How to choose plants for your office
Plants bring a huge range of benefits to your workplace—from cleaner air and higher productivity, to stress relief and employee wellbeing. But with thousands of species to choose from, how should you select the ideal office plants for your space? Even for the most green-thumbed, this can be an overwhelming task.
Whether you want leafy floor plants or a hanging green wall, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing plants for your office. Natural light levels, ventilation, and other environmental aspects will come into play—then there’s the maintenance to think about. But don’t stress: we’ll lay out how to choose plants that will thrive in your workplace.
Growing conditions for indoor office plants
Different plants need different growing conditions. Light levels, office temperature, and ventilation all impact the types of plants you should choose for your workplace. Don’t worry if you haven’t got this expert knowledge—if you rent your office plants, specialists will help take care of the selection.
One of the most important factors to consider is how much natural light your office space has. South-facing windows get the most daylight, and with east and west-facing windows you’ll enjoy the morning and evening sun. Some office plants need bright spots, while other houseplants prefer it in the shade. There are plenty of indoor plants that do well in darker rooms, so you can still turn your workplace into an urban jungle if you have north-facing windows and low natural light conditions.
Another consideration when choosing your office plants is the temperature and humidity: put a cactus in a damp corner and it will rot, whereas tropical houseplants prefer humid conditions. The presence of heaters can dry plants out, and drafty windows can damage your greenery’s health. Most plants do best in areas with good air circulation—near windows and hallways—so you’ll have to select hardy species for rooms with limited airflow.
How the plants will work with your space
Another point to think about is how the space will be used. In areas with heavy foot traffic, plants can easily get damaged by people brushing past—to avoid damaging your greenery, you might consider having plants on the walls, growing high up, or hanging from the ceiling. As well as protecting the plants, this means you won’t lose any square meterage on your office floor plan.
Unless you want to end up with a shrub that dominates your desk, it’s important to consider office plant size. Plants grow in different ways—some gain height, others grow outwards, or trail down in long vines—so be sure to select a species that fits in each spot. Like all living things, plants need space to thrive: they won’t like being pushed into tight corners or cramped between the furniture.
Everybody loves a dog at the office, but if your employees regularly bring pets to work you’ll have to be careful about having toxic houseplants at floor level—nobody wants to clean up after their furry friend gets sick. Many common office plants are poisonous to animals, and can even be fatal if ingested so using hanging plants is a good way to keep your greenery out of curious pets’ reach.
Selecting the right design for your office
Before you start to think about different species of houseplants, you’ll have to decide the type of installation you want for your workplace. Plants on desks are an easy way to liven up your space with a splash of green—and simple designs using typical office plants still bring all the benefits to health and productivity. Easy-care office plants such as Aglaonema make the perfect desktop friends.
If you’re looking for something more leafy, you might add larger pots and planters. These can be used as space dividers, to brighten empty corners, and to highlight areas such as entrance foyers. Houseplants in the Philodendron family such as Monstera are excellent office floor plants—and as they thrive in indirect sunlight, they’re hard to kill as well.
Climbing plants can turn your workplace into an oasis of green by turning dull, empty wall space into a living, breathing installation. Have your houseplants high up and enjoy a hanging garden of trailing plants such as devil’s ivy. If you want your plants to work for your company brand, how about a statement piece like an interior green wall or moss wall?
Office plant maintenance
Whether you want indoor plants for better air quality, office plants in direct sun, or houseplants for shady meeting rooms, all plants need different care to flourish. There are many simple houseplants that are easy to look after, but if you have a variety of greenery it can get a bit complicated.
When choosing plants for the office you need to remember that the right amount of watering for one plant will drown another. Then there’s pruning to keep your desk pots in top shape, fertilizing, repotting, and all the rest. Luckily, with a plant rental service you don’t have to worry about that: we’ll take care of the maintenance business, so you can get on with yours.
Plantclub.io provides you and your colleagues with the benefits of plants, wherever you work. Rent office plants and transform your space into a green oasis, with flexible monthly membership options to suit your size. Diversify your employee perks with a dedicated company store, where you can give green gifts and your team can buy plants for their home office. Book a time to chat with us today.