Our Top Pics: The Best Indoor Plants for Your Home
They say that pets and plants are the new children, and if you are nodding in agreement, sipping on a cup of coffee surrounded by plants, we raise our coffee mug to you. In this article, we are going to have a look at why plants are beneficial to your home. What’s more, we discuss the most popular indoor plants and how to take proper care of them.
The Incredible benefits of plants
Buzzy, happy feelings aside, plants actually do have multiple benefits for your home. Some include:
- Reducing stress: studies show that working with plants (gardening, repotting, etc) can reduce both psychological and physical stress.
- Improving attention span: a small study compared the effect of real plants, fake ones, a photo of a plant, and no plant. And guess what? Students that studied with real plants had greater attention.
- Encouraging a faster recovery from illness: studies show people recovering from surgery required pain-relief medication if there were plants in the room.
- Improving the air quality: researchers at NASA have found that houseplants can remove up to 87% of toxins in the air per day. This is due to phytoremediation, which is when plants scrub contaminants from the air.
- Adding some decor to your home: it’s no secret that indoor plants are beautiful! They make your indoor environment fresh, trendy, and oh-so-green!
Our top 4 indoor plants
If you are just getting started on your green thumb journey, you may be wondering what to look out for. Firstly, it’s important to know that some plants thrive indoors while others do not. Some take a certain amount of sun, while others need a nice dark room. Watering, repotting, and misting also change from plant to plant. But, don’t stress, we can help! So, let’s look at the best indoor plants for you.
1. Peace Lily
This is one of the most popular plants for beginners. They’re easy to care for and give plenty of visual clues about their needs. In other words, when they are thirsty, their leaves will droop.
And the benefits?
- Peace Lilies help filter the indoor air and increase the levels of humidity. All of these factors help you breathe better.
- These plants also aid in good sleep as it absorbs airborne mold spores that are common allergens.
- Lastly, they are so pretty that they bring calmness by alleviating feelings of stress in the mind and body.
Our top care tips:
- Water: They only need to be watered once a week.
- Sunlight: Peace Lilies can tolerate low-light environments. They are more likely to bloom when in medium to bright indirect light.
2. Snake Plant
We love these plants because you can get them in a few varieties. They are sturdy, pretty and a joy to watch growing and sprouting. This cheery plant also has some pretty cool patterns and grows straight up. This makes it a great choice for people with small spaces. Remember though, its leaves can be toxic if ingested, so take care if you have kids or pets.
And the benefits?
- As with other plants, snake plants help to filter indoor air. However, this little gem is unique as it’s one of the few plants that can convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen at night. This quality makes it an ideal plant for your bedroom since it can help regulate healthy airflow.
Our top care tips:
- Water: Snake plants don’t need much water, so just water whenever the soil is dry. Overwatering can actually cause its roots to rot so be sure the soil is completely dry first. During winter, they require less water.
- Sunlight: Snake plants prefer bright, indirect light. They can even tolerate some direct sunlight for parts of the day. However, they also grow well (albeit more slowly) in shady corners.
3. Birds Nest Fern
This is a tropical houseplant with ruffle-edged leaves that provides a splash of green and is safe for your furry friends.
And the benefits?
- Birds Nest Ferns also have air-purifying properties and can help with allergies.
- They are great for Feng Shui and are also incredibly low maintenance.
Our top care tips:
- Water: Birds Nest Ferns prefer their soil to be slightly moist. In saying this, avoid allowing your plant to sit in water or for the soil to become waterlogged. Instead, allow the top 1cm of soil to dry between each watering. It is also worth noting that it thrives in medium to high humidity. So, consider putting it in the bathroom.
- Sunlight: It loves bright filtered light to medium light. But, avoid direct sunlight as this will lead to browned leaves.
4. Monstera Deliciosa
Once you’re in the swing of being a plant-mama, a great plant to add to your collection is the Monstera Deliciosa. There is nothing not to love about a Monstera. The vibrantly green leaves are speckled with natural holes, which is called leaf fenestration. We also love the tropical vibe it brings to any room!
And the benefits?
- Monstera plants both remove toxins from the air and help control the humidity in your home.
- They also help eliminate certain odors.
Our top care tips:
- Water: Water when the top half of the potting soil is dry, but before the leaves droop and curl. Water it thoroughly until the soil is moist and water runs out of the drainage holes. However, make sure you use a well-draining pot to avoid that old fatal root rot.
- Sun: A Monstera prefers bright light, but not direct sun rays. Too much light will cause leaf burn and drooping. They are rainforest plants and typically grow below the rainforest canopy. So, keep that visual in mind.
Develop your green thumb today.
These are just a few of the endless amounts of plants out there. But, if you are new to plants, this is a good place to start. As mentioned earlier, there is tons to be said about plants. If you really want to get into it, have a look out for plants in your local stores and keep reading up about them.
And while you are doing that, why not keep transforming your home into a haven? Here at Beginning.com, we have many helpful tips and tricks. Simply check out our Home Design article library today!