March 17, 2022 | Lifestyle
SPRUCE UP YOUR ENVIRONMENT WITH PLANTS BY PAIGE WHITESIDE
W Editor
hen decorating a room or a living space, choosing items that remind you of your favorite shows, bands or hobbies can be essential to creating a comfortable environment to spend time in. A less popular way to liven up a room is by growing and taking care of a variety of plants. Having plants in a personal area has many benefits, such as giving someone a responsibility to take care of that plant, creating oxygen and fresh air and contributing to a clean environment that is pleasing to the eye. Many individuals - teenagers and adults alike - struggle to personalize their homes in a way that suits them best. Switching between different aesthetics, it can be difficult to choose one theme that perfectly matches your personality and interests. However, plants come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and types,
Photo courtesy of Caroline Nosek
Senior Caroline Nosek lines a window sill in her bedroom with potted plants. These plants create positive energy and brighten up her room.
giving aspiring room designers many options to work with. Someone who is interested in decorating their home with bright colors may choose to grow potted flowers, and on the other hand, someone who prefers a more simplistic look can go with more neutral options, such as a cactus or a small succulent. Senior Caroline Nosek finds that decorating her room with plants makes the area seem brighter and causes her to feel more relaxed and happy, as well as giving her something to do and focus on. “When plants are thriving, like during the summer when they get especially green, they make me happier,” Nosek said. “When there are more plants in a room, there is more life in the room. I feel like they really boost my serotonin levels.” Horticulture teacher Brooke Heinsohn has always felt very connected to nature and art, which led her to choose a career that incorporates both elements when teaching her horticulture classes. Heinsohn finds joy in seeing plants grow and develop over a period of time and sees the beauty in many different types of plants. “If you walk past a plant every day and see the same thing, then one day you see that plant start to sprout a flower bud and keep growing, and that is a very exciting feeling,” Heinsohn said. “If any student is interested in learning more about plants, I would recommend taking the horticulture course here at Kaneland. Students get a lot of free houseplants, they research what type of plant it is and learn more about how to care for it for the rest of the school year.” Besides being pleasing to the eye,
Photo by Zoey Pozen
The greenhouse at Kaneland High School is used to grow plants and flowers, and it provides students with daily opportunities to learn about horticulture. The greenhouse is located through room A100, and it provides students with a variety of hands-on experiences.
Page design by Kyra Motyka
houseplants have a variety of different health benefits to offer. A room with a plant is naturally a cleaner area than one without, as plants release oxygen into the environment. Dr. Carol DerSarkissian, MD, reviewed an article by WebMD going over the many benefits that houseplants have to offer. Included in this article was information on a study that tested humidity levels in the air before and after ribbon plants were brought into a room. After the plants were introduced, the humidity level went from 20% to 30%, a huge improvement, as higher humidity levels can help with dry skin or illnesses like a cold. In a study conducted by Charles Hall and Melinda Knuth, researchers at Texas A&M University, living near or surrounding yourself with greenery can have positive impacts on your mental, emotional and social well-being as well. Some ben-
Photo courtesy of Ansley Faivre
Sophomore Ansley Faivre displays a variety of plants throughout her bedroom. She finds that having greenery in her room lifts her mood.
efits include reduced depression symptoms and higher productivity levels. Individuals diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who participated in this study were even able to focus better when surrounded by nature, both indoors and outdoors. Sophomore Ansley Faivre decorates her room with plants, observing that having a small piece of nature in her personal area boosts her mood when she is feeling down. “Over the past year my collection of plants has grown a lot,” Faivre said. “In that time, my mental health has definitely been improved and I feel a lot happier. I love having a new hobby, and plants give me something to do that makes me feel good at the same time.”
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