Plant Appreciation Post

The Conservatory concept for this summer is stillness. While the rest of the garden will be moving in some way or other, the Conservatory will be a place to stop and reflect on the beauty that surrounds us. With so many things going on in our lives, we often need to stop and think about the beautiful and wonderful things that exist in the world. I know as a college student, I always need this reminder!  While we were designing the Conservatory, that’s what we hoped to accomplish. The space is going to offer somewhere to sit, stop, reflect, and appreciate why we love plants and the positive effects they have on us. While there are the obvious benefits of giving us food, medicine, and beauty, plants can play many other roles, though sometimes they’re subtler.

One role of plants, as proven through research (Texas A&M University), is to increase concentration and memory retention which is a great benefit to have at work or in school. Another role of plants is through horticulture therapy, which is being implemented at hospitals. Patients in these programs grow and care for plants and it has been shown (Texas A&M University) to speed up recovery time for certain procedures. Plants are great for your health too! While finding ways to clean air for future space crafts, NASA discovered that certain plants can remove harmful chemicals from the air. Plants like English ivy, spider plants, bamboo palms, snake plant (mother-in-law’s tongue), peace lily, certain ferns, and many more can all gradually improve your air quality. For a more comprehensive list, click here for the NASA air-filtering plant list and get started on soaking up all the benefits of plants!

Sources:

“Health and Well-Being Benefits of Plants.” Ellison Chair in International Floriculture, Texas A&M University. http://ellisonchair.tamu.edu/health-and-well-being-benefits-of-plants/.

“NASA Clean Air Study.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Mar. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study.

-Prepared by: Emily Stoffel