Can houseplants really improve our physical and mental health? According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the answer is a resounding yes.
We all know how good it feels to get back to nature, especially when our physical or mental health needs a boost. Houseplants are a great way to bring the healing power of the outdoors - inside.
This is especially true for those who live or work in urban areas, where plants can help to improve air quality as well as overall wellbeing.
What are the benefits?
Experts at the RHS have found that houseplants can make us healthier and happier. They can:
- improve mood and lower stress levels
- reduce blood pressure, fatigue and headaches
- boost productivity, especially in office environments
- increase pain tolerance when placed in hospital settings.
Research shows patients with plants in their rooms reported less post-operative pain.
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Read next: 5 ways to help beat burnout
Picking a plant
The RHS advises choosing plants that will tolerate shade and fluctuating temperatures. These are usually widely available and inexpensive.
Here are 3 hardy houseplants to get you growing:
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
A great choice for beginners, spider plants are low maintenance and easy to grow, says .
Keep them healthy by ensuring the compost is moist during spring and summer, but reduce watering in the winter months. Remove any leaves with brown tips; make sure to dust and mist the plant every so often; and feed once a month during the growing season.
You can grow them in a bright spot out of direct sunlight, and they can tolerate some shade.
Snake plant or Mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)
BBC Gardeners World calls this the perfect houseplant. It can survive long periods of neglect, is slow growing, needs little watering, and isn’t fussy about its location, tolerating draughts and dry air. “This makes it a great plant for beginners as it's virtually indestructible,” they say.
Varieties include Hahnii, which grows to only 25cm tall, and Laurentii, which can reach 1.2m. Water sparingly and only when the compost has dried out.
It will benefit from monthly liquid feed from April to September and an occasional dusting of its leaves – just be careful not to damage the leaf tips.
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii)
These elegant plants are easy to care for and even produce occasional white flowers, known as ‘spathes’. They prefer a bright spot out of direct sunshine but will also endure some shade too.
suggests watering them regularly, keeping the compost moist but not wet. If the plant is short of water, the leaves will droop, but usually recover once watered. Snip off dead flowers or old, yellow leaves and repot every spring.
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The Green Plant Project
Nina Henton-Waller has always been interested in finding ways to improve mental health and wellbeing within hospitals.
蜜桃直播淒uring the pandemic lockdowns, I蜜桃直播檇 begun to get really interested in houseplants and at the last count, we had 56,蜜桃直播� says Nina. 蜜桃直播淢y wife suggested we do something with plants at work, bringing the green indoors, which I thought was a great idea."
Above: Nina Henton-Waller
Initially, she got some large plants for the main entrance at Torbay Hospital, where she works as a sister on the acute medicine unit. 蜜桃直播淚t蜜桃直播檚 a hub for both patients and staff, but it felt very clinical and not at all homely,蜜桃直播� Nina explains. 蜜桃直播淧eople enjoyed seeing them there.蜜桃直播�
Inspired to go bigger, she set up the Green Plant Project. 蜜桃直播淪taff had been through the pandemic and morale felt very low,蜜桃直播� she recalls. 蜜桃直播淚 went back to the drawing board to see what we could do to help.蜜桃直播� After meeting Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust蜜桃直播檚 sustainability lead, they decided to offer every member of staff their own plant to look after at work, providing it was safe 蜜桃直播� for example, clinical areas were excluded.
To fund the project, they secured a 拢25,000 grant from NHS Charities Together. 蜜桃直播淲ithout that significant amount of money, we wouldn蜜桃直播檛 have been able to do it,蜜桃直播� Nina says.
When they announced the project, asking staff to email if they were interested in having a pot plant, Nina was astonished at the response. 蜜桃直播淲e expected a couple of hundred at most,蜜桃直播� she recalls. 蜜桃直播淏ut we got 1,200 requests.蜜桃直播� Next, they found a supplier, who offered a few different house plants, all suitable for a warm environment.
It improves wellbeing and helps people feel happier at work
Plants were given out during a week in December 2022. 蜜桃直播淚蜜桃直播檇 never seen a queue like it,蜜桃直播� says Nina. 蜜桃直播淚n one memorable moment, I spotted the trust蜜桃直播檚 chief executive at the back, who had come to get her plant.蜜桃直播�
For Nina, the initiative has had a myriad of benefits. 蜜桃直播淚 think it improves everyone蜜桃直播檚 wellbeing,蜜桃直播� she says. 蜜桃直播淐oncentration increases and the air quality is better. It蜜桃直播檚 a positive distraction that helps people feel happier at work.蜜桃直播�
Photo of Nina: Liam Meyer
