Consider bringing a touch of home decor into your work space, specifically a plant! Whether you’re actually in an office space or working from home, adding a natural, easy-maintenance plant can bring a tasteful, organic pop of color to your desk that will breathe life into your 9-to-5. But what is a good office plant? Here’s a curated list of adaptable plants that can thrive indoors and on the clock.
Orchid
Looking for a little drama? The bright colors and movement of an orchid will offer some attitude to your stationery. Pick one of their many stunning colors and watch as it transforms your space.
Orchid Care Tips
- Keep its shallow, well-drained soil moist.
- Likes bright but indirect sunlight. Not the right choice for a windowless office.
Order our Farmer’s Choice Orchid
Peace Lily
Soothe your deadline stress with a calming peace lily. As the name implies, this office plant’s white petals represent peace and harmony. NASA even published a study showing peace lilies are better at cleaning the air than the average house plant.
Peace Lily Care Tips
- Mist with lukewarm water once a day, or when dry.
- Prefers indirect, bright light.
- Re-pot your peace lily in the spring.
Snake Plant
This resilient office plant is a great choice if you travel frequently for work. It’s an incredibly low maintenance plant while still being visually interesting. It’s also a popular feng shui decor tool that is said to bring health and prosperity to your career.
Snake Plant Care Tips
- Water about every two weeks, or when soil feels dry two inches deep.
- Avoid overwatering as snake plants are prone to root rot.
- Dust off the leaves with a clean, damp cloth periodically whenever debris accumulates.
Aloe
If you have a rough-n-tumble, hands-on kind of job, an aloe plant may be wise to have in your toolkit. The soothing, antibacterial gel found inside the plant’s leaves can help treat minor scrapes, moisturize dry skin, dull a bug bite itch, and ease uncomfortable sunburns after a weekend at the beach.
Aloe Care Tips
- Water about once every two weeks.
- This succulent loves the sun, but can grow with indirect light.
- Double check your pot has good drainage to avoid root rot, and don’t water until the soil appears dry again.
Gerbera Daisy
This office plant is an automatic mood-booster during those afternoon slumps. Along with its bright colors, the gerbera daisy is known for its air purifying qualities. Look forward to an above average vase life once cut and arranged in a bouquet.
Gerbera Daisy Care Tips
- Thrives best with indirect sunlight, but can survive with less.
- Water your gerbera daisies about once a week, or when the soil is dry to the touch.
ZZ Plant
Add a little air purifying machine to your stuffy office with the adorable addition of a ZZ Plant. This undemanding beauty shares a plant family with the aforementioned peace lily. However, the ZZ plant rarely flowers indoors, but that doesn’t take away from its lush low maintenance!
ZZ Plant Care Tips
- The waxy green leaves are sensitive to harsh direct sunlight, so keep away from bright windows.
- Instead, choose a spot with indirect or low light, including windowless spaces.
- ZZ plants can be toxic to cats and dogs, so keep out of reach of unsuspecting office pets!
Umbrella Tree
If your open office floor plan lets in plenty of indirect light, the aesthetic umbrella tree could be the perfect office plant. Its petal-shaped leaves grow in the shape of—you guessed it—an umbrella! Watch as the stems grow and droop with whimsey.
Umbrella Tree Care Tips
- Loves lots of indirect sunlight and acidic, well-draining soil.
- Rotate periodically for balanced growth.
- Water about every week or when the soil completely dries out.
Red Prayer Plant
Meet the two-toned leafy plant of your dreams. It’s a unique addition to your indoor plant garden with its eye-catching red tones. After you clock out, the leaves will fold up at night, resembling prayer hands. It’ll be the talk of the night crew!
Red Prayer Care Tips
- Prefers bright indirect sunlight and some amount of humidity
- Keep the soil damp and mist the plant once a week.
- Be cautious around pets—their leaves can be toxic!
Money Tree
The supposedly lucky money tree plant is resilient and easy to please, growing up to two feet each year. Feng shui practitioners also claim the money tree carries good chi. Who couldn’t use a little extra positive energy?
Money Tree Care Tips
- Thrives in bright, indirect sunlight
- Water once a week or when soil is completely dry.
