Yay! Fall is back in the country, personally one of my favorite seasons. Not because of the cold wind and the rain showers, but because of the coziness it brings. Nature showing us its most beautiful colors and reminding us that everything is impermanent. There is nothing I love more than to go for a walk or a bike ride with the autumn sun on your face and just let yourself be amazed by all the beauty that the trees and plants offer us.
This is what I want to talk about in this blog, the influence of plants. I'll close with some fun + tips for your plants to go well into autumn. HUMAN-NATURE RELATIONSHIPWe as humans are increasingly distancing ourselves from nature. We see nature as something separate that exists alongside us, while we actually form 1 whole. It is remarkable that in recent years more and more people are looking for and finding their way back to nature. More aware of their lifestyle and possibly try to improve their impact on nature, think for example of; shopping more consciously, producing less waste, in general living greener. The seventeenth century philosopher Decartes stated 'I think, therefore I am'. In this short sentence he laid the foundation for his concept, in which not only our minds are separate from the natural world but also our bodies. For him, it was a difference in materialistic and non-materialistic. Generally speaking, nature takes better care of us than we do of her. Despite Decartes' opinion. If everything could be a bit quieter, less hurried and more time to go consciously into nature, wouldn't this make a huge difference in our (mental) well-being? If you know that depression and anxiety disorders cost €170 billion per year in Europe and as much as $210 billion in America, then something is really wrong. An example from closer to home, in the Netherlands €65 million per year is saved on health care by creating more green spaces in the city. Greener urban environments also have an impact on the amount of aggression and violence that takes place. In open places it decreases by 10%, in parks it decreases by 6% and in local gardens by 5%. COMEBACK OF THE HOUSEPLANTOnline houseplant sales nearly doubled during the corona crisis. This is according to the figures from Retail Insiders. Sales at garden centers rose from 9.7 to 15.9 million euros. More sales means not only more turnover but also more people who are exposed to indoor plants. Trends, health, coziness, it's all connected. These are figures from the Netherlands, sales of houseplants are up a whopping 270% by 2020. ESTRANGEMENT FROM NATURE
PLANTS AS A BOOSTER OF HAPPINESS AND CREATIVITYAnother superpower of plants is that they can increase our sense of happiness. For example, a study was done where 3 groups of people were placed in 3 different rooms. The first group was placed in a room with houseplants, the second group in a room with decorative objects, and the third group was given a room with no plants or objects. People told us that they felt more "carefree and playful" and were more "affectionate or friendly" in the room with plants. PLANTS IN THE HOUSE - BOOSTING WELL-BEING
TIPS FOR A GREENER ENVIRONMENT AT HOME1) A first tip; go natural. Choose plants instead of ornaments or other decorations, if you get the chance also replace as much plastic and metal as possible to natural products. Especially in your furniture but also in the choice of plant pots is this effective, choose plants with a striking leaf pattern as an eye-catcher in the room. You can be very creative with your space by creating a hanging garden for example. 2) Tip two; plant thoughtfully. Place your plants thoughtfully. Look at what the individual plant (species)'s needs are but also where it will benefit you. A strong air-purifying plant is ideal in a smaller office or a room with less good ventilation. Think about what kind of atmosphere you want to create and get to work, plants help to make your space pleasant which will make you feel better. Plants in the bedroom can also contribute to a better night's sleep and they give you a nice view when you wake up. Take into account the needs of the plant, you have a very cool bedroom? Then choose a plant that can better withstand lower temperatures. There is a suitable plant for almost every situation. 3) Tip three, make it personal. Which plant makes you happy? What do you think is beautiful? Is there a plant that reminds you of a certain memory or person? Your plant collection can be as diverse as you want it to be, it can also be as large or small as your wish. Do not be influenced by trends and just go for what you like. Form your own little oasis where you can come to rest. FRIENDSHIP WITH YOUR HOUSEPLANTIn addition to our innate responsiveness to plants and their effect on lowering our stress level there is also their personality. We don't mean literally a personality like that of fellow humans, but because we reflect our emotions on them they acquire some sort of personality. Studies show that we see plants as non-judgmental, non-threatening and non-discriminating companions. This is because they respond to the care they receive from the person regardless of how strong or weak they are. We already attach ourselves to animals, especially pets, so why can't we do the same with plants? We share a similar life cycle, we both live and die, we evolve and research has been done on how plants respond to music and speech. Establishing a connection with plants is also safe, it is primarily a one-way connection that can be stopped at any time without feeling rejected. For someone with low self-esteem, it can be a personal victory to take good care of a plant and make it grow. Indeed, this can boost one's self-confidence and thus improve his well-being. They sometimes say that you have to surround yourself with good company, plants are the eternal good company. By building a good relationship with your plants you provide yourself with a natural place to retreat to and relax. Plants in your workplace also have a great influence on our well-being, but I won't dwell on that for now. GIVE A PLANT AS A GIFTNothing more fun than taking care of your plant and watching it grow, that's also what I love about cuttings or baby plants. You can literally watch them grow up, which is why I'm a fan of PLNTS. They sell the cutest baby plants that you can grow all by yourself & what's more fun than shopping for plants? Yes, giving and receiving them as gifts! The time of giving and receiving gifts is coming up again and that is why I have already put together a few great gift ideas from PLNTS for you, check out my tips here. But before you click away to check out this list, I have something to tell you. In collaboration with, I'm giving away a PLNTS parent kit. With the PLNTS parent kit, you have everything you need to be the best plant parent! With all these products together in a fun customized PLNTS bag, your plants will live happily ever after! The bag is filled with PLNTS nutrition, cutting powder, clips and rings, pruning shears, water meter and a plant plug! PLNTS nutrition stimulates plant growth, cutting powder makes your cuttings root better and the water meter measures the water level of your plants. Good tools for the overall health of your plant. To make your beauty shine more, clips and rings help your plants to grow in the right shape and with the pruning shears you can cut off a small branch, dry leaf or flower. Last but not least, a wooden PLNTS plug to name your plant. The PLNTSparent kit is great as a gift for a novice plant parent, but actually very useful for every plant lover because these products are real must haves! So keep an eye on the instagram of @greenplantmom, Friday the 19th of November 2021 this contest will be online! TO FINISH: PLANTS AND AUTUMNOur plants also notice that the season is changing, many plants are now slowing down or stopping growth completely for a while. It is important that you stop giving them extra plant food because they do not need it now, and you can also gradually reduce your watering. Less light - you can place your plants closer to the window now that the sun is shining less brightly and therefore less likely to burn your plants, but make sure they are not too close to the window for the cold & that you do not place them in the draught to prevent disease (s) and bugs. Is this not the solution for your living situation? Then you might consider getting a grow light in the house, more about grow lights can be read here. Yellow leaves - It is not strange that your plant makes a few yellow leaves at this time of year, you can easily remove these. Keep watching out for signs of disease, read more here to learn more about yellow leaves on your plants.
This text was translated with the assistance of DeepL Thank you for reading, follow my plant adventures on Instagram @greenplantmom. This blog was written is collaboration with @plnts and is partly based on my master paper.
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AuthorCrazy plant lady who likes to inspire others! Everything I write here comes from my own experience, knowledge that I gained by reading books and on the internet. If I would literally copy someone's info, I would do my best to link it of course! Do you spot typos or do you have other concerns, let me know! Have fun reading! I've only just started writing English blogs since January 2021, that's why there are many Dutch blogs and not so many English ones.
I use DeepL to help me translate. ARCHIVES
Maart 2022
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