I know…I know…Fall has just arrived and you’re really enjoying nature’s beauty as the leaves start to turn and the air gets that crisp Autumn smell. How can it be time to start thinking about Winter already?
Unfortunately, those cold, dreary days are just around the corner, and I always like to plan ahead when it comes to decorating. As I mentioned in my last post, I like to rotate the flowers and plants in my house as the seasons change.
When it comes to Winter decorating, it’s especially important to plan ahead when it comes to both the color and the variety, as well as the health and wellness aspects that your plants can contribute to your mental and physical well-being.
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Prepare Now, Before The Holiday Rush
The most important reason for planning for Winter decorating right now is because the holidays are right around the corner. While everything might seem calm and relaxing right now, the closer we get to the holidays, the crazier things seem to get. Trick-or-treaters arrive in their amazing costumes, family joins us for Thanksgiving, and then the holiday shopping season hits in full force.
I often find myself so focused on the needs of my friends and family that I just don’t have time to think about interior decorating or purchasing my artificial plants, flowers, and shrubs. For that reason, I prefer to do my Winter shopping right now to ensure that I have all my selected plants on-hand when it does come time to rotate and combat the Winter blahs.
Rather than waiting for the weather to cool down, I think about flowers and plants that will brighten my mood once the clouds, snow, and sleet move in. The other benefit to planning ahead and ordering before the holiday rush is there is always plenty of time to return something that just won’t work, if you need to.
Think About Your Physical And Mental Health And Wellness
When it comes to mental wellness, it’s well-established that visual beauty can help improve your mood, effectively driving away the Winter blues. Bright, beautiful, vibrant plants and flowers can trigger positive emotions, elevating your mood and just making life a little brighter when the weather outside is dull and grey.
One of the best tips that I like to share when decorating for the winter months is to choose a healthy mix of both live and artificial plants. I recommend this for a few reasons:
Artificial Plants Require Less Maintenance
It’s true, while you do need to dust them occasionally, most artificial plants, flowers, and trees are relatively maintenance-free. No watering. No fertilizing. Just put them in the right place and enjoy their beauty. If you are busy and life is hectic, the last thing you need is to accidentally kill one of your plants because you don’t have time to properly care for it.
This beautiful Calla lily will brighten up any home or work space and doesn’t care whether it’s in direct or indirect sunlight.
Mixing in artificial plants in your decorations can cut down on the amount of energy you are spending on maintaining live plants, letting you focus on those live plants that are also beneficial to your physical well-being.
Artificial Plants Don’t Have Sunlight Needs
Want to place a plant that would normally require a lot of sunlight in a bathroom that has no windows? Artificial is the way to go.
Faux versions of plants like succulents, cactus, and even daffodils can live anywhere, regardless of their light requirements because…well…they’re fake. The live versions of these plants would normally require a lot of direct sunlight, so they aren’t really suitable for bathrooms or basements.
This succulent arrangement would be great for a bathroom or basement. No direct sunlight? No problem!
Alternatively, plants like Peace Lilies and Snake Plants actually prefer indirect sunlight and generally don’t do well if you put them in a sunny spot. If you have a spot that has a lot of sunlight and still want to use a Peace Lily or a Snake Plant, you can choose their artificial versions of these plants.
Artificial plants don’t have a sunlight preference, so choose what works best with your decorating style.
Live Plants Can Recycle Your Breathing Air
One thing that live plants can do that artificial plants can’t is recycle the air in your home. Plants like Aloe Vera, Peace Lily, and Snake Plants can actually improve the quality of the air in your home, especially during the Winter months when the windows are closed and the air is constantly being recirculated.
Because improved air quality can have a direct impact on your health and wellness, be sure to include a variety of live plants in your mix.
Want to learn more? Here’s a great TED talk that discuss how plants recycle and clean the air in your home or office space.
Rotate, Rotate, Rotate
When thinking about the artificial and live plants that you want to decorate with this Winter, take into account your ability to rotate them throughout your home or apartment. Especially for your artificial plants, find locations that you can easily swap plants out as the seasons change.
In thinking about your rotation, also be sure to think about rotation of the actual plant/pot itself – especially if you are placing the artificial plant in direct sunlight. While most high-quality artificial plants are made with UV-resistant materials, that only means they will fade less over time. It still means that each season they will fade slightly.
So, each time you dust your artificial plants, make a habit of rotating them 90 degrees. That way, while they might fade slightly over time it will be an even fade across the plant, as a whole.
I hope these tips help you as you begin thinking about your Winter decoration and which live and artificial plants could help brighten your day to help break you out of those Winter blahs.
I hope you’ll give them a try and let me know if you have any questions I can answer. Be sure to share any Winter decorating tips that you might have in a comment!
