How to use plants & flowers to give your home good vibes for 2023

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Long before urbanization, people lived by the land. They embraced each season and kept in stride with its unique rhythm. Knowing how to grow crops and survive in every condition was a way of life. Though today we live in various environments ranging from rural to metropolitan, there is always a yearning to retreat to nature. In fact, being in green spaces offers many health benefits.

 

That is why people who live in the city need biophilic design — an architectural concept that incorporates natural landscaping, lighting, and ventilation — to restore their total health continually. Biophilic design in architecture has been proven to offer health benefits as well as boost creativity and productivity.

 

Even intermittent exposure to green spaces is enough to offer significant benefits, and you don’t need a lot of green either — 12% is optimal, while 5% isn’t enough, and 20% may be too much. In collaboration with Mokekule, whose mission is to deliver clean air to everyone around the globe, we will dive deeper into how to create a restorative space with biophilic design in your home or office.

Flowers & Color

While pixels and paint can also create stunning colors and art, there’s nothing quite like the real thing. Using natural flowers in interior design is a great way to add natural colors and texture to an urban space. Different colors also have different effects, so placing them strategically can offer a variety of effects.

  • Cool colors are naturally calming, so blue and purple flowers are excellent for waiting rooms, hospitals, break areas at work, or anywhere else you want to promote a sense of peace.
  • Warmer colors like red or orange may be alarming because they invoke excitement. If you ever wondered why casinos have red carpeting, now you know. This color choice isn’t always bad, though — if you have a place where you want to keep the energy up, such as a dance studio, a touch of warm-colored flowers may be welcome.
  • No matter what, green is always good. It’s a color that promotes happiness and calm. Thankfully, you can find it on almost every flower and incorporate more of it when you use supplemental greenery, like eucalyptus leaves. Standalone potted plants like Money Trees and Golden Pothos are

Whether you use flowers as an accent color to enhance a room’s palette or make them the main event as a centerpiece, you can be in command of the mood you want to set. Not only do you get to incorporate beautiful colors, but you can also add texture to a designed space. For example, sleek fluted tulips have an elegant, calming effect, while ruffled garden roses can add a touch of organic charm to a room with many right angles and edges.

How To Keep Cut Flowers Fresh

To get maximum benefits from your flowers, keep them fresh as long as possible. Cut flowers lose their vibrant color if they aren’t nourished correctly in the vase, but by following these tips, you’ll get the longest enjoyment out of fresh bouquets:

  • Remove any leaves that fall below the water line.
  • Cut stems diagonally, then place them in the fertilized water.
  • As leaves fall, remove them from the water, as well as other dead vegetation to avoid rot.
  • Change water every three days to prevent mold.
  • Compost flowers and dead vegetation as they wilt.

Fresh flowers are gorgeous and offer a burst of color unlike anything else. Be mindful of caring for them so that dead leaves don’t generate mold, which can negatively affect your indoor air quality. If you have concerns about monitoring air quality, use an air purifier that can handle a wide range of indoor pollutants.

  • Tip: If you want to display bold colors and natural textures without extra care, check out our dried flowers, which can last for years without any watering.

Plants as Interior Design Choices

When you use plants in interior design, you get more than just something pretty to look at. You bring wellness into your home. In a recent study among high school students, even minimally visible plants improved the subject’s sense of comfort and mood while reducing sick days and disciplinary incidences. Also, during convalescence from health issues, plants placed near the sick improved recovery from anxiety. For individuals who are lonely or prone to depression, caring for plants daily can increase their sense of accomplishment and boost their mood. Now that you know how much good plants can do, how can you incorporate them to get the maximum benefits?

  • Start small. Even just one potted plant can shift the mood of a room. Choose a low-maintenance plant like a Chinese Evergreen, snake plant, or cactus.
  • Be sure not to overdo it — more than 20% greenery can be overwhelming or distracting.
  • When in doubt of plant choices, stick to something small, green, and lightly scented, like an air plant.

When caring for your plants, remember to follow their specific watering directions. Indoor air quality can be negatively affected by mold that grows in dirt. You’ll reap the most benefits by keeping your plants in well-draining soil and in a pot that promotes proper drainage. An air purifier serves as another layer of defense against mold colonies that can release spores into the air.

About Molekule

Molekule originated from a father’s relentless love for his child. Dr. Yogi Goswami was pained to watch his son, Dilip Goswami, battle severe allergies and asthma. Frustrated by the lack of solutions, Dr. Yogi Goswami sought an answer through science. Through years of research, he created Molekule’s breakthrough purification technology, PECO (Photo Electrochemical Oxidation). The PECO filter inside every Molekule purifier doesn’t just remove chemicals, smoke, dust, smoke, pollen, and mold, it can destroy the broadest range of indoor air pollutants at the molecular level.

 

Dilip Goswami and his sister Jaya Rao co-founded Molekule, Inc. in 2014 to share their proprietary PECO technology with the world. A primary goal of their organization is to improve air quality for everyone — one amazing air purifier at a time.

