Page 40 - AreaNewsletters "Dec2022" issue

Holiday Plants for
By Colorado Master Gardener Mackenzie Flaharty, MSW, LCSW, LAC
Holiday Wellness
Many regard pets as our steady emotional companions during the season, did you know houseplants can help too?
For many, the holidays can be a
time for celebration and joy. Yet, dark days, memories of lost loved ones, and general expectations of the season can also make for a challenging time. One of the best ways to cope with holiday stress is to consider how we might shape our environment around us in healthy ways. Speci cally, plants, trees and landscapes can do wonders to offset some of the more challenging parts of the holidays.
Here are some simple ideas of how we might take advantage of all the living (though possibly dormant) plant life around us this season.
Fragrant and low-maintenance, Crassula lycopodoides owers brighten a December room.
December 2022 • Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters”
40durable options.
One study has found that simply adding owers to our indoor spaces can help improve life satisfaction. This was shown both in the moment and on an ongoing basis. Further, having just a few owers around may support increased connections between family and friends. Why this is true is not completely known. One partial and/
or potential explanation is that owers stimulate our senses in multiple
ways that feel good to us. Perhaps include owers as part of your holiday decorations or give owers as a gift
to a loved one. Cut owers will do, or consider a owering plant that can
be kept and re-bloom in subsequent years—Cyclamen, Phalaenopsis orchids, Amaryllis and Paperwhites, Poinsettias, and Anthuriums all make
H O ME & G A R D E N