I’ve been so very anxious for spring, and it’s finally here! We want to be seeing green; on the trees, the lawn, anything is a help to assure us that spring is here. March feels like the first month we can assume that winter is over… handy that it’s St. Patrick’s Day month, which seems to validate being “keen for green”.
Bring living green things into your home. Fortunately, the hardware and garden stores know that we’ve been eager for spring, and you’ll find a great selection of plants for inside the home – right now.
One of the most easiest things you can do to warm up a room is to add plants… IF you have the guts to go big! It’s one of those things that you don’t realize is missing until you bring it in…and then, it make the space look so “finished” and professional and glamorous. All this, but they really take up hardly any space at all.
There’s a reason that classic estates and homes have sported “potted palms” for centuries… they add so much but are happy to occupy just the unused space behind a chair or table. They are small at the bottom with gorgeous, arching fronds at the top. Don’t wimp-out ! Get a pair or more, that are 6 to 8 feet tall! If they’re on the shorter side, also grab a 2 foot tall plant stand to boost them. Also select a nice planter (resin is fine) to put each one in; do it all at once because its trickier than it seems to find a planter big enough.
Make one more stop in the store to the Lighting department. Not for a “grow light”… but for up-lights! A simple “can light” or a spot light that will clamp. These do not need to be seen, so ugly is ok.
You will instantly see why I suggested this…. they add so much it’s incredible. Come evening, you’ll be stunned by the drama of the sweeping shadow-play from the up lights.
Take the kids out for a woodsy adventure and gather a collection of mosses. Creating a small moss farm or terrarium is not only a great feature for the home, but also educational for the kids.
No home should be without a significant presence of green. Not your thing? Give it a re-think, we’re not just talking “kelly”.
The most relaxing influences are silvery, sagey, mossy greens. And, when you’re in this color region, you are basically working with a neutral – it can be nudged into most any color scheme.
As always, the Keyword for adding an accent color is:
P-A-R-T-S
P illows
A rt (your moss garden or terrarium can count as art – present it beautifully, in a central location)
R ugs (not a full commitment – just an area rug, scatter rugs, or an outdoor rug used indoors is a great and washable idea, especially for a home with pets)
T hrows (afghans or any kind of cuddly small comforter/throw thing.)
S torage (baskets, band boxes, apothecary jars … most every room needs storage; while you’re adding your green, do it in the form of attractive things that can also offer storage)
There is something in our souls that recognizes the color green. City dwellers and suburbanites sometimes forget – the planet on which we live is not a place of concrete and asphalt…. it is a place of soil and plants, rocks and creatures. When we remember what is our natural environment – it calms us and rejuvenates us.
Ginger Rodriguez 
One Comment
I completely agree with you. Plants bring natural beauty to our living spaces. By creating texture and balance, my room or deck can be transformed into an enviroment that comforts and welcomes. I have purchased plants for a lot of my clients that I volunteer for and they’ve been proven to reduce stress so well that one glance at a plant lowers your heart rate. They also help clean the air we breathe by absorbing toxins an acting as little oxygen factories. Plants simply make us feel better. They have helped a lot of my clients recovering from surgery and ease the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. I guess we’re learning what our ancestors have known for centuries, plants are more than just ornaments. At some level, we are deeply connected to them. so much so, that simply cohabitating with them brings us health a repose.