Tag Archives: plants

Potting Houseplants

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Nature can be the best healer. Unfortunately, the amount of nature that we interact with on a daily basis continues to decrease. However, potted house plants can be a great way to bring nature into your home. In addition to the health benefits of having live plants in your home, they can also lend a hand in decorating a room. When it comes to decorating, the pot is just as important as the plant. Once you have decided on the correct pot and plant combination, the rest of the process is simple. Following a few easy steps can ensure your plant continues to flourish and thrive in its new home.

Step One: Select Your Plant’s New Home

Choosing the right pot for your plant can be difficult, not because your options are limited but because they are nearly limitless! Nearly anything can be used as long as the item you choose is large enough for the roots of your plant and able to hold soil and water. Once you have decided on a pot, you can begin the steps to correctly transplanting the plant into it.

Step Two: Provide Proper Drainage

The pot you choose must be able to drain correctly. If it does not have drainage holes in the bottom of it, you will need to create your own. A power drill can be the easiest method of drilling holes in the bottom of your planter, just make sure you use the correct drill bit for the material.

Step Three: Place a Tray Underneath Your Plant

Remember to place a tray or plate underneath your planter to catch the excess water that drains from your plant when you water it. If the pot you choose is too deep, packing peanuts or broken pieces of styrofoam can be used to fill the extra space below the plant instead of soil. The packing peanuts or styrofoam also provide additional drainage for your plant, helping to prevent root rot.

Step Four: Prepare Your Plant

Once your pot is prepped for your plant, you need to prep your plant for the pot. Loosen the roots of your plant as best you can so they can spread and fill the new container and knock as much of the old dirt off the base of the plant. The new potting soil you add to your plant will have more nutrients in it than the old dirt surrounding your plant’s base. If your plant is tall or top-heavy, you may need to tie a stake to your plant. Loosely tie the stake to the plant in multiple places along the trunk before placing the plant in the pot.

Step Five: Add the Finishing Touches

Next, have your pot and plant ready to go, place the base of the plant in the pot and fill the rest of the space with potting soil. Moss, gravel, or stones can be used to add a finishing touch to your planter. In fact, it hides the soil and gives your planter a cleaner appearance. It also helps prevent the soil from drying out as quickly between watering.

Whether you are feeling detached from nature or simply need an accent piece for your home, a potted plant can be the perfect addition. Creating the ideal planter and plant combo is a simple task, but it must be done correctly in order to keep your new houseplant alive and healthy.

What have you used as a planter in your home? We would love to hear your clever ideas below in the comment section and remember to subscribe!

Best Plants to Improve Home Air Quality

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Our homes are our safe havens and refuge. They are the spot we can retreat from the rest of the chaotic world; therefore, having our homes be a place of comfort and relaxation is essential, but we also need to consider our health. Air quality is an important attribute that correlates directly with our health. You do not want to go home to a house full of airborne allergens and pollutants after a long day of work. Luckily, having clean air can be as easy as buying some plants for your home. Plants give off oxygen and can help purify your breathing air. Selecting the right plants is ideal for having the best atmosphere. Here are three high-quality plants that can help create better air quality in your home:

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a very versatile plant. It can help remove volatile organic compound pollutants from the air while being beautiful. In fact, these pollutants are unwanted chemicals that are in the air in our homes, so it is important to have them removed. Aloe Vera also can easily increase oxygen levels while minimalizing carbon dioxide in your home. Having a plant like Aloe Vera is great because it is easy to keep alive and low-maintenance.

Chinese Evergreen

Chinese evergreen is a beautiful and colorful plant. It is also low-maintenance and can be watered as little as once a week while growing in low-light atmospheres. Chinese evergreen is known to be an excellent air-purifying plant. Chinese evergreens are great for pulling unwanted toxins from the air. This is an eco-friendly solution to purifying the air around your home or office.

English Ivy

Another option to consider is English Ivy. Typically, hung in baskets, these house plants can grow quite easily in semi-shady atmospheres. English ivy can cleanse benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene from the air. These solvents can be dangerous to our health. Studies have also proven that English Ivy reduces the chances of mold in your home.

