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AN AESTHETIC THING OR A NECESSITY FOR A HEALTHY HOME? HERE’S WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOUSEPLANTS
In conversation with an interior designer recently, they told me they’re not decorating with houseplants like they used to. For a long time, homes were filled with plants – every shelf lined with a variety of interesting and exotic choices. Now, they tell me, we’re seeing a more minimalist approach. A focus on a single indoor tree, for example – something that feels a little more low-maintenance, without necessarily losing its impact. Could this be the end of an era for the dedicated plant parent?
Perhaps the more pressing question: how does this aesthetic change affect how healthy our homes are? After all, houseplants have been held by some as the poster child of the biophilic design movement, while others have questioned how realistic it is that a few plants can significantly alter our internal environment.
The most debated health aspect of plants is undoubtedly that they improve the air quality of your home – so do they really? ‘It’s a complex matrix,’ explains Dr Ross Cameron, research director within the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield and author of How Plants Can Save Your Life. ‘We have a range of different pollutants indoors anyway, and we have a range of different biochemical reactions, so it’s not a simple situation. Nitrogen dioxide, for example, which is a nasty one for us, can actually be plant food.’
He explains that leafy plants can absorb some of those VOCs (volatile organic compounds) released in our homes, but the real good comes from microbes on plant roots, where the exchange between the pollutant and biological systems are more effective. ‘Plants like moss, or others with aerial roots (that grow in the air, not the soil) are a great solution,’ Dr Ross says.
You might think that a plant’s ability to improve air quality ends when you reach your garden, but this is actually one of the places it can be most effective, especially if your home’s near a busy road. ‘If you’ve got a big enough garden to introduce buffers with vegetation, something around 5-7m tall, it will help to reduce airpollutionbymaybe40or50%,’DrRossexplains.Whetheryou’re using your outdoor space, or just have the windows open to let fresh air into the house, this is quite significant. ‘If you’re in a built-up area,I’dbanginasmanyplantsbetweenyourfenceandyourwindow as I could,’ says Dr Ross.
ONLY BECOME A PLANT PARENT IF IT’S NOT A CHORE FOR YOU – THEY DO BRING MANY BENEFITS BUT THEY ALSO NEED TO BE LOOKED AFTER
Plants also have a physical effect on your health, down to the humidity in your home. ‘They’re probably the best regulator of your indoorenvironment’shumidity,’DrRosssays.‘Ifyouhaveaverydry house or office, then you get sore
