Top tips for growing indoor plants and helping them flourish

NOT just beautiful accessories in any room, indoor plants are also nature’s air purifiers, removing nasty pollutants from our homes.

And the more plants the better, says horticulturist and Northcote Pottery ambassador, Melissa King.

“Creating an urban jungle in your living room means the benefits are tenfold,” she said.

“Plants around the home can also significantly increase your wellbeing, making you feel calmer, more focused and positive about life.

“Just five in a room can increase your sense of well being by a whopping 60 per cent.”

Melissa give us her top tips for breathing easy with houseplants:

1. Size and diversity matter for providing health benefits, so opt for a wide mixture of plants, including ones with large leaves to help catch air pollutants.
2. Favourites include calming peace lilies or colourful calatheas with decorative pots that are designed for indoor living to create the perfect showpiece for your kitchen or dining room.
3. Planting directly into an indoor pot can result in unhappy, waterlogged roots. Instead, simply leave the plant in its plastic growing pot and sit it inside your indoor pot.
4. When it’s time to water, take your shrub outside or to the sink for a good soak, letting excess water drain away before popping it back in the exterior pot. This also makes it incredibly easy to update the look of your home each season.