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The fall Raleigh Fairgrounds Southern Ideal Home Show is here, running this weekend September 13-15 at the NC State Fairgrounds.  With the change of seasons come new trends, and the show’s special guest Egypt Sherrod (HGTV’s Married to Real Estate) says “Organic Luxe” is the vibe for autumn. Organic luxe is all about bringing the outside in, and indoor plants are key to achieving it.

To get you moving toward Organic Luxe we turned to the experts at NC State Extension Master Gardeners for advice on indoor plants.  NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Wake County will be ready to take all your questions in the Graham building, booth 733. They bring a mountain of resources to the show on native plants, bees, soil testing, and much more.

Here's more insight from Amy Bruzzichesi MSW, HTR NC State Extension Therapeutic Horticulture Program Manager.

 Did you know that the third week in September is  National Indoor Plant Week? It’s the perfect time of year to celebrate the plants we live with and care for indoors and think about how they relate so well to therapeutic horticulture. 

Just like people, every plant is a native of somewhere– so what we call “houseplants” are often tropical plants that have been cultivated for growth habit, color, scent, texture, or other properties that people find attractive. The one thing they have in common is that they would thrive in their preferred outdoor environment, and that indoors is not that place!

So it’s up to us as the guardians of these plants to help them feel a bit more comfortable sharing the great indoors with us. Houseplant tags are often difficult to decipher; some of them don’t even have the plant’s real name, and others only indicate what light level the plant prefers. What about water, nutrients, soil drainage? How big will it get? How will you know if it’s not doing well? N.C. Cooperative Extension’s resources have you covered with lots of great information on how to look after your houseplants. 

Again, like people, it takes a bit of time to get to know a new plant’s preferences. N.C. Cooperative Extension has a fantastic new feature on the Plant Toolbox to help select and care for houseplants: just go to the left-hand menu and click on “houseplants” in Landscape Location to learn about over 500 houseplants! If you’re trying to identify a plant, you can also use a phone app like Google Lens to snap a picture of the plant in order to learn its botanical and common names and maybe even some care tips. 

In Therapeutic Horticulture, houseplants can be one of the most accessible ways to help a not-yet gardener make their way towards a plant connection. Caring for another living thing creates a bond and a connection that can be healing for someone who has been hurt, or who has hurt others. It’s also a way for someone who depends on people for care, such as someone with chronic illness, to step out of that role for a short while and be the caregiver to a plant. These connections may seem small in writing, but TH participants are often overwhelmed with how connected they feel to the plants they are nurturing. With that confidence, they can start to take steps toward healthy connections with people as well. 

Many people don’t have access to garden space, and some don’t even have access to “patio garden” space for outdoor containers. Caring for a houseplant– or a whole indoor garden of houseplants– facilitates that people-plant connection all the same, and improves emotional and social well-being in the process. 

For more information on the therapeutic horticulture, please visit Therapeutic Horticulture | NC State Extension (ncsu.edu). For more information on the Raleigh Fairgrounds Ideal Home Show, please visit Fresh Ideas Stage Schedule - Fairgrounds Southern Ideal Home Show (raleighfairgroundshomeshow.com).