NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

STUDIES indicate that some plants are capable of cleaning the air
im our highly-ingulated buitdings. Gardening columnist Roy
Jonsson reports that office workers and asthmatics might benefit
from a well-landscaped home or office. But apart from the heaith
beneiits of bringing plants indoors, most people use interior
plants for visual appeal and impact om design.

BODY STOCKS MORE-FOR LESS!

Friday, January 3, 1997 — North Shore News — #3

design

interior

AS the pace of life picks
up and the world becomes
more computerized, mech-
anized and urbanized, we
are pulled further away
from our rural roots.

Our daily contact with the
natural environment becomes
harder to maintain. One way of
countering this trend and making
our living and working areas 2 Jit-
tle more natural is to use interior
plants.

Interior landscaping has
become an integral part of the
interior design industry in both

1 and residential areas.

Many forward-looking com-
panies spend thousands of dollars
decorating offices, lounges and
staff rooms to create feelings of
comfort, relaxation and natural-
ness. Soft lighting, an abundance
of plants and water features such
as aquariums are used to achieve
the desired effect.

Studies indicate that some
plants are capable of cleaning the
air in our highly insulated buiid-
ings. Cffice workers and asthmat-
ics might benefit from a well-
landscaped home or office.

Health benefits aside, most
people use interior plants for
visual appeal and impact on
design. Rooms can be separated
into two distinct areas by using
plants as a divider. Plants can also
be used to screen the front door
from a living room, preventing,
casual visitors from looking
straight into an entertaining ares.
Some degree of screening or pri-
vacy can also be achieved with
plants in an office or open work
area.

Most homes and offices today
have light or off-white walls,
which helps to brighten the
room. However, this effect can
look quite stark without plants to
soften or tone down the white-
ness. Light walls and guod light
reflection make it much easier to
maintain piants a greater distance
from the window or light source.

Tall plants can add scale to a
room. The majority of furniture
items are i¢ss than a metre high,
so a tall or hanging plant breaks
the pattern and provides some
variation. A tall plant can also
appear to reduce the proportions
ofa larger item: of furnivure.

A room that has no furniture
is dominated by straight lines,
square corners and rectangular
windows. Some pieces of furni-
ture have curved surfaces, but it
is usually the plants that create
the soft lines and natural appear-
ance.

Ifthe budge is tight, one can
usually buy several large plants
for less than one piece of furni-
ture. It’s a great way to fill in
some blank spaces.

Plants with their many shades

rows

of green and multi-colored
blooms will also add color and
interest to the interior design of a
work area or room,

Large or small plants can
stand alone in a room as a feature
plant but for groupings it is best
to put three together. Try a
short, medium and tall together
or elevate one or two above the
others for a better display. Use
three different sized pots for the
grouping but make sure they are
all the same style.

A very large potted plant can
sometimes support two smaller
plants in the same pot. Choose a
trailing plant that covers part of
the por and a shorter bushy one
that will hide the stem of the
taller one.

Beware of problem plants
when you are “greening” your
interior environment. Monstera
and ivy are prune to stick to any-
thing they touch and can ruin
painted surfaces. Bananas sweat
when they are watered and the
sap will stain carpets or light fab-
ric.

Plants that are prone to scale
and spider mites will also spray
sap down on

the lo es, furniture and
floor. Others dre fine until they
bloom and then the scent can be
over-powering or the nectar from
the petals drips.

For darker areas choose a

lant that can survive on limited
fight. (Varieties of aglaonema,
aspidistra, chamacdorea, dracac-
na, monstera, philodendron and
syngonium come to mind

Don’t be afraid to move a
plant to a better location for a
particular occasion and then back
again. A few hours in a darker
spot will not harm it. The
reverse, however, may cause a
plant to become sunburned.

Have a look around your liv:
ing space or work area and
decide whether the addizion of
some plants could make your
habitat more natural and livable.

Start the New Year off by
improving vour surroundings.

Tf son want help with your gar-
dening skills, check tke North Shore
Continuing Education “The Joy
Of Learning? calender or the
VanDusen Gardens Courses
Brochure. For information call
Continuing Education at 986-
8888 and VanDusen at 257-8666.

WEEKEND

Friday, Saturday, Sunday
January 3, 4, 5th

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PLUMBING, BATH FIXTGRES, ELECTRICAL,

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