With all of the recent snows, if you are like many in our area, a little cabin fever may have set in by now.

Or seeing all of the white landscape outside, you may simply be longing for something a little greener in your world. You can accomplish that task by adding some new houseplants to your indoors!

Houseplants are often the overlooked part of gardening, yet are so important for a variety of reasons. They make you feel better by adding a green, growing, living thing to your home. They can brighten a winter weary room. If they are a bloomer, such as an african violet, they will add color and perhaps fragrance to your home. They are well known to help clean and purify the sometimes stale indoor winter air.

Some houseplants are definitely easier than others to grow and care for and I’ve chosen a few of my favorites to share this week, along with why I think they are important or fun to have in your home.

It seems like everyone has had a spider plant at one time or another and they have been a popular choice for many years. You are probably most familiar with the variegated or reverse variegated varieties, but they also come in a solid green. They are easy to grow and care for and non-toxic for cats that seem to like eating them. However, they do contain chemical compounds related to opium so I wouldn’t recommend letting your animals feast on them, if possible. Also known as airplane plants, they thrive in cool to average temperatures and are very resilient.

Pothos is another common houseplant that is a good choice. Easy to grow, this plant is a vine and can easily be trained on a pole if you need something with some height to it, or planted in a basket as a hanging plant. Pothos is easy to grow in bright light and takes little water, but golden pothos is poisonous so isn’t a good choice for homes with small children or pets.

Aloe Vera is a plant you should have in your home for a variety of reasons. Not only is it a great succulent which is easy to grow, it will thrive in a bright, sunny window. The gel inside of the plant is best known for its healing properties for burns and cuts, but some also use the juice to drink. These are easy to grow and divide.

If there were a prize given for what is perhaps the most tolerant and easiest plant to grow, it should go to the Sanseveria or Snake plant. Also known as mother-in-laws-tongue, this plant is another that most people have owned at one time and I remember them in our house when I was growing up. Super easy to grow, tolerant of most conditions, these plants can be neglected, abused and ignored and yet they still seem not only to survive, but thrive. They will survive in low light, with little water, so this is a great “starter” plant if you are new to the world of gardening and don’t want a fatality on your hands.

English ivy is another one of my favorites for its ease of care and appearance in a home. This plant has long been popular as a houseplant and is another that can easily be trained on a pole or planted as a hanging basket. Ivies are tough and can be used in dish gardens, miniature or fairy gardens, or as a stand alone houseplant. Although they can be aggressive in their growth habits, some varieties are bred to stay small and compact. Ivies do best in moist soil and with bright light and take a little more care than the others, but are still relatively easy to grow for beginners. There are many varieties of variegated ivies, and many solid colors but with differently shaped leaves which is what makes them interesting.

Consider adding a houseplant to your home this month. Not only will it bring something green and growing indoors, it just may remind you on these cold, snowy days that spring is just around the corner.

Gail Vanik can be reached at 970-565-8274 or by email at [email protected].