Better Plant Parenting
Houseplants have been a fixture in American homes for a long time. Interest in them has surged of late, however, in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave many people more time to spend at home. Approximately 66 percent of Americans are reportedly “plant parents” who are nurturing at least one potted plant in their home.
Images of living spaces overflowing with lush, green plants have been populating social media sites like Instagram, where the hashtag #plantsofinstagram has millions of posts and several accounts are devoted to the topic. For instance, plant guru, Summer Rayne Oakes, has close to 500,000 followers for her YouTube channel, Plant One on Me, and more than 200,000 followers for her Instagram profile, @homesteadbrooklyn.
Calming aesthetic
Plants are used in interior design to bring the natural world into man-made and sterile-feeling spaces because they can evoke a calming effect. In an increasingly hectic and modernized world, nurturing potted plants in your home can minimize stress, improve your mood, and increase your productivity. A home filled with greenery can feel like a lush oasis and a retreat from outside stress.
Inexpensive hobby
There are many reasons people love fostering plants in their homes, one of which is that it’s an inexpensive hobby. You can easily purchase houseplants locally or online from retailers like Amazon and Walmart for less than $20. However, trendier and larger plants, like the fiddle leaf fig tree, can cost as much as $300, and extremely rare houseplants can sell for thousands of dollars.
Air purifiers
In a study, NASA found that some common plants and the soil they are planted in can remove toxins from the air. Among the low-maintenance plants NASA identified as air-purifiers are the snake plant (Sansevieria), aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller), English ivy (Hedera helix), peace lily (Spathiphyllum), cornstalk plant (Dracaena fragrans), and bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii).
Easy-care houseplants
If you are thinking of becoming a plant parent for the first time, choose houseplants that are beginner friendly and can thrive with minimal care. The tag that comes with your plant will tell you everything necessary about caring for and maintaining it, including its sunlight and watering needs. These houseplants are good ones for beginners:
Bamboo palm: Despite its name, this Central American beauty is not actually a palm. It has feathery, dark-green fronds and doesn’t need a lot of light to thrive. Keep the soil moist, but be cautious not to overwater it. Only transplant these tropical delights into pots with drainage holes, as they don’t like to sit in water.
Peace lily: These herbaceous perennials have dark-green leaves and big, white flowers. Peace lilies can fill an empty corner, as they can grow up to four feet high. They can make do without much sunlight but will produce more flowers if they get indirect light and will grow best in humid environments. A telltale droop lets you know when they are thirsty.
Aloe vera: This succulent with thick, sword-like stems thrives in bright, indirect sun. These plants can have flowers of various colors, such as red, yellow, and orange. They do well if planted in a cactus soil potting mix that’s allowed to dry out between watering. The watery gel of the plant’s leaves can be squeezed out to relieve pain from small cuts and burns when applied topically.
Snake plant: This visually appealing succulent has tall, stiff leaves that vary in color, with combinations of green, yellow, and blue, plus stripes and spots. Also known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, this upright species can live twenty-five years or more and are virtually indestructible as they can subsist without much light or water. They do best, however, in indirect sun.
Pothos: This perennial evergreen is a trailing vine that’s native to the South Pacific. The plant’s heart-shaped green leaves can have touches of white, yellow, or pale green. Pothos can grow twelve to eighteen inches in a month and can extend to forty feet. These houseplants like indirect light but can subsist in low-lit areas. Water when the top layer of the soil dries out.
Spider plant: These members of the lily family are a boon for beginners as they produce spider-like baby plants, or spiderettes, that are easy to propagate and can be rooted in water or planted in soil to create new plants. Spider plants have green foliage that can sometimes be interrupted by white stripes, and they occasionally produce white flowers. These graceful perennials prefer indirect light, regular watering, and a humid environment. Their cascading foliage make them perfect for hanging baskets.