Houseplants and Clean Air
Many of us spend a lot of time indoors, particularly this time of year. We know that the air in our homes can often be more polluted than the air outside, due to cleaning products, chemicals released into the air by furniture and building materials.
One potted plant per 100 square feet will clean the air in an average home or office. Without a doubt, the most important job of an indoor plant is its air purifying abilities.
Formaldehyde is found in virtually all indoor environments. It is used in particle board or pressed wood products to make office or household furniture, in many consumer paper products, in carpets, permanent-pressed clothes, water repellents, and fire retardants. Other sources of formaldehyde include natural gas, kerosene, and cigarette smoke. Formaldehyde irritates the membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat and can cause headaches and allergic dermatitis. It is suspected of causing a rare type of lung cancer in cases of long-term exposure.
So what are we to do? Get a few house plants. One potted plant per 100 square feet will clean the air in an average home or office. Without a doubt, the most important job of an indoor plant is its air purifying abilities.
Certain plants work better than other at cleaning the air in our homes. Here’s a list of a few plants and which chemicals they clean out of the air.
Boston fern, golden pothos, philodendron, and spider plants reduce levels of formaldehyde.
Areca palm, moth orchid, and the dwarf date palm can remove xylene and toluene.
Gerbera daisy, chrysanthemum, spider plants and peace lily can remove benzene.
Other beneficial houseplants include: bamboo palm, Chinese evergreen, English ivy, indoor dracaena species and the snake plant (also known as mother-in-law’s tongue).
All plants produce oxygen through photosynthesis, so any plant you choose, in addition to these varieties, will increase the concentration of oxygen in your home.
I have always had houseplants (probably because I grew up in a jungle of houseplants). The pothos above was on the stage at our wedding, and it’s been cleaning the air in our homes for the past 11 years. I also have a dwarf citrus, a few other pothos, baby tears, mother-in-law’s tongue and few other plants. We have houseplants not just to clean the air, they also provide much needed green in the our home during the dark snowy winter in Ohio.
Do you have houseplants? Are they for cleaning the air or for enjoyment?
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Hens and Chicks in the Garden
I love Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum). They’re such fascinating little plants (see how they bloom). This spring I bought some and planted them in the rock wall on our front hillside, they work so well filling in the dry rocky cracks in the rock wall. They seem to thrive in harsh conditions. I was out yesterday looking around the gardens and I noticed how beautiful these little chicks are. One kind has turned red in the cold winter weather and they other is still a beautiful shade of jade. What a wonderful little plant.
There are some people that are fanatical about these little succulents and they collect all different kinds. There are around 50 species and over 3000 named cultivars with a wide range of rosette sizes, forms and colors. Someday I may have a little sempervivum rock garden full of all different kinds. Check out a few of the different kinds at Mountain Crest Gardens.
Any Hen and Chicks in your gardens (plants of fowl)?
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In the Limelight
One of my favorite plants is the ‘Limelight’ hydrangea. I’ve confessed my love of all flowers green before. I bought this shrub as a tiny stick from a mail order nursery several years ago. It’s now taller than I am and blooms beautifully every year. One great thing about this hydrangea is that it blooms late summer through the fall, which is nice since many other flowers are fading at this time.
The blooms on ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas come out green then slowly change to white then to pink in the fall. I leave the blooms on mine till the following spring, they add some interest to garden in winter.
If you’re looking for dried hydrangea blooms, this plant makes the prettiest one. I’m not one to have dried flowers in the house, but I’ve dried some for friends. Depending on when you pick them they dry green or pink.
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Blooming Hens
I planted some Sempervivum (Hen & Chicks) in the rock wall on our front hillside. A few of them are starting to bloom. They truly are interesting plants!
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Endless Beauty
I love hydrangeas, therefore, I have many different kinds growing in my gardens. This is one of my Endless Summer Hydrangeas.
They do so well here in Northeastern Ohio, I’m always guaranteed some beautiful blooms throughout the summer. I planted this hydrangea 2 years ago, it looked good last year, but boy does it look fantastic this year. It’s just polluted with blooms.
I’m excited because it will be blooming all summer long (I suppose that’s why they call it Endless Summer)! I love that the blossoms come out purple and change to pink, this blossom is halfway through the change.
