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HOUSEPLANTS

Pam Stoler
248.840.0044

Sal Impastato
248.763.2223

www.PamAnciSal.com

A Little Green

Houseplants prove beneficial
for your home and your health.

BLOOMFIELD Spectacular Wing Lake
front 7,600 square foot country French
dream house. Grand foyer with limestone
flooring and barrel ceiling opens to spacious
living room with stone fireplace. Gourmet
island kitchen with breakfast room boasts
curved wall of glass. Main floor master
with marble bath and home office space.
Glass solarium, walk-out lower level with
2nd kitchen, every room enjoys lake
views, stone patio, 1.67 acres with 325' of
frontage paradise! $2,295,000

BIRMINGHAM Premier downtown
location for this updated townhome.
High end finishes throughout including
newer island kitchen with granite and
stainless appliances. Living room and
dining room boast cherry flooring,
fireplace and doorwall to serene private
patio. Master suite with jetted tub and
separate euro steam shower. Finished
lower level with fireplace, first floor
laundry, 2 car attached garage, walk to
everything! 5465,000

B

BLOOMFIELD'S FOX CROFT Four bedroom
family colonial in prime location nestled on
private cul-de-sac Slate foyer leads to living
room and dining room with crown molding
and hardwood floors. White eat-in kitchen with
ceramic floors and doorwall to deck opens to
family room with fireplace and hardwood floors.
Spacious master bedroom boasts walk-in-closet
and updated bath. Private vaulted library with
bookcases and large storage closet. Expansive park
like yard with multi-der deck, new landscaping
and attached side entrance garage. 5309,000

DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM
Four bedroom renovated charmer with a huge
yard located on a premier street. Living room
with arched entry, fireplace and bookcases
leads to sunny library / solarium. Classic
white kitchen with granite tops, butcher
block island, stainless appliances opens to
vaulted Family room with fireplace and
custom built-ins. Upper level features master
suite with walk-in-closet and white marble
bath, finished lower level playroom, beautiful
landscaping. $995,000

Hall

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66

April 7 • 2011

right blooms, the smell of
fresh-cut grass and a warm
breeze may be missing this
time of year, but there are ways you
can brighten up the indoors and bring
some summer gardening back into
your life.
Houseplants create a fantastic dis-
traction for passing the winter dol-
drums as we eagerly await summer.
In addition, they also provide valuable
health benefits during our harsh cold
months. Most houseplants add oxygen
and humidity back into the air and
some can even rid an area of toxins
expelled by materials used to build,
decorate and furnish a house.
Indoor plants are ideal to keep-
ing the summer spirit alive, adding
a splash of color or texture in your
home and providing wonderful health
benefits. By following just a few simple
steps, you can host healthy and beauti-
ful houseplants in your living space.
After plants are arranged appropri-
ately in their containers, you'll need to
find a suitable location for them. The
first step in keeping a plant healthy is to
situate it away from any drafty areas or
heat sources. For instance, do not place a
fern by a front or back door, or on top of
a heating vent. Heat sources such as fire-
places will also cause plants to dry out.
Many of us overwater our plants.
Using a product that regulates overwa-
tering and infuses soil with oxygen, like
Safer Brand Oxygen Plus Plant Food,
will allow you to avoid the woes of over-
watering, which result in wilting, dulling
and death of the houseplant.
Placing houseplants indoors where
the sun will hit them only about four
to six hours a day is sufficient. Sunlight
results in denser, greener foliage and
overall healthier plants.
Like us, plants would much rather

be outdoors than stuck inside during
warm and sunny days. Houseplants
can be moved outdoors after the dan-
ger of frost has passed. Moving house-
plants outdoors is easy and will add
a great decor element to entryways,
porches or decks.
Before moving plants outdoors, add
about two inches of potting soil to
their containers, as this amount has
probably decomposed in the container
during the winter months. Once out-
side, you should soak your plants from
top to bottom.
In the initial stages of a houseplant's
transfer outdoors, it is important to
gradually introduce them to nature.
Placing plants in direct sunlight for the
length of a day will put them in shock,
so it is best to acclimate them over a
one- to two-week period. Introducing
them to the outside under shade of a tall
tree will ease them into this transition.
The outdoors offers a houseplant
many elements that allow them to
thrive, but also exposes them to
residents of nature they may not
have encountered before. Using an
organic insecticide, like Safer Brand
Houseplant Insect Killer, will keep your
plant from being eaten in the outdoors.
When you notice that leaves or
petals have been snacked on, or you
actually see a bug on the plant, you can
spray the entire plant to ensure that
bugs will be killed organically and your
plant will not be harmed.
Not only do potted plants add design
elements to interior and exterior living
spaces, but they are also beneficial to
your health. So go ahead, indulge in a
houseplant or two. A little green can
really do the body good. I 1

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