Ethical Advent Day 5: Plant Power

Plants are another kind of ‘adulting’ gift, you can only give them to people you know will be able to handle the responsibility (or not freak out at the prospect). We all have responsible adults in our lives, and plants can be a lovely little gift for the right kind of person. Something to nurture that also provides a lovely bit of decor. If you fancy giving a plant this Christmas, why not give a plant thats also really nifty for cleaning air and making your home a lil more sustainable?

Here are my top choices for a green gift:

1. Snake Plant a.k.a. Mother-In-Law’s Tongue

Let us take a moment to laugh at that name. Now that’s done, this plant is extremely easy to keep alive, it just needs occasional watering and some sun. It also removes benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and xylene from the air and converts a lot of carbon dioxide to oxygen overnight, so is a perfect plant for a bedroom.

2. Peace Lily

The peace lily is not only beautiful but fairly small and super easy to care for, needing to be watered around once a week (although never let the soil completely dry out) and thriving best in shade. It removes benzene, formaldehyde, acetone, ammonia and trichloroethylene from the air and flowers over summer!

3. Spider Plant

Spider plants are incredibly easy to grow, so are a great gift for beginners who may love plants but not have much experience. They do best in bright, indirect sunlight, but can survive in a wide range of conditions, and remove formaldehyde and xylene from the air.

4. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera are extremely easy to care for, whilst also removing formaldehyde from the air around them. They are often known as air cleaning experts, as when the amount of toxins in their air around them gets too high the leaves become spotted to signal for help. On top of that, the leaves contain a clear liquid full of vitamins, enzymes and amino acids that is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and has medicinal properties. People love aloe in their beauty products, why not produce your own at home?

5. Chrysanthemums

A king when it comes to cleaning air, this popular plant can be found at any garden store for a relatively cheap price. They remove ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde and xylene from the air and can be moved outdoors when they finish flowering. Whilst these guys clean up in the air department don’t gift them to pet owners, as they can be toxic to cats and dogs.

And those are my recommends to keep the green thumbed people (or the wannabes) in your life happy this Christmas!

Until next time, stay magic y’all.