Plants bring life and energy to any space. Last year in tip #200, we talked about some of the many reasons why you should grow plants indoors, including improved productivity, increased sense of health and well-being, and improved health and nutrition when it comes to growing edible plants.
If you’re still looking for reasons to have plants indoors, we’ve put together a couple more reasons to include plants indoors.
1. Improved Air Quality
Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. As part of this respiration process, plants act as natural filters, with the ability to clean and remove harmful toxins and pollutants out of the air, including things like formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene and xylene. These chemicals, if left to build up, can lead to something called “sick building syndrome“, with side effects such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, and eye/ear/nose/throat irritation. If you’re like most people that spend the majority of your time indoors, keeping some house plants can go a long way towards a healthier and improved indoor air quality.
2. Softening Hard Spaces
Many interior places have hard edges, harsh angles and modern materials that can lead to a cold and hard aesthetic. By bringing plants indoors, you can soften the visual appearance of the space, create a warm and inviting atmosphere, and work to bring balance between nature and the man-made world. Plants add life, colour, appealing textures, and visual interest to any space.
3. Enhance Seasonal Events
One of our favourite ways of bringing plants indoors is to enhance the atmosphere around seasonal events. Whether it is poinsettias and Christmas trees in December, tulips in the spring, pumpkins and ornamental gourds in the fall, you can usually find some an upcoming holiday or seasonal event to bring plants, cut flowers, or greenery indoors.
4. Promote Gardening to the next generation
Whenever you have friends, family, and guests over, you have an opportunity to share your love of gardening with them. Not everyone has to be an avid gardening, but sometimes being exposed to different ideas and plants can spark that lifelong interest in our children/grandchildren, our nieces and nephews, and for future generations to come.
If you’re not growing plants indoors, we hope these can help encourage you to start growing, or to grow more if you already have a few plants.
Cover Image by F. D. Richards, used under its Creative Commons license.
[Got a Tip?] If you have a tip to share with your fellow urban farmers, let us know at tips@youngurbanfarmers.com. Want More Tips? Browse our Tips Archive for more.
