The day lilies have faded, and chrysanthemums are stepping up to take their place. Sure, they'll lend an autumnal backdrop as we sip pumpkin lattes while wearing football jerseys, but then what? Once the leaves have dropped and the coneflowers have become brittle, brown shadows of their former selves, where's a plant lover to turn?
Indoor plants offer "a multitude of benefits to residential and commercial spaces," advises Jonathan Lehrer, chair of the Horticulture Department at Farmingdale State College and who teaches a course on indoor plants. And when people "become more dissociated from the natural world, indoor plants help preserve a tenuous connection," he adds.
But take care: Houseplants, unlike garden plants, are completely reliant on their owners for sunlight and nutrition. Get grounded in these fundamentals, then consider my picks for this year's trendsetters.
