If you live in an urban environment, maintaining a connection to the natural world may not be as simple as walking out your front door. While city apartments and lofts are a great place to live, giving ready access to numerous urban amenities, they can also leave you short of space to satisfy your aspirations for a green thumb. Ingenious Instagramer's have taken to the task and excelled in the creation of indoor greenery that rivals or even beats the best-tended suburban gardens. Here are four simple ways you can stay connected to nature on the daily.

Use scents to evoke memories

Smell, whether indoors or outdoors can really bring you back to places, or improve your mood. When you're home, take off your mask and breath in the aromas from items like lavender- or botanical-scented candles to remind you of a visit to a lavender farm. 

Taking a friend for a Sunday morning hike

Hiking is a great way to experience nature, and whether you're on a back-alley mural tour or a forest hike, getting outdoors will bring you closer to nature. Bring along a friend for conversation and to help you spot things you may have missed otherwise, make it a regular day of the week to keep each other accountable and get high-quality personal interaction. 

Cultivate your relationship with plants - like Bonsai!

In a London study researchers found that proximity to trees was associated with reduced rates of anti-depressant prescriptions; in other words, more trees = less depression. Bonsai are small and easier to control than street trees; think about how to create a relationship with trees through a few small potted specimens in your yard, on your balcony, or near a bright window indoors. 

Create a space full of greenery

Who doesn't like those photos of apartments filled with plants? Or maybe you already have a space filled with greenery and just need some more variety in size and shapes.