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National Indoor Plant Week

National Indoor Plant Week is held each year during the third week of September to bring attention to the importance of plants. Numerous studies have shown that keeping indoor plants in your home or office helps clean the air, produce more oxygen, dampen distracting noises, improve morale, and decrease fatigue.

National Indoor Plant Week is a week-long celebration of the perfect indoor air cleaner. Annually celebrated the third week in September, it was established to promote and increase public awareness of the importance of live plants in interior spaces.

Indoor gardening has been growing in popularity in recent years. Not only do they make our homes look great, but they also have health benefits that you might not even know about. Helping to lift our moods during the darker nights of winter and improving the air we breathe are just a couple of the benefits of having houseplants in your life.

It’s a well-known fact that spending time in nature is good for your wellbeing, so what better way to boost your mood than to bring nature inside. With search volumes for “house plants delivered” increasing by 400%, and “buy houseplants online” by 200% since lockdown, Wren Kitchens have revealed the best houseplants to have in your home to help boost your mood:

Aloe vera. The gel from aloe vera can help to soothe acne, burns and dry skin, helping you both physically and mentally. To allow your aloe vera plant to thrive, place it in bright but indirect sunlight, and let it dry in between watering.
Lavender. Place your lavender plant in the bedroom, and the scent will help to reduce your stress levels, enabling you to sleep better. To let it grow, water it regularly and leave it in a place that gets a lot of light.
Snake plant. Had issues in the past with keeping plants alive? Try a snake plant – they need minimal care, but can really help to improve your wellbeing as they add moisture to the air and release oxygen. They’re particularly ideal for people who suffer from allergies – and interestingly, they were the most Googled plant in lockdown!
Peace lily. Peace lilies are great houseplants to have. Not only do they soak up mould spores in the air; they also absorb their water before releasing it back into their environment – so place your peace lily in a dry room.
Monstera plant. You’ve likely seen the Monstera (also referred to as a Swiss cheese plant) clogging up your Insta feed, but they can actually boost your mood. They purify the air, making your home healthier – plus, you can grow new plants from their cuttings.
English ivy. Like peace lilies, English ivy absorbs mould in the air, helping to purify your home; and it also has properties that help you to stop being restless, meaning you can enjoy a better night’s sleep.

For more plants to boost your mood, please go to https://www.wrenkitchens.com/blog/top-10-mood-boosting-houseplants-wren-kitchens

When you add plants to your indoor environment, you:

Improve air quality
Reduce noise and distractions
Decrease stress
Increase productivity
Increase creativity
Create oxygen
Removes carbon dioxide
Increase humidity, which may reduce aerosol transmission
Connect with outdoors
And they are just plain pretty to look at!

While we concentrate at times about plants in your workplace, don’t forget your home. A good place to start is your bedroom. Adding living plants improves your sleeping environment by increasing oxygen levels, lowering stress, and relieving anxiety. Some advocates encourage you to add lavender, jasmine, Aloe Vera, sansevierias, or ivy to bust through problems with insomnia. We can’t promise it will work, but isn’t it worth a try?

Some ways you can celebrate National Indoor Plant Week:

Give your indoor plants some extra attention. Fall is a perfect time to give them a last dose of fertilizer until spring. Dust off the leaves with a soft cloth soaked in warm, soapy water
Bring home some new friends for your plants from your favorite garden store.
Give a houseplant (or a cutting) as a gift to a friend who’s still mostly staying at home or in an at-risk category for COVID-19. Use contactless delivery.
Learn more about the benefits of indoor plants to your health. Start with one of our favourite blog posts.
Stand by your houseplant and breathe in the air! It’s producing healthy oxygen just for you.
Teach your kids about growing and caring for plants, and encourage them to care for some plants of their own. Make it part of your at-home science education.
Talk to your plants. People believe plants respond positively when you talk to them. It can’t hurt – and you will benefit from the positivity too.
Make the most of your pandemic indoor time by spending quality time with your beautiful indoor plants.

Anyone can participate in National Indoor Plant Week. No matter the size of your indoor space, you can incorporate nature into your space.

p2c Sep