Make it feel like spring with houseplants and the NARI Milwaukee Spring Home Improvement Show
Winter may own the outdoors in Wisconsin right now, but indoors, it’s prime time for nurturing houseplants.
That’s one of the messages horticulturist Melinda Myers plans to bring Friday to the annual NARI Milwaukee Spring Home Improvement Show at State Fair Park in West Allis.
“Actually, houseplants kind of were my entryway into my career in horticulture. A lot of us were growing houseplants, terrariums. We even had macramé hangers back in the ’70s,” Myers said in an interview this week. “It’s all come back, and what’s so exciting is we’re seeing people of all ages — especially a lot of younger people — who are new to gardening getting excited about houseplants.”
Myers is known around Wisconsin for her advice on outdoor plants and gardening, but houseplants are a solid bridge between fall and spring for people who love to grow, she said.
“Even for those of us who are avid outdoor gardeners, growing houseplants — especially if you look out the window right now and see all that snow — I’m thinking my houseplants keep me sane during the winter. It keeps you gardening year-round," she said.
Plus, Myers said, indoor plants “do great things for your house.”
“NASA did research and found that houseplants help remove a lot of the toxins that cause ‘sick office syndrome,’” she said. “By having like 15 to 18 small sized plants in your house you can really help take some of those toxins out of the air so you improve the air quality.”
In addition, she said, gardening indoors and outdoors improves well-being.
“It lowers our blood pressure, elevates our mood, makes us less stressed,” Myers said. “A lot of people are looking to nature to de-stress and relax. And so having plants in your home brings nature indoors.”
Plus, in a season like this winter, it can help relieve cabin fever.
“You know we can prune and do some of those things outdoors, but to really plant and watch plants grow, we’ve got a little while to wait," she said. "So this allows us that opportunity to just keep touching the soil and keep tending plants and feeding our soul that way.”
Myers' show is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday in the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park, where the NARI show begins Friday morning.
She said houseplant gardeners need to have the right plants for their skill level and the time they can devote to it.
“I’m trying to help people be successful. I’ve got tips for newbies and for those that may have tried and it didn’t work,” Myers said.
The NARI Milwaukee Spring Home Improvement Show opens at 10 a.m. Friday and runs through Sunday. NARI stands for National Association of the Remodeling Industry, and the show includes more than 250 exhibitors with expertise in everything from kitchen and bathroom remodeling to roofing and landscaping.
The three-day show features a variety of special guests, contests and attractions. Among them:
SkillsUSA competition: For the second year, NARI is hosting the official Wisconsin SkillsUSA event in which 14 teams of high school students will be given a blueprint to construct a section of a house over two days, using their carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and presentation and professionalism skills. The four-member teams must start from scratch and use wall framing, drywall, plumbing and electrical know-how to construct the home section, which will include a window and a door. The winning team will advance to the national SkillsUSA Championship in June in Louisville, Kentucky.
Sherwin Williams Color Trend Interior Design Challenge: Based on “cavern clay,” the Sherwin Williams color of the year, students from Milwaukee Area Technical College, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Mount Mary University and Waukesha County Technical College will design a unique room.
Home Solutions Stage: Area experts will cover a wide variety of topics, such as “Color Trends for 2019” and “The Latest in Kitchen and Bath Materials.”
Culinary events: Cooking demonstrations by Mad Dog & Merrill, LeRoy Butler and Shaun O’Neale, who won the title of MasterChef in 2016.
RELATED:Head into the kitchen with LeRoy Butler at the NARI Spring Home Improvement Show
The Park: An area where visitors can relax and have a drink amid water features and musical entertainment. Vinnie Hines, a former "American Idol" contestant, is scheduled to perform from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Show hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Cost is $10 in advance (online only) and $12 at the door. Seniors 60 and older pay $8 at the door, while children 17 and younger get in free. Retired and active members of the military enter free with ID.
Parking is $6.
For more information on the NARI Milwaukee Spring Home Improvement Show or to receive a free copy of the NARI membership directory, call (414) 771-4071.