Houseplants That Will Brighten Up Your Home and Your Life

Whether you just finished a renovation project or have recently moved to a new home that made you instantly fall in love, once you settle in, you might realize that something is missing. You spend days personalizing the space to fit you and your lifestyle, making it your own but still … It needs life. One great way of brightening up a home and animating the space is by adding plants. 

Indoor plants are ideal for spaces that seem too orderly or give the impression that they are not lived in. There are many options that you can play with and any greenery will only increase the visual appeal of your home. But that’s not all. Plants are known for the benefits they have on our lives, whether they are inside our home or out in the forests, hills, and mountains that we love to visit every chance we get. So let’s see what are some of those natural benefits and how we can bring them into our homes with little to no struggle at all.

Summary:

• Health Benefits of Indoor Plants
• Decorate your Home with Indoor Plants
• Different Plants for Different Rooms
  • Living Room
  • Kitchen
  • Bathroom
  • Bedroom
  • Home Office
  • Patio
• Plants for any Greenery Newbie
  • Asparagus Fern
  • Fiddle Leaf Fig
  • Chinese Money Plant
  • Yucca
  • Air Plant
  • Spider Plant
• Do’s and Don’ts for Indoor Plants
  • Do’s
  • Don’ts

Health Benefits of Indoor Plants

While the most obvious benefit coming from indoor plants is their ability to filter air and improve the air quality in our homes, also lowering the risk of allergies, studies show that they can do so much more than that. If you are working in an environment that includes natural elements, whether through a view of a park or indoor plants around the office, stress and anxiety levels are reduced. Employees who had a plant nearby showed greater job satisfaction and a higher commitment to their company than those working in a plant-free environment. 

In 1996, 2004, 2007 different studies showed that students were less stressed and more productive if they had plants nearby, while in workplaces, they took fewer days off. In 2002 a study revealed that patients with plants in their hospital rooms required less pain medication and left the hospital earlier than those with no greenery by their beds. Horticulture can also be used as therapy for people with anxiety, depression, dementia, or other mental conditions. 

The Journal of Physiological Anthropology showed that plants have a soothing, comforting effect on our bodies, they lower stress levels both from a physiological point of view and a psychological one. They bring all the benefits our bodies need and all they ask for in return is water, sunlight, and some care; it is proven that soothing words or a gentle presence have a positive impact on them, helping them grow.

Decorate your Home with Indoor Plants

Nobody says that you should transform your home into a jungle. Even with plants, there is such a thing as too much. What we are saying though is that plants can be used as home decorations. Their benefits are already listed above, but the visual impact they have on a home is astronomical. If you water them according to their requirements and provide them with enough light, depending on their needs, they will sustain a bright and lively atmosphere throughout your home with no additional costs other than the purchasing price.

The best thing about plants is that they are of various species, they need different types of lighting and humidity levels that can be found around your house as you find the ideal location for them. In your newly renovated kitchen, you can place a few plants that will infuse aromatic flavors into your favorite recipes. Easy to pick and ready for your homemade food with homegrown ingredients. Succulents work wonderfully wherever you want to add a visually appealing effect, while vines give personality to any large piece of furniture with a Scandinavian vibe that will bring Hygge into your home.

Different Plants for Different Rooms

Now we’re really getting into it. There’s no going back now as your indoor natural oasis doesn’t have to be limited to one room. With all the benefits that come with decorating your home with plants, let’s see which fits best, where and why.

Living Room

This is the area where you spend a big portion of your time. Well, the living room and the kitchen but we’ll start with this wide living space that often flows into the open living concept that we all love so much. Here you can place a few larger wide-leafed plants, or even trees as it is the most spacious area of your home. Think of Monstera or even a Snake Plant placed on a high table for an extra splash of life.

Kitchen

While the living room might be connected to the kitchen, this is the place where you cook your food. Why not use the window sill or maybe a hanging metal crate on top of your kitchen island for some on-hand, fresh sparks of flavor? They look beautiful, taste delicious and most importantly, even have a smell that will have a distinct effect in your kitchen.

Bathroom

This is the area of your home that has the highest level of moisture, there are plants that are into that. The Spider Plant needs moist soil to prosper and bright or indirect sunlight. The Grape Ivy is similar but only needs medium-light while the Triostar Stromanthe needs regular misting that happens naturally in a bathroom. The last one also adds a touch of pastel pink or magenta color so keep that in mind when you choose the colors for each space in your home.

Bedroom

While it might be spacious enough, a plant that is too large might be a bit overwhelming. Try a potted plant that you can place on your dresser or a bookshelf that does not grow too big. Vines are also a great option that can also work as a canopy on the wall around your bed. If that is too much but you want that boho vibe, try hanging plants that you can place in a macrame for effect. You can make them hang as low as you want just make sure they’re not in the way when maneuvering around your room. That will only make things awkward and open you up to potential liabilities.

Home Office

As it is proven that having some greenery near your workspace is beneficial on several levels, we do need a plant that does not require as much attention. The perfect candidate for this is the Pothos. A beautiful looking plant with medium to large-sized leaves that have a few white specks on the overall deep green color. Another reason for which these plants are perfect for your study is their toxicity. They are toxic for dogs and cats so, as your home office might be an area where your pets are less likely to chill, this plant won’t pose a threat to them.

