Out with the bad hair, in with the good plants
Longer days, brighter sunshine and green shoots inevitably signal the arrival of spring.
While it’s still too early to open windows to enjoy the wafting of flowery scents into our homes, a strategic selection of plants and flowers inside can refresh the stale air of a long winter and brighten any room.
Scientists recently discovered what gardeners have known for generations: that plants are as important to health as they are to pleasing to our noses and eyes. Experiments at NASA in sealed chambers used to train astronauts reveal that plants regenerate air, remove impurities, toxins and even microbes. Plants do so by absorbing the carbon dioxide exhaled by people or animals and replacing them with oxygen.
The most common toxin in the average American home is formaldehyde – found in various resins and consumer products, including garbage bags, paper towels, facial tissues, fabrics, carpet backings, floor coverings, plywood and particle board and gas stove emissions.
Plants also absorb chemical vapors we may not consciously smell, but which lurk in ordinary household air. Among these are acetone, benzene, methyl alcohol, as well as mold spores, dust and viruses.
The addition of certain common plants and flowers to our rooms not only restores fresh air but introduces the fragrances of spring well ahead of the growing cycle. Most, if not all of them, are readily available at nurseries and do not require a green thumb for maintenance.
One of the most attractive, airhealing flowers is the Gerbera Daisy, Gerbera jamesonii, whose gaudy yellow, red or orange flowers cheer any room even on dull days. A native of South Africa, the Gerbera Daisy flourishes in bright light but not direct sun. Another attractive cleanser is the Florist’s Mum, Chrysanthemum morifolium, whose rainbow spectrum of colors is available in nurseries and florist shops throughout the year. With proper watering and care, mum blossoms last from six to eight weeks in brightly-lit rooms without noontime sun. Another decorative air purifier is the dwarf azalea, or florists’ azalea, Rhododendron simsii “Compacta,” whose delicate pinks and whites and bright reds can last for weeks even in rooms with dull light. Once the blossoms fall off, the azalea can be replanted in a slightly larger pot and in late spring planted outside.
Looking for showy plants that purify the air in your house throughout the year? Among these are the butterfly or yellow palm, formally known as the Areca Palm or Chrysalidocarpus lutescens. Rated among the best houseplants for removing toxins, this decorative, easy-careplant thrives with frequent watering in semi-bright light. Among its popular cousins are the Lady Palm, Rhapis excelsa, whose 6- to 12-inch leaves connect to a main trunk through narrow stems. There is also the Bamboo Palm, Chamaedorea seifrizii, whose rich overlay of leaves provides a tropical touch to any room with medium light. Another residential favorite is English ivy, Hedera helix, whose several varieties provide year-round greenery in semi-lighted rooms. A top-ranked air cleanser, ivy is among the most malleable of plants for it can be trained into a variety of shapes, grown into topiary forms or set in hanging baskets. Still another lush purifier for rooms with medium light is the Boston Fern, nephrolepis exaltata “Bostoniensis,” whose stiff fronds leaf out from pots or hanging planters. Besides serving as a fine formaldehyde-remover, Boston Ferns add humidity to rooms dried out from the indoor heat of winter.
Enhancing the freshened air from these plants are those that produce delicious fragrances and are sold in nurseries in the spring. Scented geraniums, as their name implies, Pelagorium, appear in a wide variety of olfactory delights, including cinnamon, lemon, apricot and rose. Another sweet-smelling and blossom-bearing plant is the Calamondin Orange, Citrus mitis, whose delicate flowers precede the appearance of miniature fruit. Gardenias, Gardenia jasminoides, are another option which fill homes with delightful scents and add a charming Southern touch to any room. While everyone is familiar with the traditional Easter lily, Lilium longiflorum, andits distinctive perfume, the Oriental Lily, Lilium orientalis, also known as the Star Gazer or Casablanca, offers a slightly difference fragrance. Even more elegant is the chocolate-scented orchid, Encyclia Phoenicia, whose blossoms in pink, magenta and other hues can last for months with proper care in rooms with medium light.
Want to add a touch of spring seasoning to your kitchen? Freshly potted herbs, such as rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, basil, Ocimum basilicum, and thyme, thymus vulgaris, add subtle aromas to the air, are used in cooking, and in early summer can be replanted outdoors.
The full flowering of a Cape Cod spring may still be ahead, but there is no reason to wait. Bringing these plants and flowers into our homes hastens our enjoyment of the year’s most beautiful season well ahead of the calendar. Recent world news may make us choke, but we can still breathe free in plant-filled homes.