Office Plants

Well-chosen office plants can instantly enhance your corner of the corporate world. 

Whether your office is across town or down the hall, you can quickly make over your work space with a fresh jungle vibe. You'll find plenty of low-maintenance indoor plants here that you can depend on for years to come.

Photo © Melissandra

Why You Want Office Plants 

Put a couple lush, leafy accents on your desk and you'll create an instant gardenlike ambiance. The natural beauty of plants is soothing and can even brighten your mood.

Want more? Many common indoor office plants clean the air, removing air pollutants caused by chemicals in furniture, paint and carpeting. And you can breathe easier knowing they do a good job of recycling the carbon dioxide that we exhale into oxygen. Yes, plants are good for you.

Just think...for the cost of a mocha latte or two, you can treat yourself to a fresh, long-lasting accent that'll give your mood a lift every day.

And don't you deserve it?

I pulled together a few easy-care plants that make good candidates for sharing your office space.

Heartleaf Philodendron Image © Chekyravaa

Heartleaf Philodendron

Heartleaf Philodendron won't help you climb the corporate ladder, but it will be there with you all the way.

Hardy and long-lasting, this sweetheart-of-a-plant doesn't need coddling, either. It thrives under fluorescent lights and tolerates neglect like few plants can. It'll take just about any challenges you can dish out and you'll never see it suffer.

Photo © Natee Srisuk

Pothos

Pothos is one of the easiest plants you'll ever grow. It tolerates low light, low humidity, and dry soil (at least for a while).

Its handsomely marbled, long-trailing vines make pothos ideal for a shelf or the top of the filing cabinet.

A bit aggressive, pothos may take over the office if you don't watch it. Cut it back once in a while to keep it under control.

Photo by apixel / istockphoto

Peace Lily

This is one of nature's best indoor air purifiers. And it couldn't be more adaptable to life at the office. Peace Lily is tolerant of low light, as well as dry air that's typical of office buildings.

Although easy-going, give it a little nurturing, and it will pay big dividends. Consistently moist soil and bright fluorescent lights will help it bloom.

They make great office plants. Hard working, and never complain. What more could you ask?

Cactus

Owwww! You'll want to be careful where you place a Cactus. 

Your hands can get pricked -- and its spines can easily be damaged -- if it's in a spot where it might get bumped or knocked over.

Cacti grow best in a sunny window. However, I've had one on my desk under fluorescent lights and it did just fine.

Drought-tolerant, this is one plant you don't have to worry about watering while you're on vacation.

Dracaena Marginata Photo © Galina Oleksenko

Dracaena Marginata

Dracaena hardly needs an introduction.

It's a long-time resident in our homes, but it makes a welcome work buddy, too. 

Young plants are easy to fit on a windowsill. Dracaena marginata also thrives under fluorescent lights. If you're a forgetful waterer, this one is for you. It won't easily wilt and make a bad impression.

Photo Irina/Pixabay

Weeping Fig

Known botanically as Ficus benjamina, this tree features graceful, arching branches adorned with glossy leaves. Variegated varieties are even more decorative -- speckled,  splotched, or edged with yellow or white.

There is something you should know before you put one in your office, though. This tree doesn't adapt well to change.

Weeping fig is known to drop its leaves when moved to a new location. Any changes in sunlight or exposure to drafts will cause it to shed. It's a good idea to set weeping fig in front of an east- or north-facing window -- away from drafty doors and air vents -- and leave it. There is good news -- this handsome office plant will grow new leaves when it gets what it wants.

Image Credit © Dmitry Marchenko | Dreamstime.com

Pilea Peperomioides

Round leaves springing out in every direction makes Pilea peperomioides a fun plant to have around. It readily grows offsets so you'll have more of these whimsical work buddies before you know it. (Or share them with your coworkers who will surely want one.)

Set your office plant where it'll have bright, yet indirect sunlight to maintain the bright green color. If you don't have a window available, fluorescent lights will do. This is a easy-going accent you'll love to share your office with year-round.

Image © Chekyravaa

ZZ Plant

Zamioculcas zamiifolia (called ZZ for short) is an undemanding office plant. Its thick rhizomes under the soil store water, making this handsome plant drought-tolerant. If you're a forgetful waterer, this one is for you. Want more? ZZ can handle varying light levels, temperatures, and humidity. It also shrugs off pests.

This handsome plant has a dramatic, upright form, so it's easy to fit in a small work space. Those fleshy, green leaves grow in pairs along each stem, creating a palm effect. One more thing -- ZZ is slow-growing so you won't need to bother repotting this gem for a few years.

Photo by Billberry Photography

Lucky Bamboo

Want instant success? You don't need luck with this easy-care plant. Dracaena sanderiana will grow in a vase of water with stones for support.

Lucky Bamboo is popping up on desks in offices everywhere...and for good reason.

It's bold. Dependable. And it has a well-deserved reputation for being flexible. Sometimes its stalks are braided and twisted into all kinds of shapes.

And that's not all...feng shui enthusiasts believe this plant brings good luck and fortune. I just think it looks cool.