There’s just something about nature that soothes the soul. What’s more glorious than waiting out traffic by taking a hike before hitting the road home from work? That’s a really specific remedy. Impossible if you live in the plains. But you get the idea. However, regardless of where you live, it can be difficult to find time to get to nature in the first place. The solution? Biophilia. The practice of housing nature within your home. Plenty of people, though, shy away from taking care of plants due to their lack of a green thumb. But don’t let that discourage you. Not only do you get the added benefit of their beauty to bring you inner peace, keeping plants can help improve the air quality of your home, too. Check out this list of indoor plants to enrich your life and begin your biophilia journey.
Which House Are You?
Before you head to the store and buy what you think is the prettiest, you have to be realistic about the room you’re buying for and the amount of sun it gets. House Low Light has its own list as does House Full Sun. You may have a mixture of both in your home, and that’s great! You can grab everything on this list and keep it alive. But outside of changing the soil and watering your plants just the right amount and frequency, sunlight is beyond your control. Purchase appropriately.
House Low Light
Oh, boy. If you’ve got a dark corner of your room that needs a little pick-me-up, check out any of these low maintenance, low light beauties:
Ivy: These plants are particularly great for a smaller room as they do very well in hanging planters (which, hung from the right height can draw the eyes up and make a small room feel bigger than it is). You can choose either English or Algerian as either does well in low light with seldom waterings.
Snake Plant: This funky little potted plant is an excellent addition to any room. With blade like leaves that grow straight up and a gorgeous two-toned color scheme with deep, rich green centers and a lime/yellow green edge, it’s sure to brighten any under lit setting.
Monstera: This plant can live basically anywhere. Affectionately called the Swiss Cheese Plant for its holes within the leaves, a potted version of this beauty will make a statement like no other. If you’re looking for a bold design, consider Monstera as a bookend to your couch or favorite easy chair.
Lucky Bamboo: Bamboo requires next to no work. The only secret… use distilled water (kept an inch above the tallest root) to keep these stalks hydrated and growing. That with a large enough tapered glass vase and some river rocks as anchors is all you need to keep your luck going with Bamboo.
House Full Sun
Rooms full of direct sunlight and floor to ceiling windows just scream biophilia. Here are some plants to place in your home:
Succulents: The top of everyone’s list. These little darlings come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They’re also incredibly hard to kill, unless you don’t have the right lighting. As desert plants, they can go long stretches without watering just as long as the sun is full and luxurious.
Crown of Thorns: If you want something that will look gorgeous even in the winter time and you’re a little sad that GOT will be ending soon, deck your house with this delight of a bright light plant. Blooms for this plant are typically red, but varietals in pink, cream, or yellow are also available.
Jade Plant: Also a succulent, but with much darker green, waxy leaves, this little plant will challenge your ability to kill plants. Plop it in some sun and let it be.
Croton: For some extra color and a dramatic addition to your room, this plant with its broad flat leaves makes a fetching feature, especially when backlit. A little sun behind the leaves and you’ve got hues of red and gold mixed in with deep greens shining through.
Happy House Planting!