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This article originally appeared on UrbanStems.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

 

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House plants even your black thumb can’t kill

 

The houseplant mania that has engulfed US millennials is a striking phenomenon that doesn’t show signs of slowing down (and why should it? It’s a cool obsession).

The houseplant-stricken seek out more and more rare plants, trading sighting tips like they once traded Pokémon cards. But sometimes you just want something pretty and green in your house that you don’t have to take care of like a newborn for fear of risking your big investment.

Here are 22 common-but-hardworking plants that you’d have to try really hard to kill.

 

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The brilliant pink or red blooms of this plant are a big reward for very little effort. It’ll be happy in indirect light and likes to dry out between waterings.

 

Nadezhda_Nesterova / iStock

 

The pretty dark-green leaves of this succulent hold water, so you can forget it for awhile and it’ll be just fine. Jades don’t like direct sunlight, which makes them adaptable to many locations in your house.

 

Andrey Nikitin / iStock

 

The easy-going philodendron is happy with bright but indirect sunlight and doesn’t need frequent watering. This plant’s leaves will droop if you under- or overwater, but they’ll quickly perk up when you correct your watering schedule.

 

house plant heart leaf Philodendron vine in white pot

 

 

This succulent, which blooms with brightly colored flowers during the winter, prefers sun—but can adapt to whatever exposure you have. Like all succulents, it will thrive on benign water neglect.

 

Tatyana Abramovich / iStock

 

The elegant peace lily would prefer to be under- rather than over-watered, although consistently moist soil is best. They don’t mind a crowded pot and don’t require a lot of light (unless you want them to bloom).

 

Mehmet Gökhan Bayhan / iStock

 

Undemanding pothos tolerates nearly any kind of soil, and cuttings from the plant can even be grown in water. It’s an excellent plant for indoors, as it grows well in low light.

 

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The dramatic-looking but low-maintenance snake plant will grow under almost any light conditions in your home, and doesn’t need frequent watering.

 

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Although spider plants prefer bright, indirect sunlight, they can hang out for a long time in lower light conditions and be just fine. They’re another plant that likes to dry out between waterings.

 

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Aloe vera is so hardy that you could take it out of its pot and stick it in a jar while barely watering it, and it will continue to doggedly produce new leaves from its center. (Also, it’s a workhouse natural remedy for burns, so even if it doesn’t look pretty after you neglect it, it’s worth having in your household.)

 

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The graceful, fast-growing rubber plant prefers bright, indirect light and moist soil—but it will still thrive under almost any light conditions, and can tolerate an irregular watering schedule.

 

Elena Grishina / iStock

 

The cheerful schefflera is another plant that hates being overwatered, so you can let it go dry in the pot before watering again without worry. It prefers bright, indirect sunlight, though, and doesn’t do well in low-light conditions. It doesn’t need to be fertilized, which is a win for lazy houseplant parents.

 

Bilal photos / iStock

 

The clivia’s striking, strappy leaves can survive for ages without water. The plant doesn’t mind being rootbound, and can tolerate low light, which makes it a perfect foliage accent for almost any part of your house. If you want to get those gorgeous orange blooms, though, you’ll have to take special care.

 

Marta_Kent / iStock

 

Anthurium is another plant that would much prefer to be underwatered, if it had a choice. To get those striking red blooms you’ll have to place it in bright light, but it’ll do just fine in low light.

 

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Cacti come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and blooming (if you’re lucky) habits. They do need placement in a very bright window, but they need very little moisture, which makes them perfect for people who love plants but don’t want to be stuck on a watering schedule.

 

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The adaptable bromeliad is an easy houseplant to grow for lovers of tropical plants. They’ll be OK if you don’t water them frequently, they’re not super-picky about indoor temperatures, and they prefer to be set in a tray of water that creates constant humidity.

 

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The glossy, attractive leaves of the popular ZZ plant belie its ridiculously easy care. It will tolerate nearly any light level (other than direct sun) and can go for 2-3 weeks without watering.

 

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The striking variegated foliage of the Chinese evergreen might look difficult to grow properly, but it’s not. These plants will tolerate low light, low fertilizing, and days between watering (especially in winter, the watering period can extend to weeks).

 

dropStock / iStock

 

These pretty foliage plants, like the others on this list, do well in a variety of light conditions from “nearly nothing” to “indirect bright.” Lackadaisical watering is OK with them, as they prefer not to be waterlogged.

 

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These cute little plants don’t like direct sunlight, which can scorch its fluorescent-green leaves, making it a good choice for a tabletop or shelf in a bright room. It likes to dry out between watering, so you don’t have to be obsessed with a schedule for it to thrive.

 

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Fast-growing, strikingly beautiful monsteras are so trendy right now you may not be able to find one, but they’re also hard to kill if you give them good sunlight and plenty of water.

 

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There are over 100 species of this popular houseplant, all with their individual growing needs, but, in general: Dracaenas don’t fuss about light levels and don’t require frequent watering.

 

Yurii Kushniruk / iStock

 

Lucky bamboo isn’t actually a bamboo, but a dracaena! It’ll be fine on your tabletop in a tray full of water under a source of bright but indirect light (although it would prefer less, rather than too much, light).

 

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This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

 

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