Autumn Fall is upon us and Winter will be here soon—how should you be preparing? Step 1 – Deal With Your Plants!

We’re spoiled at the end of the Summer.  We’ve had all sorts of access to all sorts of green leafy plants, at our homes or in nearby parks or other spaces for months (well, at least those of us living in more temperate climates have).  We’ve been able to trundle through fields and dales, or at least along plants with plant-y borders day and night, rain and shine, come what may.

But now colder weather is on its way to do all but the heartiest of our outdoor-living herbaceous friends.

So, it’s time now, quick as the bunny nibbling on the greenery left outside, to take stock of the plants living outside your home and bring the ones that you can manage inside to spend the colder months in the relatively balm-y climes of your home.

Why bother?  Effort is only justified if you care about what goes on in your head and the heads of those you share your home with.  Research study after research study has shown that looking at green leafy plants (sorry those of you who grow cactuses because they’re “harder” to kill, you need to give raising options with gently curving stems and leaves another chance) has significant effects on our brains.  When we see green leafy plants, we:

• Refresh mentally after cognitively exhausting ourselves concentrating, focusing intently on something we’re doing for work or for pleasure.
• Work more effectively at problem-solving and “mind work” in general—studies show up to a 15% increase in professional performance in offices with plants, for instance.
• Think more creatively.
• Get along better with others.
• Feel less stressed and that the space we’re in is more comfortable.
• Feel better physically.

Some selections are in order as almost definitely there isn’t room for all.  Despite all the benefits of green indoor plants, too many is really too bad.  Seeing a couple of plants, and ones even a couple of meters tall can work well, in any view across a space leads to the benefits noted, more starts to seem “jungle-y” and that makes us tense.

We are not as relaxed in a place that reminds us of a jungle as we are in one that suggests (usually subconsciously) a more open savanna with collections of trees here and trees there.  It was easier for us to spot oncoming problems (a lion, a thunderstorm, etc.) against the moderate visual information load of the savanna, in the jungle too many things that we needed to know about could go unnoticed, and that could mean that we became something’s lunch.

We use the same sensory apparatus, with the same “data evaluation systems,” today that we did aeons and aeons ago in our earliest days as a species.  Trying to avoid something terrible many, many, many generations ago is why we get so tensed up in visually cluttered spaces today.  We do our best thinking and being in spaces with a moderate amount of stuff going on visually, like Goldilocks we’ve found that too much and too little are not what we need.  To calibrate your eye:  take a look at a residential interior designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, such as this one, and compare what you see in the Frank Lloyd Wright image to what you see around you.  All that comparing may seem tricky, but once you give it a try, you’ll see it works.

Your highest priority for moving plants should be the green leafy ones whose scent you enjoy.  Scents can link into the most basic parts of who we are and good ones will bring pleasant memories to the fore—even if we don’t consciously remember those memories if they’re percolating along deep within us, they’ll improve our day.

Some plants aren’t as likely to do well in a home and when those have scents that science has shown can have special effects in our lives, drying them and using them throughout your home all winter is a real plus.

• The smell of lavender relaxes us and makes it more likely we’ll trust those around us, which is generally a good thing as we spend long winters together.
• Jasmine scent enhances how well we sleep.
• Peppermint smells can be great when we’re doing a more mundane, monotonous task, to boost our performance. It can enhance how effectively we do physical activities and can make a workout seem less intense than it’s been.
• The scents of rosemary and sage are good for our memory, which means they’re generally good for our cognitive performance.
• Dry or otherwise stabilize some of the fruit so you can smell it all winter long; the smell of green apples makes a space seem larger, which is a plus for most of our homes.
• If you are lucky enough to have citrus trees process some of the fruit so you can smell it throughout the winter; the scent of oranges is a stress reliever and smelling lemon elevates our cognitive performance and, a bonus for most, makes us feel thinner.

Having plants inside will give you a head start in the Spring getting the views out your window in tip-top shape to refresh your mind and elevate your mood.  Garden views that mentally refresh and de-stress us are discussed here.

And whatever you do, don’t let the plants in your home die—research, which may not have actually been necessary in this case, has shown that there’s nothing more mood-deflating than seeing a dead plant.  If you live in a place where your plants will definitely die (and if they will, how can you live there?) go artificial—good artificial plants (ones that you have to touch to see if they are real) have all of the benefits of real ones (except scents).