Time to thank your indoor garden

Peace lilies are natural air purifiers. (Photo

courtesy Green Acres Nursery)

National Houseplant Appreciation Day (and Week) spotlight benefits of growing things inside

By Debbie Arrington

Cooped up indoors? It's time to show your green companions some love.

This is National Houseplant Appreciation Week, culminating in National Houseplant Appreciation Day on Sunday, Jan. 10.

While urging us to give a little TLC to our favorite pothos or spathiphyllum, this special week is really about awareness for all that houseplants can do.

Sure, they brighten up our windowsills or office spaces with some comforting greenery. But they actually can help people breathe easier by improving indoor air quality. Plants such as spathiphyllum -- the familiar peace lily -- are natural workhorses at filtering indoor air, converting carbon dioxide to oxygen and removing harmful substances such as formaldehyde and benzene.

Plants also release moisture into the air. These green humidifiers help make our indoor air feel more refreshing, countering the effects of dry heat from furnaces. European studies have found that the added humidity from houseplants can help reduce dry skin, soothe sore throats and combat colds.

Houseplants really do help people feel better. A Kansas State study found that hospital patients with plants in their rooms actually healed faster than patients with no plants.

Besides those physical benefits, houseplants offer small doses of garden therapy. It's relaxing to care for something and watch it grow.

The Garden Network gets credit for creating National Houseplant Appreciation Day, which always falls on Jan. 10.

Locally, Green Acres Nursery & Supply is celebrating all week with daily Facebook and Instagram posts. According to Green Acres' houseplant experts, the easiest houseplant to grow: Sansevieria -- better known as mother-in-law's tongue or snake plant.

Read more: https://m.facebook.com/idiggreenacres/