For several years now, we have supported Houseplant Appreciation Day which is always on January 10. We also spent several years turning Blue Monday green i.e. suggesting houseplants as an antidote for what has been suggested to be the low point in January every year.

A walk in the woods or playing in green parkland is good for our children's physical and mental health. If these opportunities aren't near at hand then creating a healthy, green learning environment is a good option. With the wealth of research available about the general benefits of plants, some would say this should be the way forward anyway

Along with improved concentration and better productivity, being in touch with nature also feeds our creative juices. Early research carried out by Dr Roger Ulrich found that plants stimulate the way we think and our creativity by as much as 45%. Perhaps this is even more important in an age when technology distracts us constantly.

While we are always, understandably, singing the praises of plants and championing the many routes that research into their benefits has taken, businesses are interested in the bottom line first and foremost. As our members are all businessmen and women too, we understand this but we are also passionate about plants and what they can achieve. We want to share our knowledge.

Living is stressful in the 21st Century - that was a section heading in our book 'Plants for Wellbeing' published in 2018. That was before we were dealing with a pandemic and lockdowns!