I am so blessed to live in a home that has a beautiful view of a magnificent gorge. I don’t have green-finger skills with indoor pot plants, so am grateful that much green input comes from outside. But sometimes I do love to bring some of the outside in.
Biophilia – Green Leaves Everywhere
If we dont have a beautiful bunch of flowers available, I often simply pick green leaves to fill a couple of blank spaces.
I was struck by the neccesity for plant material, when I worked with a home stylist, who encouraged us to fill every counter, shelf, table top or window sill with something fresh and green before we put our house on show.
It seems that being around natural things does tend to make us relax and feel at ease.
Biophilia – Green Leaves and the Science Behind it.
The term biophilia (the love of natural things) was used by the German-American psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in his book The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness(1973)
Biologist and naturalist Edward O. Wilson expanded on the topic in his book Biophilia (1984).
It seems that we have an affinity for natural things. There is something about God’s creation that draws and refreshes us.
So when flowers are few – Green leaves are a great go-to!
- Fill a vase with 1 type of leaf, or mix up a few for a variety of shades and textures.
- Leaf arrangements will help the budget – They are easily available and often last longer than flowers.
- Green leaves have a soothing effect
A while ago we printed a cardboard vase, using leaves from the garden, and filled that was with fresh green leaves too.
A bunch of leaves from my garden. I find that Podocarpus Henkelii does well in a vase, as well as the leather ferns we have and the mini delicious monster-type leaves too. (Not too sure of their name)