Most will have seen the ‘plantfluencers’ of Instagram with their larger than life, greener than envy plants. Indoor plants are hot property at the moment and it’s no wonder why.
You have probably heard they can clean your air by absorbing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s), push them through their root system and essentially gobbling them up – tasty! There are, however, some lesser known but equally as impressive benefits to keeping indoor plants in your home and workplace.
- Biophillia –
- From the Greek words meaning Bio - “life” and philia – “love or affection”. It is in our biology to connect with nature. With the average Australian now spending up to 90% of our time indoors, it makes sense to want to bring the outdoors in. We are now seeing large inner city park lands, shopping malls, universities and more incorporating biophilic designs into their architecture. The Green Building Council of Australia supports the sustainability of buildings with indoor greenery potentially adding points to your rating!
- Clearer thinking and less illness -
- Multiple studies and research have been done to confirm that indoor plants reduce our stress, anxiety and depression whilst increasing our productivity. They can assist in faster recovery times from injury and reduce workplace illness rates by up to 60%. Horticultural therapy is now starting to make a come back to the diagnosis of many mental health issues.
- In a busy world, it slows us down -
- “Hey Siri. How far away is the moon?” Siri – “the average distance to the moon is 384,401km”. Knowledge received in 1.5 seconds. We don’t even have to leave the seat of our couch to get food. We are living in an instant gratification world, where even our dating life is controlled by an app. But, unlike our Tamagotchi’s, Gameboys, iPhones and Nintendo Switches’, plants don’t come out faster and easier than its predecessor. No matter how much we stare that flower bulb down, it will not open any faster. Watering, dusting, propagating and general tending to our plants gets us off our devices and connected back with nature. Still without even having to leave the comfort of our own living room!
- Improves your business image –
- Not only will plants in your space benefit your employees, they will also have an impact on your clients and customers. Indoor foliage can create a perception of a company or business that values sustainability, their staff and enhances a trusting and welcoming vibe into the space. Plants can be used to stabilize temperature and humidity reducing your carbon footprint, whilst strategically placed plants can also assist in noise control and reduction.
So we now know there are many benefits of our living lush lovelies yet just one negative… they’re addictive.