Wednesday 26 February 2014

BRINGING IN THE OUTDOORS

Of course, the outdoors is everywhere outside the boxes we have built for ourselves, fortunately, with windows. Yesterday I went shopping -- yes! But for flowers and flower pots. I bought tulips that do so well indoors, a muscari, that beautiful bulb that makes tiny blue flowers like bells, and a large yellow cymbidium orchid, all of which I potted and put indoors where Payson can enjoy them -- he loves flowers and his birthday month is coming up. I made two tiny terrarium type pots with succulents and put them on the window sill in my study. Payson tells me today that he read somewhere that having plants indoors increases one's productivity. How can they not add to one's joy, too, these growing, flowering, carbon dioxide guzzling, oxygen producing live things?

Plants, dear friends, are our allies on this journey. Befriend them!

1 comment:

  1. Absolute beauty with all the flowers you've brought into our home....how can one not be happy see a tulip open or experience the fragrance of fresh Frezia!?

    Here's the plant-creativity stuff:

    Scientists from the University of Exeter found plants aid concentration, increase productivity and boost staff wellbeing by 47 per cent at work

    They conducted a study at this year's Chelsea Flower Show to compare people’s effective output across different types of business space

    The researchers found allowing staff to make design decisions in a leafy workspace can increase productivity by 38 per cent


    THE BENEFITS OF HOUSEPLANTS
    At work: Houseplants are proven to aid concentration, productivity and reduce sick days, according to the TNO Quality of Life study.

    In schools: Having plants in a classroom can boost the learning potential for students, according to the Royal College of Agriculture.

    In hospitals: Hospital patients with plants in their room have less pain, anxiety, and fatigue, take significantly less pain medication, have lower blood pressure and heart rates, and are happier with their recovery rooms than patients without plants, researchers from Kansas State University said.

    In homes: Plant-filled rooms contain 50-60 per cent fewer airborne moulds and bacteria than rooms without plants. They literally suck out chemicals in the air that could be linked to colds, breathing problems and even cancer, according to the Stennis Space Centre.

    To the environment: Nasa said houseplants can remove up to 87 per cent of air toxins in 24 hours.

    To our health: Indoor plants can reduce fatigue, coughs, sore throats and other cold-related illnesses by more than 30 per cent, according to the University of Agriculture in Norway.


    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2519437/Houseplants-

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