Your air quality should never be overlooked. Investing in some or all of these plants is a significant, proactive step in freshening up your home. Plants have many benefits in enhancing your atmosphere. Make sure you facilitate them!

How to Pick the Perfect Plant for Your Bathroom

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Whether you have a large, luxurious bathroom or a smaller powder room, a plant can be a beautiful addition to the space. In fact, adding a touch of nature to one of the most used rooms in the house can add a sense of peace and create a calm atmosphere. The best thing about making such a small change to your bathrooms decor is that it does not cost much.

What to Look for in a Bathroom Plant

You can expect a plant to thrive in a bathroom environment. After all, bathrooms are moist. However, you will need to choose a plant that can handle the various temperature fluctuations that it will experience in the bathroom. When someone is using the shower, humidity levels increase, making this space warmer. On the other hand, when the bathroom is not in use for a few hours, it typically gets colder.  

Also, many bathrooms are not exposed to generous levels of sunlight. So you will need a plant that meshes well with the amount of natural light that bathroom receives. Lastly, let us not forget that you have to consider just how much time and effort you are willing to dedicate to caring for a plant.  

Top Plants for the Bathroom 

What are some of the best plants to set in your bathroom? Here are some greenery worth considering: 

Spider Plant

Spider plants are low maintenance, and they are best for homeowners who do not have much gardening experience. These plants do great in cold environments. With moderate watering, keeping the soil drained and some indirect light is the only thing that a spider plant needs. You will see in no time that the plant produces a bunch of small spideys.

Cast Iron Plant

Cast Iron plants are a gorgeous looking plant that thrives in a moist place like the bathroom. The great thing about a Cast Iron plant is that it does not require a lot of water. You can simply place it under the shower once a week during summer months and every month during the winter.

Zanzibar Gem

Zanzibar Gems, also commonly referred to as the ZZ plant, is virtually indestructible and only needs a little watering during the summer. This is the perfect plant for homeowners who seek a plant with very little maintenance.

Bird Nest Fern

While Bird Nest Fern plants are aesthetically-pleasing and look even stunning in the bathroom, since these plants dry out faster, they will need more frequent water and exposure to moisture. Such bathroom plants are ideal for individuals who have some plant knowledge and are willing to put in the effort to care for them.

As always, do your research in order to decipher which plant works best for your household. Thanks for reading!

Must-Consider Décor Pieces for Your Home

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What makes designing a room fun is the freedom to express yourself. If you gave ten people the same room to design, every space would come out differently. In fact, interior design has so much freedom that it becomes a fun and expressive art form in itself. 

While tailoring your space to your needs, you should also consider a few tried-and-true décor options. Some décor works well in every space and should never be overlooked. Whether you love Art Deco, Rustic, Modern, or Traditional designs, all these styles can thrive off of similar décor pieces. Here are three must consider décor pieces when creating your space:

Mirrors 

Incorporating a mirror in your design serves much more of a purpose than merely being able to look at yourself. In fact, mirrors help play tricks on our eyes when looking at a room. They allow light to travel more freely, and they can allow rooms to look much larger. This can help scale the room and give the room different-feeling proportions. If you have a long room or oddly shaped room, mirrors are the perfect remedy to help fix the balance in the atmosphere very discretely. 

Area Rugs 

Often overlooked, area rugs are perfect for making your room feel more welcoming. They offer warmth to hard surface floorings and can also help with the room’s aesthetics. Area rugs are great for helping to add texture to your space, which is interacted with daily. While not every rug works with every design, nearly every design works with a certain type of area rug. Try to find one to help enhance your styling in your home! 

Plants 

Natural elements have a direct correlation with how we perceive a space, and plants are no exception. They help improve air quality in our homes and make a space feel more alive. With a wide variety of plants to choose, you can get the perfect plants to help enhance your design. From succulents, flowers, trees, and herbs, you are sure to find a plant that works great with your design theme. 

So when you consider designing your home, make sure you think of these key elements.  They can help enhance your design without fluctuating your theme. They work great in every home and can help your design get to the next level. For more interior design tricks and tips, make sure to subscribe!