Decoration doesn’t always mean using man-made items to fill your space and create great ambiance. Personally I love including natural elements in a design. What is more simple than to bring in some plants and adding life and greenery to your indoors? And what if I say you could do more than just decorate but get some real use out of them? Using Plants as Natural Air filters: Are you breathing clean air at home? According to EPA(Environmental Protection Agency) indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the worst outside air. Growing number of chemical cleaners, paints, coatings and other synthetic materials used indoors are off-gassing dangerous VOCs(Volatile Organic Compounds) such as Benzene, Formaldehyde, Trichloroethylene etc., into our homes. Many of these are carcinogens and very harmful to human health. Did you know that plants can remove these toxic agents? NASA’s Clean Air Study lists several plants that were researched and confirmed that it removes significant amount of VOCs. Many of these are common household plants like Aloe Vera, Bamboo Palm, Snake Plant, Chrysanthemum, Chinese Evergreen, Gerber Daisy, Spider Plant etc., This article gives you plant specific information along with pictures. Go ahead and choose few of these beautiful plants to decorate as well as improve the air quality of your home.Indoor garden: Constrained by space? No worries! I have often felt and heard from many of my friends living in apartments,lofts or condos say ”If only I had the space for a home garden!”. But just by researching a bit I found a wealth of information on how to garden in limited space and even maintain one indoors! There are few things you have to consider in order to maintain a good indoor garden: Find plants that could grow well in smaller containers and use indirect/medium natural light. Try to place the containers close to a window, under a skylight or any spot that receives good amount of sunlight. While watering make sure you neither over or under hydrate them. Herbs are a great choice for growing indoors. Mint, thyme, basil, cilantro, oregano, rosemary etc., can all be grown right next to your kitchen windowsill. These arrangements are sure to lighten up your mood and also add fresh flavor to your dishes. Below are a couple of fun to do projects for your indoor garden. (Click on the images for DIY details)Decorating with Succulents: Want low maintenance? I hear you! How about low maintenance and still enchanting in appearance? Succulents are plants with thick fleshy leaves that grow in arid temperatures and soil conditions. They use the leaves and stem to store water. It is one of the beautiful and perfect decorative plants for so many reasons. They are inexpensive, come in a multitude of colors, need less maintenance, they can grown in containers of all sizes and shape, and even against a vertical wall! These plants need to be watered only sparingly, need no special fertilizers, grows well in dry conditions, and while they like direct light, they can adapt to lower light (just make sure you don’t put them in a really dim corner). This makes them a perfect fit to add color and charm to your space without making it a chore to care for them.Hope you found these tips useful and feel inspired to add some useful plants to your home decor!
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