Airing Out

To B.C. Wolverton, the notion that plants can purify the air seems as simple as breathing.

“We are on Planet Earth because of green plants,” he says. “We have created a gas chamber in our homes and offices, and now we need to clean it up.”

His prescription is simple: Use potted plants inside--the more the better. For the horticulture novice, he offers the following hints:

* Buy healthy plants--that’s the key to success.

* When you bring the plants home, take some time to study placement. The plants require light to grow.

* Don’t water them to death--one of the major abuses in novice horticulture. Over-watering can create a lot of humidity and mold. Just touch the soil--if it’s damp at all, don’t water.

* To keep the plants healthy, give them a small amount of liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks. It doesn’t have to be a complicated process, he adds: “Don’t get all hung up on this plant or that plant. The easier plants to grow are among the best, and virtually every tropical indoor plant and many flowering plants are powerful removers of indoor air pollutants.”

But some plants require less care than others. And some have bigger appetites than others. As a starter’s list he suggests this assortment:

* Either areca palm or lady palm, if you have the space. Each can grow to 5 feet.

* The peace lily comes in large and small varieties and can be as beautiful as its name.

* The golden pothos readily produces a cascade of leafy vines.

* English ivy offers a more classical shape.

* Both the split-leaf and heart-leaf philodendron are very easy to grow. And in smoggy Southern California, he suggests, only half-jokingly: “You can put a nice big palm in the back seat of your car.”