Whether you’ve shifted to working from home or continue to commute to the office, the essential role of greenery in the workspace remains the same. Studies have shown that bringing plants into an office space can increase productivity by 15 percent. Further research says that plants in the office improve workers’ mental health by reducing stress and anxiety.
Learn about six of the best plants for your office and some essential care tips!
Table of Contents
1. Peace Lily
The peace lily is one of the best choices for the office because of its versatility. It’s comfortable thriving in a number of growing conditions, an essential feature for most offices, as some workspaces have lots of windows and some have none.
Known to be somewhat “diva-like,” the peace lily droops its leaves or “faints” when it needs water. After it gets water, their beautiful, lush leaves will perk back up.
This beginner-friendly plant is also great at neutralizing a myriad of toxins such as carbon monoxide, benzene, toluene, xylene, and formaldehyde — which improves the air quality in the office. Â
2. Â Cast Iron Plant
The appropriately-named cast iron plant is an excellent choice for the workspace, especially for the office. As its name indicates, the cast iron plant can tolerate a fair amount of neglect and prefers a hands-off approach to care. It can grow in conditions that many plants cannot handle.Â
Perhaps its best quality is that, unlike most tropical plants, it doesn’t require a humid environment to thrive. As most office climates are on the drier side, this makes it an ideal home for the cast iron plant. Â
Note: The cast-iron plant is a non-toxic plant, making it an excellent choice for dog-friendly workspaces or the home office. Â
3. ZZ Plant
The zz plant is often mistaken for a faux plant because of its glossy, bright green leaves and seemingly always perky and unchanging appearance. It also has a reputation for being hard to kill, making it a perfect choice for the office.Â
The zz plant can tolerate a very high level of neglect and doesn’t require much light to survive. It also prefers to have its soil thoroughly dried before its next watering. These requirements make the zz plant a fantastic choice for hybrid workers who won’t always be around to water it.
4. Snake Plant
The snake plant is a multi-talented houseplant, which explains its popularity. It can survive in lower light conditions yet can tolerate full sun and doesn’t require much watering.Â
Snake plants prefer to be left alone for the most part, as it’s a succulent that stores water in its leaves. Best of all, it’s great at purifying the air. The snake plant absorbs harmful toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, and trichloroethylene.Â
Snake plants look their best when on a plant stand or grouped in a trough.Â
5. Chinese Evergreen
The Chinese evergreen is another incredibly tough houseplant that perfectly fits the office. That’s because it can tolerate most indoor growing conditions.Â
It also only reaches a maximum height of 3 feet, so it’s a wonderful desktop office plant and laptop-side productivity booster. A minor downfall of the Chinese evergreen is that it detests the cold and should be kept away from drafts. Its leaves will brown, so it’s best to ensure it isn’t sitting near an air conditioning vent.
6. Spider Plant
The spider plant is one of the most popular beginner-friendly office plants. This is because it’s very tolerant of neglect, including inconsistent watering. It’s able to survive in almost any growing conditions while also being an excellent option for pet-friendly workplaces.
Studies show that the spider plant can purify the air by absorbing toxins such as formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, and carbon monoxide. It never hurts to bring plants that double as air purifiers into the office.
Particularly noteworthy is that the spider plant is one of the easiest plants to propagate. After all, it gets its name from the little spider-like plantlets that form at the end of its leaves — baby versions of the plant! Simply set the plantlet on the surface of a pot filled with soil. Then wait until it develops roots before separating it from the mother plant.
Even better, gift the little spiderettes to your co-workers!
You Have To Start Somewhere!
Plants are essential to the office because they help boost productivity, promote mental health, purify the air, and increase happiness and focus. Studies show that even an artificial plant will provide some of the same psychological benefits as live plants!
Most plants on the above list don’t require frequent watering, which is a great feature in an office plant. However, remember that the same plants will suffer due to overwatering.
Can you think of more plants that would fit the office to a T? Share them in the comments below, and pass this article along to family and friends.
