Decorating with plants in an office is an important aspect that every business should consider. Producing an esthetically pleasing and healthy workplace adds to productivity as well as helps promote happy employees and customers. Plants enrich our living and working environments.
One important part to remember, however, is to never use plants that have pungent odors. Not everyone enjoys strong gardenia or hyacinth smells. Even the wonderful smell of balsam pine can be offensive to some coworkers. Some people may actually be allergic to the plants themselves, even the ones that don’t have a strong scent. Consider employee and customer needs when deciding on the right plants for your office.
Here are our top five picks for what may be best when considering bringing in some plants to help promote a little more liveliness in your office’s work environment.
Peace Lily
Peace Lily is a large, space-filling plant that can also help clean the air in the office. They can grow to six feet high and four feet wide. Needing minimal light, it is able to grow in the limited light of an office building, making it ideal for those buildings missing the large office windows. Peace Lilies can flourish well in a range of temperatures, but prefer temperatures above 55 degrees. While they grow and flourish in minimal light, Peace Lilies will require more light to actually bloom. Blooming or not, occasionally the root system will produce a foul odor. That indicates it needs to be transplanted to a larger container or divided into several containers like that of our Shanghai Fishbowl Planter. That should cure the problem.
Chinese Evergreen
Chinese Evergreen is another plant that is easy to maintain and can survive even with some neglect. It, too, can thrive in low light and can remove toxins from the air. With no odor, it is ideal for any office environment. It also can start out small and grow to three feet high and three feet wide. Adequate space for growth is needed. A great planter for this type of plant would be our Kathryn Square Tapered Planter.
Snake Plant
Snake Plant is a tall ribbon-like green plant. With dark green and yellow, the bands make a striking and eye-catching plant. A few of them together make for a creative partition. It is very tolerable of low light or indirect sun and low watering. During the winter months, it requires even less water. It grows to a height of twelve to fourteen inches. The width will be limited to the size of the container as it does not spread out. We love the look of a few of these placed in a medium sized container like that of the Cuba Low Rectangular Planter.
Weeping Fig
Another great choice for the office is the Weeping Fig. It comes in many varieties of colors and textures that are sure to please. The waxy green leaves of this plant can help filter toxins from the air such as formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. Their shiny plastic look can even add to the aesthetics of the office life. Slow growing plants like the Weeping Fig need little attention, and this great plant needs only be transplanted every couple of years. Many of our customers that use the Weeping Fig in their designs love to plant it in our Alzira Bowl Planter.
Cactus
Cactuses, or cacti, are another low-maintenance, high-appeal plant requiring little attention. Spaces with full sun are best for the cactus. This durable plant comes in many varieties from desk-top sizes to the large saguaro cactus. Accustomed to arid climates, cacti and thrive on little water for long periods of time. We suggest giving this plant to the coworker that can’t remember to water their plants.
The selection of office plants can provide wonderful decor to your environment. To find a distributor near you for the best containers for your selection, visit Jay Scotts Collection. Warming your space with plants will add peaceful surroundings that will be enjoyed by employees and customers for years to come.