Garden Spot: Provides Beauty & Clean Air

Spring is a great time to get your hands in the soil and plant some flowers. If you don’t have lots of space or time, not to worry, try planting a container garden. It’s an easy and compact way to add a splash of color to a deck, patio, or front step.

• Select a container that fits the location you’ve designated for your “garden” and make sure it has a drainage hole.
• Select plants of different heights, colors and textures.
• Annuals add instant color and most will bloom throughout the summer.
• Select plants based on sun exposure. For shady areas, consider using coleus, impatiens and begonias. Petunias and geraniums love the sun.
• The only other thing you’ll need is potting soil and water. Check with your local nursery for more ideas about which plants will work for your climate and sun exposure.

While the nice weather allows us to enjoy planting outdoors, don’t forget that you can enjoy plants on the inside all year long. Besides, brightening up a room, houseplants also help clean your indoor air which can be far more polluted than the air outside. They can filter out pollutants from chemicals found in carpeting, furniture, house hold cleaners, glue, paint, plastics and more.

Here are some great plants that help improve indoor air quality:

Spider plant – a hardy plant for those with not so much of a green thumb
Aloe – perfect for kitchen sun
Azalea – do well in cooler temps such as your basement
Bamboo palm – likes the shady places
Chrysanthemum – full of color and loves a sunny spot
Peace lily – lovely when it blooms, likes shade and regular watering
Snake plant – thrives in humid, low light places such as a bathroom

Still stuck on where to put plants in your home? Put the most plants in the rooms you use the most.  Happy planting, inside or out!