There are so many varieties of ficus houseplants and they range in texture, color, size and aesthetic appearance. The ficus also vary in their needs for light, temperature and environment, so make sure you research your favorite variety.
