Indoor Plants Benefit Your Health and Mood

Indoor plants aid our senses through texture, color, and beauty — enhancing their psychological benefit.

In the winter months, there are often cloudy days when everything outside seems brown and gray. These drab, lackluster outside landscape colors can have an effect on our wellness. In deep winter, a great way to brighten your mood is to add indoor plants to your home.

Indoor plants add beauty, a breath of life and a connection to nature. Improve your mood and your interior with these suggested green indoor houseplants, and add some living energy flow to your life. These indoor plants may not speed up the winter season, but they will warm your heart!

Green is a favorite color for many because it represents a connection to nature and signifies life, rebirth, balance, hope, and energy. For these reasons, adding a few plants to your domicile is a smart thing to do during the cold winter months. They can also improve your health!

Here are some of our favorite easy-to-care-for indoor plants.

These species enhance air quality by removing household pollutants and toxins, producing oxygen, and providing soundproofing from the plant’s large leaves. They also add moisture and reduce indoor chemical vapors.

Peace Lily
Snake Plant, or Mother-In-Law’s Tongue
Golden Pothos, known as Devil’s Ivy
Spider Plant
Dracaenas
Gerbera Daisy – a beautiful plant of many colors (yellow, orange, pink, and fushia)
Bamboo Palms
English Ivy

Information on how to care for these household indoor plants can be found in the Almanac.

Peace Lily

Snake Plant

Golden Pothos Vine

Have a bit of a brown thumb? These above plants are relatively hardy and tolerate neglect fairly well.

If you’re not confident in your indoor gardening abilities, we recommend that you begin with just one plant. There are lots of great resources that can help you, like the Selection and Care of Indoor Plants article database from the University of Maryland Extension. Your local library is also an excellent resource for learning how to become an indoor plant parent.

A word of warning: if you have small children and pets, it is imperative that you research indoor plants to make sure that the plants that you have selected are not toxic to them. Check out the article on eleven common pet-friendly plants at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for more information.

Indoor plants can benefit our health by:

Improving mood by lowering anxiety and stress levels
Reducing fatigue and helping one to sleep better
Sharpening the mind and helping with better decision-making
Decreasing heart rates, lowering blood pressure, and improving recovery time for individuals recovering from surgery

You may feel a sense of wellness and pride watching your attractive indoor houseplant flourishing. Enjoy the natural beauty of your indoor plant, and reap the rewards of being a plant owner. Who knows – maybe you’ll be tempted to add another indoor plant or two to your collection!