Potted orchids like the Phalaenopsis serve as living room accents.

Plants provide a sense of life and distinct character in the home and office. They bring vitality to what otherwise might be barren corners, table tops and shelves. They clean the air inside the home by sequestering carbon dioxide and replace it with vital oxygen. They also provide a wholesome background and aesthetic beauty to any place. Plants are also an organic presence in the environment.

Although plants don't require as much love, care, and attention as house pets, they are still living creatures sharing our space and they should be treated as such. Most house plants would probably be healthier if they were thought of in these terms. All it takes for them to thrive is to provide them with sufficient water, light and fertilizers.

It’s important to find the ideal spot for plants. They have to blend with the look of the room though the first concern should be finding a spot that offers enough sunlight. A plant shouldn’t be exposed to too much heat from appliances or cold air from air-conditioners. When a plant wilts or its leaves begin to yellow, it means it’s in the wrong spot.

Artificial lighting is recommended if the house has little windows or doesn’t allow enough sunlight to enter. Plants shouldn’t block pathways and they shouldn’t be in areas where physical activities happen. This way, they avoid getting bruised or accidentally knocked down.

House plants can be placed n a pot or as a group in a dish garden or terrarium. When grouping plants together, be certain they share the same light and watering requirements. Plants are dynamic and they create a better effect when their looks or colors contrast.

Plant Feng Shui

Plants are said to energize the room and clear the air, both mentally and physically. Plants such as Candle tops (Spathiphyllum), cacti, and peperomias are believed to absorb EMF emissions from computers, televisions and other electronic devices. One of the basic principles of using plants in Feng Shui is to soften the effects of corners in rooms. Trailing and hanging plants are used for this specific purpose.

Bedrooms and other rooms used for resting (including the bathroom) should not be outfitted with spiky or spiny plants. So avoid plants such as cacti, bromeliad, and dragon trees (Dracaena). Instead, go for soft and rounded-leafed plants like Ficus, Philodendrons, Aglaonema, Boston Ferns and Baby’s Breath.

Rooms used for mental stimulation (living and family rooms, offices and kitchens) should contain spiky or spiny plants such as snake plants, palms, aloe, and yuccas. As much as possible, replace dying and sickly plants.

Here’s a list of plants that can help make your home more pleasant to live in.

Potted orchids like Cattleya, Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, Oncidium and Vanda are placed in the living room as accent plants. They have large colorful and sometimes fragrant flowers. They are best placed as a centerpiece of the coffee table, dining table, on the piano or on shelves. After a week or two, replace with plants with fresh flowers.

Ferns such as the Boston fern, Bird’s Nest Fern, and the Maiden Hair Fernhave delicate foliage and require a humid environment. They can be placed inside a terrarium in the living room, in the kitchen near the sink or in the bathroom. Ferns need to be watered regularly or misted with water every day to prevent the foliage from drying.

Philodendrons are trailing or creeping vine plants with beautifully-shaped green or yellow-green leaves. There are many cultivars with different shapes of foliage. Three to five plants can be grown in a pot with a moss-coated pole measuring two feet tall. The vines can creep up the pole as they grow taller. Stems that exceed the length of the pole are cut off. Philodendrons are ideally placed in corners.

The Aglaonema and Dieffenbachia are colorful or spotted foliage plants that grow as high as 2.5 feet.  They have large, oval-shaped leaves and can live well inside the home. They are often used as backdrop or corner plants.

The Rubber tree (Ficus or Balete) are grown in a pot like a small woody shrub or small tree inside the house. They can tolerate semi-shaded conditions.

Bromeliads are pineapple-like plants with rosette foliage and with a flower pike in the middle. This group includes the Guzmania and Crypthantu.  They have attractive reddish or pinkish centers in the leaf rosette. They bloom with unique and long-lasting flowers and are used as accents in the living rooms only. They are not to be placed inside the bedroom or bathroom as their foliage has spines.

Palms have graceful coconut-like shaped foliage. They can tolerate shade and are easy to grow. There are many available species and cultivars, like the Rattan, Manila Palm, Red Palm, and Raphis.

Anthuriums are herbaceous plants with heart-shaped leaves and red heart-shaped flowers with a yellow spathe, though there are also foliage types. They can grow as high as 2.5 feet. Miniature plants are less than a foot tall but they bloom with lots of flowers.

The Poinsettia is the Christmas plant.  It has bright red, modified leaves as flowers, though others have white, pink and yellow leaves.

Flowering Annuals are colorful, flowering plants that are first grown outdoors from seeds.  They are group-planted in a pot, and later on placed indoors when they bloom. Flowering Annuals include Chrysanthemums, Begonias, Coleus, Cosmos, Dianthus, Impatiens, Lantana and Marigold, among others.