Need your home to come alive? Get indoor plants; because you know..they’re actually alive. As the home decor trends of 2019 expects homeowners to be more in touch with mother nature, we recommend that every homeowner spruce up their home with indoor plants! Most indoor plants are really easy to maintain, fun to have at home, and they enhance your living space by bringing lush greenery that calms the soul, and doubling as natural air purifiers. Here are 6 indoor plants that look good, and are relatively easy to maintain:
1. Aloe, Vera You Taking Me?
Taking you home of course! Requiring minimal maintenance, aloe veras are one of the favorites and fairly easy to grow. They only need constant sunlight, and a little bit of water from time to time. Aloe veras are able to absorb benzene and formaldehyde in the air which are byproducts of chemical based cleaners or paints, etc., making them great natural air purifiers. That’s not even the best part. The gel inside aloe vera leaves contain antioxidants, antibacterial properties, vitamins and minerals. You can actually harvest your own gel and use it to consume, or for a nice cooling facial night. Read more about the benefits of aloe vera on Medical News Today. A point to note is that aloes can grow pretty big. Each leaf can grow to as long as 19 inches so they will have to be repotted from time to time.
2. Show me the Pothos
Pothos, or more commonly known as the Money Plant, unfortunately cannot be used as actual cash transaction, but is one of the more popular indoor plants. Homeowners have Pothos plants inside and outside their homes, and it works either way, but with different slightly maintenance habits. They come with a variety of leaf patterns and colours, and they are trailers (or some call it creepers) by nature. Extremely easy to maintain and care for, Pothos plants require water only 7-10 days once depending on the temperature and humidity, and require minimal sunlight. They can be kept indoors with low to medium light, and the leaves will get lighter in colour with more light exposure. A very versatile plant, you can have them hanging or even in a pot on the ground with an upward stem, and they grow pretty quickly. If you need more Pothos, just cut a stem off, introduce a new pot with earth and some water, and the plant will be well on it’s way to flourish.
3. Peace Be Upon You
Studies show that a Peace Lily plant can purify the air by up to 60%. If that is not a good enough reason to have them in your home, here’s one more; they also absorb mold spores and help deter mildew in wet areas of the house such as the bathroom and kitchen. Also an easy-maintenance plant, Peace Lilies only need to be watered about once a week, and don’t usually require any fertilization. Similar to Pothos, they thrive on low to medium sunlight, and with more sunlight comes more bloom to the flowers. White flowers are a great colour contra to the dark green leaves, while remaining minimalistic. Be wary that Peace Lilies will outgrow their pots and require repotting or dividing.
4. Ten Points to House Slytherin!
The Snake Plant, also known as Mother-In-Law’s tongue (I did not come up with that), is another easy to grow indoor plant. Similar to others in this list, it requires very minimal sunlight and need only be watered when the soil is completely dry. That’s probably once a week on a really hot day, and very much less during colder seasons. The leaves of a Snake Plant can grow pretty big, up to about 4 feet long and 2.5 inches wide, so make sure enough space is allocated. A fun fact; they are native to Africa and Brazil, and in Africa, Snake Plants are used for fibre production. You can’t harvest Snake Plants from home, but they are listed as one of the best oxygen producing and carbon dioxide absorbing plants. Other chemically produced pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene are also absorbed by this plant.
5. We Got This Fig-ured Out
The first thing I thought when I saw a Fiddle-Leaf Fig Tree was, “wow it looks great!” An awesome accessory to interior design, you will find Fiddle-Leaf Fig Trees in magazines, blogs, etc.. as indoor plants. The trees grow to be nicely sculptured, the leaves have an interesting design, and they aren’t overwhelming as indoor plants. Pretty easy to care for, Fiddle-Leaf Fig Trees require more sunlight than most of the plants on this list because it is a tropical tree, so placing it in a corner where the sun hits on a daily basis is advisable. Watering the plant is only required when the soil is completely dry. I’m sure you’ve noticed that it’s called a tree and not a plant, so it will grow big. They can live up to between 25 and 50 years, and if maintained properly as indoor plants, the growth can be capped at about 2 metres. Moving them outside to the ground will allow them to grow up to 15 metres tall. Yup.
6. Roses are Red, African Violets You Should Get
Finally some colour! Aside from the fact that African Violets are beautiful and a great colour addition to your other indoor plants, they are believed to be natural energy cleansers. African Violets are very closely associated with chakras and energies, and there are many testimonials available online from homeowners and zen gurus who vouch for this plant. It is also said that gazing at the plant helps stimulate adrenaline and improve oxygen flow in the brain. In terms of maintenance, they are similar to the other plants above; requiring minimal sunlight and water only when the soil is dry. Over-watering can kill the plant, so be careful. As a flowery bonus, African Violets bloom all year round!
Bonus: Cactus Terrarium
There’s been a recent craze for Cactuses, and people have taken it seriously enough to build their own terrarium of cacti. They are little to no maintenance, space saving, and incredibly fun. Handling and maintaining your terrarium can be a major stress reliever, and the plants themselves provide the benefit of purifying and humidifying the air. Do not however be mistaken, because having terrariums at home isn’t a new trend. It’s been in homes since the 1970s, but as all classic things, it has made a comeback. You can visit CactiGuide to learn more about setting up a Cactus Terrarium.