The benefits of plants

In the spirit of Plastic Free July, we’ve made it our mission to work with brands who are not only plastic free, but who are doing good. This week, we’ve partnered up on a giveaway with the UK’s favourite online plant shop – The Stem. The Stem’s mission is to share plant happiness by making plants and gardening more accessible than ever before, and in a planet conscious way. Now that’s something we can get on board with, talk about #DoGoodFeelGood! 🍃🌊⁠

To be in with a chance of winning £100 worth of The Stem plants, and some goodies from ourselves – head to our Instagram and enter by liking, tagging a friend or a few, and following both accounts.

Just how important are plants?

Without plant life, thriving ecosystems couldn’t exist. The natural processes plants use to grow impact everything from air quality to the weather and supply other plants and animals with the resources they need to thrive. On top of this, it’s been proven that active interaction with indoor plants can reduce both physiological and psychological stress. When people take care of plants, they’re investing in the health of their entire ecosystem, the health of themselves and the future of life on earth.

Some fun facts about indoor plants

1. Most common houseplants originated in the tropics
2. Keeping and growing plants inside began in ancient times
3. Indoor plants lower air pollution and allergens
4. Indoor plants have been shown to improve productivity
5. Indoor plants respond well to music

To further the environmental benefits of plants – why not give some upcycling a go to create your perfect plant pot?

We love the idea of taking old crates or boxes and turning them in to planters. Most local pubs, wine shops or even hardware shops will have plenty of these to go around, to save them from becoming waste, pick them up and turn them in to your next garden masterpiece!

Another option we can’t get enough of is turning old welly boots in to plant pots. All you need to do is clean your wellies with warm soapy water and dry, drill holes into the bottom of the boots for drainage, put a mixture of compost and pebbles in the base and fill the rest of the boot up to an inch below the rim with compost. Press your seeds into the compost, then top up with more compost. Give your plants a good water and place the boots in a sunny spot then wait for them to grow. How easy is that?!

We’re loving learning more about all the benefits plants have to offer. We’d love to hear any upcycling tips you may have, or even anything you know about plants that we haven’t mentioned above. Don’t forget, if you want to bag yourself some plants of your own – head to our Instagram now!