A fresh perspective

A friend of Eric's from work shared a list of houseplants that are particularly good for indoor air quality. We've had two houseplants for a while now - an aloe vera named Mr. T and a skinny-leafed teeny tree who we call Rev. Jesse Jackson (or just "The Reverend") - and they are both thriving. With our solid track record and this impetus we thought perhaps it was time for them to have some friends.

When Barbara was in town last week she and I took Emerson and went to a plant store called the Plant Warehouse which had good reviews on Yelp. It was described as "jungly" inside which I did not but should have interpreted to mean "not stroller friendly." They also have free wine. I'm new to plant shopping but I sense this is not typical. As far as I could tell the place was not also a spa.

With help from the friendly staff we came home with four new plants to freshen our air:

• "Mother-in-law's Tongue" - which looks sharp and potentially injurious. It is a dramatic-looking plant and I like the severity of it (there are few houseplants I would describe as "severe" so I guess that makes it stand out
• Janet Craig - weird that this is the name of a plant; it seems more like a name I would give to a plant. It is a cheerful friend
• Mums - we got dark red ones that seem to be enjoying living next to the heater
• Gerber Daisies - who doesn't love Gerber daisies? We got a small little plant that just has three flowers on it right now. They started wilting and leaning over so I watered them and propped them up with the help of a pencil. They are perkier now.

I have no idea if the air is fresher but it is definitely prettier having some greens in here.