5 Best Office Plants

Cool, crisp temperatures are right around the corner. Autumn is approaching.  The leaves will fall from the trees and then before you know it, winter arrives turning the air (and your office) cold. Soon enough you’ll come to work when it’s pitch black and return home through the glare of the setting sun. It’s a little depressing to think about all of the warm sun, fresh air and green trees you are going to miss but there are ways you can bring “summer” to your office all year long.  To prepare for the shorter, colder days be sure to get as much natural light in your office as you can and add a little cheer to the office for less than 10 bucks with a friendly, growing plant.

In addition to giving you a great mood boost, growing plants in your office will help keep the air clean (and make it smell fresher). But which plant should you choose? NASA performed a clean air study of plants that are the best at removing toxins from indoor air. Way to go chlorophyll! In addition, plants give you yet another excuse to get up and take a break (for watering, or occasional trimming), and breaks are proven to make you a more productive worker — some evidence has even been found that plants, themselves, contribute to higher productivity.

Here are 5 best office plants:

Snake Plant

or mother-in-law’s tongue, makes a huge statement in the office. It has attractive sword-like leaves that grow somewhat tall, making it excellent for focal interest or screening.

Peace lilies 

aren’t like the lilies you see at funerals, and while they do bloom, their flowers are just modified leaves (which means that they last for longer than regular flowers do). Peace lilies grow well with just the light from overhead bulbs, once-a-week watering, and not much else.

English ivy

is an invasive species; so don’t chuck it in the backyard or the woods behind the office if you don’t want it anymore, because it will displace native plants. But because it is so hardy, it is an ideal office plant, and will grow long, pretty tendrils of leaves that you can ‘train’ in various directions (on a trellis, along the top of a cubicle divider, or let them drape down over the desk edge).

Red Edged Dracaena

otherwise known as the Madagascar Dragon Tree can grow up to 15ft in height. With long, slender canes and vermillion edged leaves, it is possible to train to grow in certain curves and shapes for very interesting sculptural effects.

Florist Chrysanthemum

is one of the primary air-filtering plants, whisking away formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene. These beautiful mums work hard at removing air pollutants found in offices caused by the chemicals in upholstery, paint and carpet.

An office should have, at a minimum, one plant for every 100 ft. of office space to efficiently help purify indoor air pollution. Of course, more is always better. Because they’re so good for us, it just makes sense to share our spaces with hardworking office plants.