If you’ve ever grown a ficus, a peace lily or even a lucky bamboo, you know the breath of fresh air a living plant invites to your home. It isn’t only about adding green to our living spaces – it’s also about creating a beautiful, healthier and more sustainable place.
“I think we’re lucky that we have an opportunity to cohabitate with these botanic beings on this planet that give us great benefits and make us happy,” says Jennifar McComish, Senior Live Goods Merchant for Home Depot’s Southern division.
Understanding Indoor Plants
Most indoor plants are tropical or subtropical varieties that thrive in controlled environments. For instance, crotons might be outdoor shrubs in Florida but become houseplants in cooler regions.
We select our plants with both quality and sustainability in mind. We partner with regional growers, and many of these growers are multigenerational family farms.
Caring for Plants Sustainably
Pest management has also evolved toward more sustainable solutions. “Many of our growers are moving to biological beneficials,” McComish notes. They use beneficial insects and microbes to manage pests naturally. That means less need for conventional treatments.
Sustainability extends to materials as well. Many growers are transitioning to recycled plastic containers, or they’re exploring alternatives to traditional peat moss, such as coconut coir.
From the Greenhouse to Your Home
The Home Depot works with their growers on logistics efficiencies to maximize trailer space so less trucks are needed, which reduces carbon emissions. Growers partnering with The Home Depot work on rack and transportation efficiencies to maximize shipping loads and reduce trucks needed on the road, reducing carbon emissions.
Keeping Plants at Home that Keep You Well
Indoor plants do more than beautify our spaces – many are also natural air purifiers. Plants like the snake plant (Sansevieria) and Pothos have large leaf surfaces that convert carbon dioxide to oxygen while also removing toxins from the air. “These plants are NASA-approved air purifiers,” McComish notes. “The bigger the leaf surface, the more oxygen that plant is producing naturally.”
For beginners, we recommend starting with easy-to-care-for varieties like Pothos, snake plants or the ZZ plant (Zanzibar gem). They have a high survival rate and are easy to maintain.
Need more help on how to take care of your plant at home? The Home Depot helps educate customers through in-store workshops. Our trained associates are highly knowledgeable, and detailed plant care tags tell customers what they need to know. “Plants just make you happy,” McComish says. And by prioritizing sustainability at every step, The Home Depot makes it easy to embrace indoor plants responsibly.
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