A lot of us are spending more time at home at the moment. That’s more time within our four walls, looking around our space; which can be both good and not-so-good for our mental health.
In 2015, a study was released which found that tending to indoor plants could help to reduce stress – both physically and mentally. In fact, there’s a range of benefits having indoor plants can have on your mental wellbeing like:
- Improved memory
- Increase creativity
- Boosted productivity
- Higher levels of concentration and self-esteem
- Reduced symptoms of depression, PTSD, ADD/ADHD, and dementia.
Indoor plants give more than they take
The best thing about indoor plants is that they don’t need too much attention so they won’t take up too much of your time. They’re also fully transportable, so if you’re renting or moving soon, you don’t need to worry about whether you can take them with you.
In fact, there are a few reasons why we love indoor plants so much:
- They don’t need a lot of water
- They don’t need much sunlight or space
- You can plant them in small or large pots, it’s completely up to you
- They’re vibrant and add a sense of life to your home
We’ve put together some suggestions for low-maintenance indoor plants to add to your home.
1. Fiddle Leaf Fig
These have lustrous, wide, violin-shaped leaves and prominent veins and create a graceful backdrop in any home. They prefer to be positioned in bright indirect light indoors and soiled in a premium potting mix. It’s best to leave the potting mix to dry out before watering.
2. Swiss cheese plant
Now this one needs plenty of space as it can grow fairly tall when fully matured. Making it an ideal plant for large rooms or entrance halls. If you’d like them to grow tall, it’s best to use a moss stick for them to climb. They like a fairly bright room but with plenty of shade. Direct sunlight will damage the leaves but not enough can slow its growth.
3. String of Pearls
This is one of the easier succulents to grow indoors. This interesting houseplant can provide a unique focal point in the home as the sprawl over the edges of containers or hanging baskets. They grow well in bright light and providing you set them up properly, they don’t require much care. The most important thing is to ensure they have good drainage. They don’t need a lot of watering as they are drought tolerant. Watering them too much will cause root rot. You can pretty much water them every two-three weeks.
4. Devil’s Ivy
This is a lush and hardy plant that can survive in minimal light. For those that are not-so-green fingered, this is a difficult if not impossible plant to kill. Again, only water when the soil becomes dry and don’t worry about under watering – they have the ability to withstand dry periods and neglect.
5. Peace Lily
This is a very popular house plant and was featured on NASA’s list of the best air-purifying houseplants. It thrives in bright, indirect light and can even handle low light but that might cause it to bloom poorly. In the warmer months, it will need to be watered or misted once a week, and in winter less so. Don’t over water though as they don’t like wet soil and this may cause root rot. Keep this one away from pets though as it can cause upset tummies if they’re prone to chew on them.
6. Mother in law’s tongue
The name refers to the pointed tips of the leaves, symbolising the sharp tongue of the Mother-in-law. This plant is extremely hardy and can grow up to two metres. It likes bright light with some direct sun for several hours a day. It can be in a shaded part of the house but the lack of sunlight will mean it takes longer to grow. Keep the soil damp in summer but dryer in winter.