When I brought him from the nursery; he was such a healthy sight.  I placed him near the window,where he could see the light.

I nurtured him with loving care; I talked to him a lot,  but he began to fade away despite the care he got.

It fills me with frustration; it makes me rave and rant;  I’ve raised some healthy children, but I’ve yet to raise ONE plant!

I have a brown thumb. I could kill a cactus…in fact I did once. It was a lovely barrel cactus that my mama gave me…along with complete instructions which consisted of basically doing nothing except watering it a couple of times every six months or so.

I did. It died.

Plants hate me. I don’t know why. It’s not like I’ve ever intentionally been mean to any of them. I treat them all equally, try to be politically correct when I talk to them. I even buy them little presents like plant food, little trellises for them to climb around on, and bird ornaments and butterflies and stuff. Maybe they just don’t like the sound of my voice or maybe they’re jealous of all the attention I pay the dogs.

Who knows.

The older generation had odd names for their plants. They didn’t use their botanical name. They gave them names that described their appearance instead.

For instance Mama had these beautiful little purple flowers that sort of looked like a cross between a pansy and a petunia. She called them “Monkey Faces”. They were so pretty when they bloomed. She had kept them since I was a little girl…which, between you and me, was a looooooong time.  After I took over their care they lasted about two months and then they fainted and lay lifeless over the side of the pot.  Soon there was nothing but an ugly clump of brown yuk.

She had another plant that was virtually un-killable. It was called  “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue” and it was ugly. Hideous. It was a tall, hearty, potted plant that grew green blades shaped like tongues. It didn’t do anything else, just sat there growing an extra tongue every four or five days until it filled the pot. I kept it two weeks and the tongues went limp, turned brown, and fell off.

I finally gave up and bought plastic plants. But they don’t offer the benefits of live plants.

According to research, live indoor plants offer loads of health benefits. The results of Dr. B.C. Wolverton’s research on air purifying benefits of indoor plants, sponsored by NASA and the Landscape Contractors of America show that live plants can clean indoor air by reducing the level of airborne VOCs,  such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.

According to a study out of Washington State University, plants release moisture in an indoor environment, creating a humidity level matching the recommended human comfort range of 30% to 60%. When air humidity falls below the recommended range, materials such as wood can become cracked. ( so wouldn’t this also apply to our skin?)

And according to researchers Ulrich and Simons, indoor plants reduce stress, aid in  lowering our blood pressure, and give many psychological benefits.

So I have concluded, after reading all these research findings, that indoor plants will make you look younger, feel better, be more productive and less stressed. Now if only I can find some kind of plant that can survive my nurturing…

I’m thinking a pot full of pot…or maybe a hanging basket of poison ivy?

Humor-blogs.com has live plants!

Tags: health benefits, indoor plants, research, stress