Patio

Whether you live in an apartment with a balcony or a single-family home with a large patio, you should focus on plants that do well indoors and outdoors. We all know that weather conditions can change on a dime in some areas, which is why the plants that you choose for your balcony or patio should be resistant to temperature change and weather variations. The best plants to buy are those that you can take inside during the cold months because most potted plants don’t do well in the winter chill like Pothos, the Rubber Plant, Snake Plant, or Chinese Evergreen. 

Plants for any Greenery Newbie

We don’t all know how to take care of plants from the get-go. Many of us have struggled to keep a succulent plant or a fern alive for more than a couple of weeks and that’s okay. Rome wasn’t built in a day and even riding a bicycle takes trial and error. For some of us, it’s the same with plants. It might be your busy schedule or hectic lifestyle but that’s not something to stop you from trying to brighten up your home and life with a few houseplants. The reason we say that is because there are those special kinds of plants that don’t require much fuss to maintain and keep alive or you could look into innovative technologies that can notify you when the plant needs watering to make sure it doesn’t dry out. You can start off with the following luscious greeneries and see where it takes you in due time.

Asparagus Fern

This bushy and dense plant doesn’t require vast amounts of sunlight, thriving better in shaded areas but can also be slowly transitioned to more light. While they can also be planted outside in warmer regions, being an invasive species, it’s best to keep them in an environment where you can control their growth. They need well-drained soil when planted in pots but are tolerant to less ideal soil conditions.

Fiddle Leaf Fig

This large-growing plant with large, heavily-veined leaves that take the shape of a violin, grows upright and needs plenty of space to grow. Make sure to place it in a large shaded room where they won’t get direct sunlight as it can burn their leaves. Regarding water, they need moderately moistened soil in a well-draining pot to thrive. Add more water during its peak season and less during the winter months.

Chinese Money Plant

Its coin-shaped foliage makes it a popular option for home gardeners that require little maintenance. Place it on a table, close enough to a window so it gets medium to bright indirect sunlight, and rotate it regularly if you don’t want it to grow only in one direction. The pot can fall if that happens. It needs well-drained soil and medium amounts of water. A trick is to touch the soil. When it’s dry, add water. Another tale-tell sign that it needs watering is leaves drying. That’s a good indication that it’s thirsty.

Yucca

While there are many Yucca variants, only a few are indoor plants and they can be found under the label “Yucca plant”. These plants thrive on a bit of neglect rather than too much attention, so plant newbies will find it ideal. They thrive in full sunlight so place them on the window sill and they’ll be good. Find a well-drained potting mix to place it in and don’t waste too much water on it. Have a well-draining pot and only water regularly during spring and summer. It only needs sporadic watering in winter. Don’t let water sit in its tray as it will kill it.

Air Plant

There are around 500 species of air-growing perennial plants to choose from. None of them need soil as, in nature, to hang on branches or bark of other trees. Their interesting aspect and peculiar way of growing make them a favorite for indoor plants and they thrive in fluorescent light. Regarding watering requirements, they need mist two or three times a week, and when their roots start to look parched or white, submerge them in water overnight, unless they have a flower. Then just rinse it under running water and it’ll be good to go.

Spider Plant

Don’t let their name scare you as these are among the most popular indoor plants to grow. Their slender, gently arching leaves can grow up to 1.5 feet and can be green or with green and white stripes. Place them in a partially shaded area as direct sunlight can burn them and make sure not to overwater them. They prefer moist soil but not too soggy and make sure to regularly water it. That might be the most time-consuming part of this plant but when it blooms, small white flowers will grow from its stems and give a tender look to an otherwise roughly named plant.

Do’s and Don’ts for Indoor Plants

Now that you know some things about plants that are easy to keep, let’s see some do’s and don’ts that work for any skill level.

Do’s

• Make sure to select plants by taking into account how their needs work with your lifestyle. 
• Make sure that they have enough space to grow and get the right amount of light necessary for their photosynthesis. 
• Make sure you are patient with new plants because it might take a few relocations before you discover the best placement for them.

Don’ts

• Don’t go for plants that need too much care and attention if you don’t have the time or patience for that. 
• Don’t limit plants to one room as you can benefit from their effect throughout your house. 
• Don’t choose pots that are too small and don’t give the plant room to grow.

Conclusion

With all of this information under your belt, you can start off easy. Buy a fern or a pothos and follow the instructions provided by the store. If you want to be extra careful, look up more information online about each particular type of flower that you buy. Winging doesn’t work with any type of flower and you won’t want to be at fault for the slow decay of multiple plants of the same species before you figure out how you can keep them alive. Do some research and you should be good to go. As with everything else, practice makes perfect and you’ll have your indoor oasis soon enough. For your outdoor oasis, there are other tips and tricks that you can follow so don’t try to implement the same steps for any greenery in your backyard. Just give them what they need and they’ll give you what they can.

Let us know in the comments below if you have questions about any particular plants that we mentioned in this article, or even about those that didn’t come up. There are always more species of plants to discuss and we are open to that. Like & Share this article with any plant lover that you know as the more people have plants in their homes, the brighter our lives can be.

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