By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer
Dracaena Janet Craig. Image from http://www.dracaena.com
It’s a new year and time to clean out the old and bring in the new: air, that is. Think you may want to use houseplants to clean the air of your home or office from formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide? Those of you that read our posts on houseplants that clean air from NASA and The University of Georgia may now be ready to get your own indoor air cleaning plants. But where are the best places to get houseplants? Some say Home Depot and Lowes, but Home Depot ships their indoor plants –not so great in winter cold! Lowes only has tiny tabletop Aerogardens available from their website.
Lowes does have a great article for selecting indoor plants here. Check out their chart categorizing indoor plants by level of light they need. For example, Chinese Evergreen, Dracaena and Philodendrums require low light. Golden Pathos requires medium indirect light. Aloe and Cactus plants require bright direct sunlight.
To help you find other indoor plant sources, I compiled a list of Chicago plant stores that carry the house plants that NASA and Georgia studies have found to be the best air cleaners. Find the store that’s closest to you and buy your own plants today!
Grand Street Gardens
2200 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 829-8200
Fall 2009 Hours • M-F 9 AM-7PM • Sat & Sun 9 AM-6PM
Grand Street Gardens carries the following indoor plants for air cleaning:
Gethesmane
5739 N Clark St, Chicago, IL
(773) 878-5915
Winter Hours • Monday – Sunday, 9 AM – 6 PM • Free Parking
All of the following 14 plants can be found in the Gethsemane Greenhouse and have been identified by NASA as most effective in cleaning the air;
Adam and Son Gardens
1057 N California Ave, (between Cortez St & Thomas St), Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 235-0991
Hours: Mon-Sun., 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Old Town Gardens
1555 N Wells St (between Burton Pl & North Ave), Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 266-6300
Sprout Home
745 N Damen Avenue, (between Chicago Ave & Lee Pl), Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 226-5950
Farmers Market Garden Center
4110 N Elston Ave (between Belle Plaine Ave & Ridgeway Ave), Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 539-1200
Belmont Flower Market
2558 N Clark St (between Deming Pl & Wrightwood Ave), Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 529-8756
Hours: Mon-Sat., 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Sun., 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Jayson Home and Garden
1885 N Clybourn Ave (between Kenmore Ave & Wisconsin St), Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 248-8180
www.jaysonhomeandgarden.com
Marguerite Garden
5059 N Clark St (between Carmen Ave & Winnemac Ave), Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 506-6295
Where To Buy Houseplants as Gifts
Check out The Chicago Gardener’s blog for tips about gardening and caring for your indoor and outdoor plants.
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