RENEW
itude AttPlants a NewIndoor GrobywEmbracing Views of plants and nature have been tied to feelings of well-being for at least decades, and that halo extends to indoor plants, especially in the winter when spots of green are hard to come by outdoors.
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ortunately the temperate climates found in most homes are fertile ground for many easy-to-grow plant species, which are great green eye candy and affect our interior environments in multiple positive ways.
THEY REGULATE HUMIDITY Many plants are so efficient at drawing H2O from the air that they don’t need much watering, which is a double benefit for their people! Cactuses, peace lilies, orchids, tillandsia and English ivy are all good for reducing humidity in your home. Consider hanging the last two so they can catch the moisture as it rises. Other plants are great for increasing relative humidity, including jade, rubber plants, dwarf date palms and corn plants.
THEY LIFT OUR SPIRITS AND SHARPEN OUR FOCUS Numerous studies have found that humans respond well to being around plants; they report feeling calmer, happier and more optimistic when they’re around plants, whether
they’re outdoors or indoors. Researchers find people are more productive and less stressed when they’re working on a computer desk that has a potted plant on it or nearby. People also show more tolerance to pain and fewer symptoms of colds like coughing, sore throat and fatigue when in a space supplemented with green plants.
THEY DEVELOP OUR NURTURING SIDE Many people are feeling priced out of having children and even pets due to the financial and/or time investment required. Young people and emptynesters alike benefit from hobbies like gardening outdoors and raising indoor plants, with many people quickly becoming addicted after receiving a single plant as a gift from a friend. Seeing that one tender specimen take root and stretch toward the ceiling is all it takes for many who doubt their ability to help a living thing flourish to jump aboard the botanical bus and start spending their weekends trawling every garden center in a 25-mile radius.
5 4 PRESCOTT HEALTHY LIVING | JANUARY 2022
