Dick Chase of Newburyport’s Arrowhead Farm dropped us this note after our posting last week on the science of house plants that remove VOCs and other indoor air pollutants.

Hi Ron….the use of indoor plants as air purifiers was common from the early Victorian Era through the 1970’s. In the 1980’s fake plastic plants took over the market as cheap alternatives that needed no care whatsoever. What a pity—puttering with a few house plants each day is so amazingly therapeutic, and a real spirit booster in the dead of winter, in addition to the air cleansing potential. It’s the indoor version of what I refer to as “Garden Yoga”. Very uplifting. At Arrowhead, we feel so strongly about this, that, starting in the fall of 2010, we will be including houseplants as part of the last Share distribution of the season for all of our CSA members. Regards,
Dick Chase