by Lynne Griffith

Created on: September 16, 2009

Scientifically speaking, having houseplants around is great for the air we breathe. Plants breathe in the carbon dioxide that we breathe out and release the oxygen we need into the air. Scientifically speaking, having houseplants is good for our health. On a more personal level, houseplants bring a bit of nature indoors for us to enjoy even during the cold winter months. They make nice, natural decorations and liven up any room, but, for me, having houseplants is much more.

I currently have close to forty houseplants and my collection is slowly growing. For me, houseplants are much more than nice, natural decorations or natural air filters for my home. For me, having houseplants to grow and nurture is a way to relax and get back in touch with nature.

I began growing my current collection with one simple aloe plant. I saw it at the store, and knowing that it is a great plant to have around the house to treat minor cuts and burns; I bought the plant and took it home. That started my houseplant growing cycle, and it hasn't stopped yet.

I then found a philodendron. This is a vine plant that is very easy to grow. I firmly believe that this plant is almost impossible to kill. The idea that I could put this plant in a bigger pot and watch it grow, just as I could my aloe plant became very appealing to me. So, I did just that.

Next, I learned how to start new philodendron plants from the one I already had; just break some off and stick it in water. Over time, it would grow new roots and I would have a whole new plant. My thought was that if I could do that with one plant, I bet I could do it with many others. This is when my collection really started growing.

I remember going to the store and looking at several different plants. If I saw a plant that really liked, and it appeared easy to grow and re-start, I bought it. I took about six new plants home that day and re-potted them all into bigger pots.

Once I got the re-potting and re-starting of plants down pat, I decided that I now wanted other plants that maybe weren't so easy to re-start, but were different from any others that I already had. I ended up buying several more that I knew I would enjoy to watch growing.

In addition to the plants I had accumulated through my trips to the garden department, several people also gave me various plants. These plants were ones that they would have thrown away had I not taken them home with me. My thought was that the plants weren't dead; all they needed was a little bit of tender loving care. I was just the person to give it to them!

My collection grew and grew, and before I knew it, I had well over twenty potted plants sitting in my home. We won't even talk about all of the started plants I had sitting in a glass of water in the window-sill. My once-bare living room seemed to come to life before my eyes, and I also found that when I watered my plants and looked at the new growth on them, I felt an instant feeling of peace wash over me. I finally found something that really helped me to relax.

Now, I spend several hours a week watering, feeding, and nurturing my plants. Each day, I look to see if there is any new growth on them, and when I find some, I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, but more importantly, I feel the sense of peace and total relaxation.

Yes, scientifically, houseplants are good for our health due to the way they filter our air. Personally, I have found that plants do for me what nothing else has ever been able to; they help me to combat stress in a productive way.

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