This is a collaborative post
Some of us find plants to be too much hard work. It’s true that some do require a lot of maintenance.
However, there can be many benefits to adding some greenery to your home and garden that make the upkeep worthwhile. The following post delves more into these benefits, and the types of plants you can add to your home and garden.
The importance of plants in your home…
Plants aren’t just for outdoors. Keeping plants in your home can have many benefits, as detailed below:
Improve indoor air quality
Plants are not only a fresh source of oxygen, but also great natural air purifiers. They can help remove all kinds of toxins from the air including formaldehyde and benzene. This can result in better respiratory health.
Some houseplants are better than others for purifying the air. Aloe vera, snake plant and English ivy are a few examples of plants that are fantastic air purifiers.
Reduce stress
Studies show that plants can also reduce stress. We are programmed to find the sight of natural things relaxing. Many plants also release scents which can also make us more relaxed.
Which plants are the most effective stress-busters? Lavender, jasmine and basil are a few worth looking into – their scents have been found to help reduce cortisol levels and even improve sleep quality.
Improve concentration
If you work from home, having a few houseplants near your desk could also help you to concentrate better according to this study.
By providing our brains with fresh oxygen, plants help us to think more clearly. If you’ve been looking for ways to be more productive, consider buying a small plant for your desk.
The importance of plants in your garden…
In recent years, more people have been opting for stone gardens and gardens made up of artificial plants as they are much easier to maintain. However, these plantless gardens can often have negative effects on the environment. A natural garden containing natural plants can have many eco-friendly benefits as listed below:
Support local wildlife
Plants like trees, bushes and even grass help to support local wildlife. In areas where certain populations of local wildlife are declining, adding plants to your garden could help to save these creatures by giving them a home.
Trees are some of the best ways to support local wildlife. They can not only support birds and squirrels, but many insects at the bottom of the food chain.
Fight local air pollution
If you live in a town or city, growing some plants in your garden could help to clean the local air by absorbing carbon in the air and replacing it with fresh oxygen. This could mean better respiratory health for you and all your neighbours.
A natural lawn is one of the best ways to fight local air pollution – a 50 x 50ft lawn can provide enough oxygen to meet the daily needs of a family of four. Companies like Westland Turf can lay and maintain a lawn for you.
Fight climate change
Plants don’t just help fight local air pollution, but air pollution around the world. By growing plants in your garden, you can help to fight climate change.
It may only be a very small measure, but it’s still something. If everyone grew more plants, it could have a massive impact on fighting pollution in urban areas, which in turn could help to slow down climate change.
