There’s something about indoor plants, which feels like the outdoors coming inside. Your home office is the perfect place for a few plants, as a way to break up the furniture and to bring a sense of calm to your workspace.
The perfect indoor plants for the home office should be hardy and require medium to low light, to avoid having to have bright lights glaring on your computer screens. They can be grown in pots on your desk or shelving unit, or indeed be either a large floor pot, or in a pot stand.
These plants are a very good choice for people who want something low maintenance but also want something that will look good in their office. They also make great companions for your desk, so even if you don’t work from home you can still enjoy them as an indoor plant!
The benefits of indoor plants for the home office
Everyone likes to dream and imagine what their home office would look like, so it’s no surprise that a lot of people are particularly excited about buying new plants to get the most out of their office.
The benefits of having plants in your office vary depending on the type of business you are running and how much you enjoy gardening (or not). Here is some information on how to choose plants that will not only look good but will also help with productivity, health and energy levels.
If you haven’t already, have a go at our growing list of inspirational indoor garden projects .
What to consider with indoor plants
There are many options of indoor plants for the home office to choose from. Plants in pots, growing kits, and even small containers can all be very useful if you need to make sure that your plants are not damaged or lost in the move of your home or office.
However, not all plants are great for the home office environment. Some may not be able to withstand harsh conditions like sunlight, humidity, moisture levels and temperature changes. In this post we give you some Australian indoor plants that are low maintenance which will work well for your home office environment and also look great when out in your garden!
Sometimes the most difficult part about finding good indoor plants for the home office is choosing one that is low maintenance. The plant needs to be able to withstand long periods of time without having to water it. A lot of people can’t stand the thought of watering their plants, but there are ways to make it easier on them.
The first thing to do is make sure your plant doesn’t need much water at all. This means that you should watch for signs that your plant needs more water (such as wilting or yellowing leaves) and remove the excess before it does. If you are worried about leaving water in your pot, you can use a timer device, like this one , or even just a regular timer app on your phone so you know when your plant needs water.
These timers come in handy when you have guests over who might not be able to help with watering while they cook in the kitchen or when you aren’t sure what time they will be home again and need some peace and quiet while they are cooking.
As an alternative, if you have an aquarium set-up at home or another set-up that isn’t constantly exposed to air, these tall plants will do well in an indoor setting too. They provide shade and still allow light through their foliage, so the plants will receive enough sunlight without getting too hot for extended periods of time. The lower height also makes it easier for them to receive more sunlight than other types of plants can because they aren’t as tall as others are (so they don’t get blocked with taller ones).
12 of the best indoor plants for the home office
A few good indoor plants for the home office, and you can have a flourishing indoor garden. Not only is it a lovely room to work in, but you can use the low maintenance plants to improve the air quality and energy efficiency of your home. If you are like us and enjoy having plants in your office, then you will want to take a look at what we’ve picked for you below.
There are so many different kinds of plants that it’s hard to pick just one. Some of them will be suitable for office use but some won’t. We’ve included a dozen different kinds of indoor plants that would all be great for a home office environment.
Cast Iron plant (Aspidistra)
The name says it all, really. It is one of the most hardiest plants, as tough as cast iron. The Cast Iron Plant is an attractive indoor plant which is able to survive low light and plenty of neglect.
The cast-iron plant has a fairly slow growth rate, therefore plant it in a pot only twice the size of it, and the pot will last a very long time as is, before needing replanting.
Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum Aureum)
This is another great plant for low light, Devil’s Ivy loves to climb, so you can wrap or place its long stems over your bookcase, office cabinet or across the back of your desk, if you have room. Devil’s Ivy is a very tough plant, which will in indirect sunlight and even dimly lit areas.
- Fiddle Leaf Fig for the home office
Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata)
A fiddle leaf fig plant can be grown indoors or outside depending on what climate you live in, so it’s also suitable for temperate climates like ours where winter temperatures can drop below freezing at night. They make charming small pots or planters that are great for decorating your home office or garden room.
The large leaves offer plenty of coverage from sun rays so they don’t need much light; they can even survive on the glow from your desk lamp).
Happy Plant (Dracaena Fragrans Massangeana)
The happy plant can grow to 15 metres in size in the outdoors, however never fear; it’s not going to do that in a home office! A popular indoor plant because of the way this plant just brings you happiness to any room.
Be careful to place your Happy Plant in your home office in a position away from direct sunlight. The leaves can easily scorch on these beautiful plants.
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)
Lucky bamboo is one of the most common indoor plants here in Australia and is perfect as an office plant due to its low maintenance nature and ability to grow indoors without much help. It provides an attractive backdrop for an office environment.
Best indoor plants include Peace Lilly (Source)
Peace Lily (Spathyphylum)
Peace lilies make a fantastic indoor plant for the home office. Not only do Peace Lillies just naturally brighten up any room that they are in, they are also proven to be very good at cleaning the air around them.
Peace Lillies typically have dark green leaves and white flowers, and grow nicely all year round.
Peacock Plant (Calathea Makoyana)
You would be correct in guessing that the Peacock plant is named after a Peacock’s tail, because of its beauty and wide range of green tones. The leaves of a Peacock plant have a feathered effect from light to dark green, from the centre to the edges of the leaves.
New growth has a pink red tone to it, giving it a slight splash of colour as well. Do not place in direct sunlight, leave this indoor plant in a place with low to moderate light within your home office space.
Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea Recurvata)
The Ponytail plant is nothing like a hipster’s ponytail, which is good to know, and also strangely it isn’t even a palm. It is actually more a succulent. Who knew?
The ponytail palm is a good looking, low maintenance plant that is perfect for the home office. They are a popular choice for indoor plant nowadays, and are very slow growing. We’re informed that they can last for decades, or even centuries. Amazing!
- Snake Plant aka Mother In Law’s Tongue (Source)
Snake Plant (Sansevieria)
A snake plant, also known as mother in laws tongue makes an ideal home office plants due to their low maintenance nature which means they require little attention once established (they don’t need much water either). I am absolutely in love with them, and I have a few around my home.
Watch out with overwatering though; if kept too wet, they may start growing roots underneath them which can cause damage so avoid this by keeping them away from drains where water may collect.
Maidenhair fern (Adiantum)
Such a beautiful plant for the low light indoors, the Maidenhair Fern is one of over 200 types of ferns. They display delicate fan-shaped leaves on very thin stems, hence their name.
The Maidenhair Fern is a slow growing plant, taking about three years to reach maturity. They are stunning to look at, no matter the age of this indoor plant.
Maria (Aglaonema)
A fantastic variegated plant, the Maria has beautiful patterns on it, and is perfect for low care environments, such as a home office. They need little care, these evergreen indoor plants are very tolerant of low light.
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia)
The ZZ Plant is well known for it’s air cleaning qualities, and is a great way to rid your home office of pollutants. A ZZ plant only needs to be watered once every 3-4 weeks, and needs to be kept away from direct sunlight. These qualities makes it ideal for the home office.
Creating a healthy home office with plants
People have long been known to spend their time working on the computer, but in recent years, the health of their home office has also become a concern. The amount of time people spend in front of a computer is not only a matter of personal preference but also reflects the fact that we are a society that values our “work-life balance”.
Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that people who spend more time at home are more likely to be overweight and obese. This is due to both environmental factors and lifestyle choices (such as eating more junk food), though there may be other, unknown factors that contribute to this.
It’s no secret that most people will prefer to keep their home office neat and tidy, but it seems that adding indoor plants for the home office can help improve employees’ productivity.