8 Easy to Grow Healthy Houseplants

There is a great deal of information out there on becoming a beginning gardener or even a small scale farmer. Many green living enthusiasts want nothing more than to get back to the land…reconnecting with nature, becoming more self sufficient, and of course taking their food and health back into their own hands. One easy green aspect we might overlook though is indoor gardening. It’s a great place to start if gardening and farming intimidate you and it’s a great alternative if you don’t have room to grow crops outside. Another BIG bonus aspect of growing indoors is that you can choose healthy houseplants.

What are healthy houseplants exactly? They are plants easily grown indoors for the purpose of enhancing the health of your home and the health of your family. You can grow edible plants and herbs that will keep your family healthy during cold and flu season. You can grow plants that clean and purify the indoor air all year long. You can grow plants that have medicinal uses. You can even grow plants that remove toxins, like mold, from circulation. Here are some common healthy houseplants that are actually very easy to grow and very beneficial…

Peace Lily – These lovely plants with their gorgeous flowers are actually very easy to grow indoors if you have the space. They can thrive in low light. Not only do they provide something lovely to look at they have some amazing benefits such as absorption of benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. They are also said to remove mold spores in the air so if you live in an old damp house or a place where humidity is a problem…get some peace lilies pronto.

Dracaena – I call these lemon lime plants because of their lovely colored stripes on the leaves. They are super easy to grow if you keep their soil slightly damp and they remove many toxins from the air.

Golden Pothos – These plants represent happy childhood memories for me because my mom grew them. They stretched across our kitchen and living room walls and made our house look like a jungle. I loved it and they are super easy to grow. They don’t require too much watering either, most of the time I can get away with sticking them outside once every week or two, when it rains so they can get a thorough soaking. These too remove many toxins like formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, benzene, carbon monoxide, and more

English Ivy – These lovely vines do very well in low light and you just need to make sure their soil stays moist. Removes benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene.

Spider Plants – Another plant my mom used to grow in abundance. These do really well in indirect light and thrive if you hang them by windows where their delicate tendrils hang down over their pots. They are great for removing formaldehyde which can be found in the home in building materials, household products, and from fuel-burning appliances, like gas stoves or kerosene space heaters.

Aloe Vera – Aloe is super duper easy to grow and requires very little water so if you commonly “forget” to water, this plant is forgiving. You can also use it for a variety of medicinal purposes.

Sage – This is an easy-to-grow indoors herb that can be great for meals as well as for coughs, colds, and congestion.

Thyme – Another powerful herb. This one is popular for treating coughs, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. It does beautiful in a window sill and can be used frequently in flavoring soups, stocks and stews.

Even if you think you have a green thumb these plants are pretty easy to grow if you just know a little about each one. They all have wonderful benefits and will enhance the health of your home and of your family so taking the time to learn about them and grow them is well worth your time. Some can be grown from seed and others can be grown from cuttings. You can also buy from local nurseries or online at places such as gaddys. Other still propagate often so you can get “babies” very easily. Craigslist is actually a great place to find plants such as this…like aloe and spider plants. Pretty soon you will swimming in healthy houseplants…which can only be a good thing.

To your health!