There’s been another new item purchased for our top-floor bedroom which is currently undergoing a revamp. Most of the natural specimens in this room – fossils, skulls and the like – died long ago; however it’s not the case with the latest addition.
We actually went to the garden centre to buy a small tray of bean seedlings for our allotment, but came home with this huge, beautiful peace lily plant as well. (Intended spend: £1.99, actual spend: £40.00… not the first time we’ve done that in a garden centre!).
It caught our eye as soon as we entered the house plant section. Its abundance of dark green spear-shaped leaves and milky white, almost luminous, flowers. We’d been talking about the lack of plants in that room only the day before… and the need to purify the air. What a beautiful way to do it!
Most plants contribute to a healthier living atmosphere, but some species are particularly good. The peace lily is arguably the best plant at eliminating toxic elements such as benzene (found in cigarette smoke and car exhaust emissions), formaldehyde (found in plywood furniture and some paint and carpets) and ammonia (found in household cleaners) from the air. Other house plants proven to improve indoor air quality in this way, to a greater or lesser extent, include:
- Ivy (Hedera helix)
- Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
- Mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’)
- Money plant (Epipremnum aureum)
- Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
- Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)