Ornamental plants are plants holding an aesthetic value, their sole purpose is to beautify a landscape. Ornamental plants as the name suggests are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects.
Importance Of Ornamental Plants And Their Uses
1. Aesthetically Pleasing
Ornamental plants are grown for their aesthetic features in gardens for personal use or in public places like parks, gardens, etc. These plants are valued for their visually pleasing flowers and foliage. One of the main reasons for growing these flowers is that either they will be used as cut flowers or they can be artistically arranged to create a scenic view.
The practical importance of ornamental plants is only in their beauty. There are different varieties of ornamental plants with different sizes, shapes, and colors. The growth of ornamental plants depends on various conditions and they grow in different climatic ranges, and soil types. Different ornamental plants have different flowering habits, have different color ranges, and are adaptable to different climatic conditions.
According to the variety and hybrids, these plants can be grown either on the bed or can be used as pot plants. Pot plants are practically more convenient as they can be moved according to the user’s wish. Ornamental plants provide the best visual effect in any garden or space where they are placed. Orchids, lilies, and ferns, are examples of ornamental plants. Flowering trees like Jacaranda, Silk cotton tree, etc. can also be considered as ornamental plants. Exposed concrete block foundations are commonly concealed with hedges, private and other shrubs. There are some plants that produce fruits and vegetables and at the same time are so aesthetically pleasing that they are used as ornamental plants.
2. Accentuating Properties And Houses.
Ornamental plants can also improve the value of a property. Planting of ornamental plants strategically on your property for sale can allow you to negotiate with the customer for higher prices. Thus by simply raising these plants, higher prices can be fetched for a rather low-value property land. Moreover, these plants can change the ambiance of a place making it more comfortable and peaceful.
3. Diversifying Existing Flora And Fauna
Ornamental plants have an attractive inflorescence and nectar and therefore these plants play a role by attracting various pollinators proving to be extremely beneficial for the environment. In addition, planting these ornamental plants in the middle of your fruits and vegetables can help in pollination thus increasing the yield considerably. There are ornamental plants that produce berries that can also provide a benefit both as personal use or as a commercially productive crop. Entire gardens of ornamentals are often dedicated to attracting butterflies. For instance, a blueberry field or plum orchards produce beautiful inflorescence along with tasty fruits rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Also, the structure of shrubs and pods offers shelter, food, and homes to many different birds and other wildlife all year and especially during the chilly winter months.
4. Providing Mental Refuge
Ornamental gardens are great places to spend quiet time and meditation. Different ornamental plants grow in different seasons of the years, and therefore to humankind signify different states of mind. Many types of research conducted on the practicality and utility of these plants have proven that raising ornamental plants in hospitals or mental institutions can greatly improve a patient’s disposition and overall physical health. Despite providing a mental refuge working in the garden and doing activities like watering, plowing, etc prove helpful to maintaining your physical health. These activities are easy to perform and can be learned easily without requiring any professional help. With all this menial effort one can create his/her own beautiful ecosystem.
5. Olfactory Appeal
Ornamental plants can also be chosen for their pleasing fragrance. Lavender is widely regarded for its pleasing fragrance; although widely harvested for lavender oil, it is commonly planted in home landscapes for its scent. Similarly, roses are also considered for their scent. The aroma of a rose garden is surely something people can hardly resist. Some fragrant flowers are also raised for their mosquito repelling properties and their extracts are commercially used for preparing formulas to repel mosquitoes and also to beat back various pests which can damage other commercially important crops.
6. Improving Air Quality
Photosynthesis is a process that allows plants to make their own food in addition it produces clean air. Plants take in carbon dioxide as food and release clean oxygen, acting as natural air filters. This process proves to be more productive for indoor environments as the functionality of photosynthesis increases if it is taking place indoors.
Raising ornamental house plants has been shown to improve indoor air quality, even removing tobacco smoke. Some plants are also known to prevent toxicity caused by sulfur-containing gasses. Plants that prove especially effective include spider plants, peace lily, snake plants, and several species of philodendron and dracaena. The healthier the plant more effectively is its toxin-eliminating efficacy.
7. Creating Employment Opportunities
Ornamental gardening on a commercial scale requires a considerable amount of labor. From planting to harvesting many steps are present in between which help in producing beautiful healthy plants. Various cultural operations are required to maintain the quality and quantity of flowers. Storage is an important part of production which requires strict vigilance and control of pests and other animals which can destroy the crop. Moreover transporting these flowers is another important task that requires to be executed with utter care .
8. Medicinal Utility
Many ornamental substances have proven to be effective in various medicinal concoctions. They can be used to cure mild to severe diseases. Processing of these ornamental plants for their valued extracts and compounds has been exploited globally in order to obtain the desired medication. For example, not only is it a beautiful plant but Chamomile has a high concentration of antioxidants. These antioxidants make it a great plant for relieving a variety of ailments. Chamomile is commonly consumed by a lot of people like tea. Drinking a cup of chamomile tea before bed can help you relax and have a more restful night’s sleep. Lavender, dandelions, marigold, John’s wort, and Echinacea are other flowers included in this list.
Conclusion
When it comes to decorating the essential parts of the interior and exterior decoration ornamental plants are the best option. If you want to give a natural and fresh accent to your home environment you should definitely include ornamental plants. Ornamental plants are not just eye-candy but the benefits of ornamental plants will also provide a natural and healthy home environment in a fresh atmosphere.
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