Buds and Blooms: Best bedroom house plants
By Joyce Swaren on November 9, 2019.
When it comes to house plants we all choose different ones for a variety of reasons: Their size, colour, growth habit or their flowers. For the most part when we think about placing our house plants, we seem to gravitate to rooms where they are seen all the time. Generally, we don’t think about greening up our bedrooms, which is where we actually spend most of our time. The fact of the matter is plants in general have many beneficial qualities that help keep our homes healthy without us even knowing. Many species are known to be air purifiers and they actually remove harmful toxins out of the air. Many also have the ability to relax and calm us with their presence and scent. Here are a few houseplants that are a perfect fit for the bedroom. The nice thing about all of these selections is that they are very easy to care for and require very little attention. English Ivy is a gorgeous plant. At first glance it is a vine and has small glossy leaves and comes in a variety of different leaf colours. English Ivy has been said to be the fastest air purifier. In fewer than 12 hours it has been documented to remove up to 90% of air borne feces and 78% of mold spores. This plant is poisonous if ingested by children or pets, so keep this one in a hanging basket or on a high shelf. Peace Lilies are quick to purify the air along with being able to boost the humidity in a small room by up to 7%. Lavender and Jasmine are of course known for their scents. The scent that the blooms and foliage release has a natural and soothing effect on our bodies and minds. This leads to the calming of anxiety and stress. The scent of Lavender has been recorded to actually slow down heart rates and lower blood pressure. Snake Plant (Mother-In-Laws Tongue) had a very unique and fine-tuned ability to produce oxygen only at night, which means its working while we sleep to change the carbon dioxide that we exhale into fresh clean oxygen. If this isn’t enough it also filters out common toxins (benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene). Aloe Vera is much the same as the Snake Plant. It too produces oxygen at night and has purifying qualities as well. These plants are part of the succulent family so they can withstand very little water. Fiddle Leaf Figs are one of the trendiest houseplants around, given their frequent appearance in home magazines and blogs. Due to their broad leaves it is extremely efficient at purifying air, and is highly rated for indoor and office use. Another benefit of the fiddle leaf is that it helps control humidity. Spider Plant is the perfect choice for those of you who are houseplant newbies. It will quietly battle toxins including carbon monoxide and xylene, a solvent used in the printing and rubber industries. If you have pets, this is one of the few houseplants that is non-toxic to animals. So selecting certain plants to place in our bedrooms can dramatically ease the effects of stress in our day to day life and clean the air inside our homes. Rest easy!!! Joyce Swaren is the owner and head horticulturalist at Blondie’s Gift and Garden. 12-11
