One of the great things about independent or assisted living in a community like Veranda of Pensacola is that your residential space is all yours. You can surround yourself with some of your favorite furnishings and add finishing touches that represent both past memories and current interests. Plants, for instance.
Plants add living color, and you don’t need a big yard to enjoy their beauty. A windowsill, tabletop, shelf, or a bit of floor space is all it takes to brighten your home. If you have a patio or balcony, you have outdoor options as well.
There are a surprising number of plants that are easy to care for and just right for smaller spaces or areas with less natural light.
Plants aren’t just pretty, they’re therapeutic
If you think plants aren’t a “thing” here at Veranda, check out the photo in this blog about what assisted living is like here. (Read the article, too, it will get you in the mood to move here.) After all, hobbies help seniors stay healthy in mind and body, but while physical and mental exercise is energizing, tending houseplants is a hobby that also soothes and uplifts the spirit.
In fact, houseplants offer an impressive range of benefits beyond improving your mood, including:
- Reducing fatigue
- Improving focus on other tasks
- Improving pain tolerance and healing
- Filtering the air to remove allergens and other toxins
- Releasing moisture to prevent overly-dry air that can cause skin and breathing problems.
Smelling and touching houseplants help alleviate physical and mental stress. Plus, certain microbes in the soil trigger the body to release naturally calming serotonin. Studies also show that interacting with plants can significantly reduce the risk of dementia.
Pick a plant that makes you smile
You can go for greenery alone and find a wonderful variety of leafy textures and shades of green (or gray, or red, or variegated). Or you can choose plants that bloom to add more color and seasonal interest. You can choose plants that grow slowly so they won’t get out of hand, or plants that quickly grow taller to fill a corner.
Here are just a few easy-care plants that are ideal for senior living settings:
- African violets
- Air plants (these don’t even require soil, just a weekly mist)
- Aloe
- Bromeliads
- Cactus
- Chinese money plant
- Ferns
- Herbs (basil, lavender, oregano, thyme, and dwarf rosemary are all lovely and fragrant as well as tasty)
- Jade
- Kalanchoe varieties
- Peace lily
- Rubber plant (newer varieties are much prettier than the old standard)
- Spider plant (also called airplane plant), which will give you “buds” to share with friends
- Succulents, especially burro’s tail or colorful varieties of hens-and-chicks or sedum
If you do have outdoor space, potted annuals, perennials, or dwarf evergreens are colorful and practical, for both shady and sunny locations.
Easy living at Veranda of Pensacola
Everything about independent and assisted living here at Veranda is designed to help make your retirement years easy, active, and fulfilling. Our residential spaces, common areas, and landscaping are all lovely and inviting, but it’s the personal touches that define your home. Colorful houseplants will not only brighten your space, but they will also give you even more reasons to smile every day. Contact us to learn more about living at Veranda of Pensacola.
