Trees and plants don’t have to stay outside to make your house look great. You can bring some green past the threshold of your front door! Improve the look and feel of your interiors with a wide selection of indoor plants. Here are five commonly seen plants that can jazz up your home!
Parlor Palm
Once gracing the halls and rooms of Victorian homes, Parlor Palms (Chamaedorea elegans) can now be found in any home today! A large reason why these small palm plants are still popular today is because of their ability to adapt to low light and humidity (perfect for any home in Florida). According to NASA, the Parlor Palm is on the list of 50 indoor plants that help clean the air. Another reason why the Parlor Palm is a great choice for your home! Word of the wise, be sure to use a container with drainage holes and a good quality potting mix or else your Parlor Palm could develop root-rot!
Ficus
There are no shortage of ficus trees to choose from. There are about 850 species of these lovely indoor plants out there! With there being so many to select from there are all sorts of heights and textures of ficuses. A ficus thrives in medium to bright light. You will know when you need to water your Ficus if the top soil is dry. Pruning may be necessary to keep your Ficus from getting bushy. When you do prune, watch out for the milky sap! Your Ficus may loose a few leaves once its brought to your home, but don’t fret! They tend to shed a few leaves when they are moved to a new location, but will feel right at home after a few days.
Norfolk Island Pine
With Christmas being right around the corner, adding a Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) to your home may be the perfect thing to put you in the holiday spirit. To keep your pine alive throughout the holiday season (and year round) keep it in medium to bright light and water to ensure the soil is always moist. A Norfolk Island Pine won’t be subtle in its hints when its needing more water. Signs of lack of moisture include brown, dry tips on the branches and a spindly and weak looking pine. Keep it well moisturized and you’ll love this beautiful plant!
Rubber Tree
Don’t worry, these trees aren’t actually made of rubber! The Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica) and their glossy leaves make any room look stunning. Keep your Rubber Tree shiny by making sure they are watered regularly with well-drained potting soil. The Rubber Tree is capable of ingesting at a high volume, so be sure to give them weak fertilizer when they are actively growing. This plant does require some maintenance before you can get it at the size you want. You will need to re-pot yearly until you’ve reached your desired plant size.
Yucca
Yucca is known for their sword-shaped leaves and robust, wood-like canes. Yuccas come in a variety of colors including: shades of green to blue-green and white, yellow and cream tones. Yuccas are prefect indoor plants for the homeowner who needs a low maintenance plant. These plants can thrive in sun to part shade and require little water for healthy growth. They are a unique looking tree and can add an eccentric accent to any room in your home.
The Benefits of Indoor Trees
From a recent post we wrote 3 Benefits of Tree Health Care, we can benefit immensely from having trees inside our home. Trees can enhance the oxygen flow within the halls of our home giving us purer and cleaner air to breath. Having plants in our home will also improve our mood, make us less dependent on pain medication and help us recover quicker from illnesses. You can read more about this theory by learning more about the 1984 Roger Ulrich experiment at a suburban Pennsylvania hospital. Needless to say, having trees in your house not only ups the feng shui of the rooms in your home, but also can help keep you and your family healthier and happier. Pick up an indoor plant for your home today!