3 EASY Plants You Must Have In Your Home

Having plants in the home is great on many levels. Not only do they remove pollutants from the air and look nice, but they're also a fantastic way to teach kids about responsibility. The concept that children are responsible for another living thing, something that needs to be nurtured in order to keep it alive, is a great lesson to teach.

My favorite three houseplants are:

• Aloe – A succulent, this is an easy plant to grow. During the Summer, the soil should be soaked and allowed to dry out before re-watering. During the winter, the plant becomes dormant so watering should be minimal. The one at the beginning of this post is my baby aloe.  Oh, and the container used to hold junk food. I just spray-painted it and glued on letters left over from a spelling game. I keep this plant in the house for a multitude of uses including:

• Treating burns, including sunburn
• Taking the sting and itch out of insect bites
• Soothing rashes

For more “amazing uses for aloe” click here. 

• Snake Plant – Also known as “mother-in-law's tongue” and “the bedroom plant,” this wonder is great because while most plants take away oxygen at night, this one gives off oxygen at night. The plant also filters formaldehyde (commonly used in particleboard in furniture), trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, and benzene from the air. It's pretty easy to grow since it tolerates low light levels and irregular watering (great for kids who might forget to water it).
  
  

  

  Snake Plant       

  
  

• Corn Cane – The one below was given to me as a wedding gift by my great aunt and is 22 years old. It does wonderfully with low light and low water and it's easy to propagate. This beauty has produced many babies over the years which make great gifts. 
  
  

  

  My 22-year old corn cane

   

I usually take the water leftover from the many water bottles my kids seem to abandon all over the house and water the plants with that. Periodically, I also add 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts to a gallon of water and use that for the plants. It seems to make them flourish.

I love how warm plants make a home feel and the fact that they remove toxins from the air is a bonus. Watering them is on my daughter's list of chores, since she took over that responsibility from me, and she takes pride in the fact that she is the one who keeps our greenery alive. Plants are great for the environment and caring for them is a plus, emotionally, for even the littlest kid. Cultivate houseplants and reap lots of rewards for your family! 

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The little red spot you see hanging from the corn cane is an ornament, since the corn plant also serves as our Memory Tree.  Stay tuned for an explanation of what a Memory Tree is and how to make one. 

Thanks for reading!!!