Using Free Foliage From the Garden to Brighten Up Your Home.

G'Day friends! I'm so glad you stopped by to say hello today! Welcome also to my new friends who have so kindly joined up and are following NatashaInOz.com! It always makes me so happy to find new friends so thank you very much!

I hope that everyone has had a great week so far. It looks like many bloggers are either busy getting kids back to school after the Summer Holidays or getting ready for Spring Break as is the case in our house!

I have started Spring cleaning at our place and as much as I hate cleaning I always feel so much happier when the house is sparkling clean. In my last post I mentioned that I am trying to be greener by using cloth shopping bags. Another way I am Greening up my life is by adding more greenery to our home décor.

 I am having trouble finding good quality fresh flowers, though, so I have been using lots of free
foliage from the garden. 

I love having fresh flowers in our house because they make our home so happy and cheerful and, according to behavioral research conducted at The State University of New Jersey, fresh flowers can actually improve our emotional well-being!

The study was partially funded by the Society of American Florists and it shows that the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed. Researchers said that many flowers have pleasing scents, shapes, and colors, which may contribute to our positive reaction to them. Flowers also have long-term positive effects on moods with study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction. (Source)

Another study conducted in 2006 by Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital found that  simply displaying fresh-cut flowers in the home can have advantages because the presence of flowers in the home increases feelings of compassion, decreases anxiety and boosts energy and enthusiasm at work.

The greatest mood-boosting effects were felt when fresh-cut flowers were placed in the kitchen, dining room, or family room. "Flowers bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room," Dr. Haviland-Jones stated. "They make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere."

Now, don't despair if you are like me and you can't find any decent fresh flowers! Just do what I do and go walking around your garden (or your parent's garden!), find some foliage and plonk it artfully place it in a vase.

Gum~nuts from the Eucalyptus tree, an iconic Specimen of Australian flora.

So, don't think that you can't have fresh foliage in your home. There is always a way to make your home bright, cheerful and welcoming any time of the year!

Dracaena marginata tricolour with Variegated Ginger Alpina zerumbet `Variegata` plant leaves

Well, I'd best be off so I can finish my last few jobs for the day and visit all the lovely bloggers who have dropped to Say G'Day this week!

Thank you so much for visiting me in my little corner of the world today.

Best wishes for a fabulous day,

Natasha In Oz 

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