Green-fingered fun

As the days shorten and the nights draw in, Kellie Gillespie-Wright discovers the power of bringing nature indoors

- Kellie Gillespie-Wright

While kicking through leaves on a crisp autumn day is an undoubted joy, when it's cold and dark, getting out to breathe in nature's goodness can seem more of an effort. So how do we bring that magical feeling into our lives each and every day, whatever the weather? One word - houseplants!

Spending time tending plants in the home has enjoyed a huge resurgence lately, to the extent that the internet is now awash with T-shirts and mugs proudly proclaiming their owner to be a 'plant mum'. As we all seek to lower stress levels in our lives, it's not hard to see why they're becoming so popular: as well as being a great interior-design statement, they also have a huge range of physical and psychological health benefits, including reducing stress, boosting mood, lowering blood pressure, improving air quality, and enhancing productivity and creativity.

In evolutionary terms, biophilia (the love of plants) is deeply ingrained in our psyche, and our attachment to plants is primal. A lush, green landscape told our ancestors that they were in a place that could sustain life, and healthy green life signalled to their brains that they were somewhere they could live and thrive.

But we've come a long way since then, and city living has led to a disconnect with nature. Nowadays, people spend considerably more time indoors than out - in fact, a recent study found that we spend 90 per cent of our time inside, and one in eight UK households don't have access to any kind of garden.

We all know the health benefits of spending time in nature, and not having access to the great outdoors can have a number of effects on our wellbeing. It's been linked to symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as other health conditions, such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, and poor immune function.