- Keep away from drafts or heaters
Chinese Evergreen
The large glossy leaves will make a lively statement, but grow particularly slowly. No need to worry about overcrowding your work space anytime soon. Most of their varietals will grow a light and dark green pattern, but some exhibit contrasting red tones.
Chinese Evergreen Care Tips
- Choose a spot with bright, indirect light coverage.
- Water every two weeks or when the soil is dry.
Jade Plant
This hardy succulent has the potential to be a career-long companion with a lifespan upwards of 70 years. This means it also grows extremely slow, only gaining about two inches of growth per year. So in the meantime, enjoy your compact little jade plant within the confines of a tasteful, low maintenance succulent garden.
Jade Plant Care Tips
- Loves as much full or indirect sun as possible.
- Keep the soil moist but never too saturated.
- Toxic for cats and dogs.
Monstera Deliciosa
Chances are your board room has a big empty corner space dying to be filled with a stunning plant like the monstera deliciosa. Often referred to as the “Swiss Cheese Plant”, the holes in the leaves allow sunlight to reach the bottom leaves. A super neat adaptation originating from the dense Central American tropics.
Monstera Care Tips
- Fertilize once a month, especially in the spring and summer
- Preferential to indirect or low light.
- Water when soil is completely dry, about once a week.
Aglaonema Wishes
Wishing for a pop of color? Opt for the speckled pink leaves of an aglaonema. It’s an easy-going plant that packs a happy punch for very little upkeep.
Aglaonema Wishes Care Tips
- Tolerates low, indirect light.
- Maintain moist soil, but allow for the pot to dry out between waterings.
- Keep curious pets away from this toxic plant.
Peperomia
The dainty, often cute leaves are deceptively sturdy, growing in all sorts of textures and colors. Some varieties look like a watermelon! This is one of the best plants for your office because it’s drought-tolerant and can withstand slight negligence if work frequently pulls you away.
Peperomia Care Tips
- Rarely needs repotting, as long as it’s in a well-draining pot.
- Medium to bright indirect light is recommended.
- Water once the soil is dry, about once every 1-2 weeks.
Spider Plant
If you can overcome your arachnophobia, this is one of the best office plants. It grows fast, dawning long thin leaves called ribbons. Breathe easy knowing it brings air purifying qualities to your work space. It’s extremely adaptable and less is more when it comes to care.
Spider Plant Care Tips
- Avoid direct sunlight.
- Water when the top two inches of soil is dry.
Pothos
Pothos are all over offices and for good reason. The heart-shaped leaves can grow a foot every month, adding a natural, colorful element to the spreadsheets. Find a spot well off the ground to allow for the vines to grow downward. Need to know how to hang plants? Learn at that link or ask your office manager for help.
Pothos Care Tips
- Loves bright, indirect light and can tolerate fluorescent lights.
- Water every week or when the soil is dried two inches deep.
- Pothos are toxic to animals.
Bromeliads
Be the talk of the water cooler with this unique flowering plant. Watch for the rosettes to sprout in vibrant colors, pulling focus in a sea of neutrals. Originating from the tropics, this office plant typically grows on rocks or trees, but can thrive indoors with some extra moisture.
Bromeliads Care Tips
- Mist the leaves often and water
- Plant in a well-draining container with rich soil.
Hoya Carnosa Tricolor
This is one of the best plants for your office with its small, waxy leaves growing stunning patterns of invigorating colors. It appears in many up-beat colors including neon green, light green, and pink. Vines will playfully trail over the edge of your pot given the right care.
Hoya Carnosa Tricolor Care Tips
- Medium to bright indirect light.
- Water about once every 10 days, or when the soil has completely dried.
- Pet friendly office plant
Cactus
Add an uplifting touch with this independent desert flower. A cactus is one of the best plants for your office because it doesn’t require much watering. It stores enough water to thrive and has evolved to withstand drier soil. Order plants for delivery today and add a lovely heart-shaped cactus to your office collection.
Cacti Care Tips
- Aim for direct light, and lots of it!
- Water every 2-3 weeks and allow for soil to dry between waterings.
Bird’s Nest Fern
Add a bit of texture to your desktop with this office plant’s spoon-like fronds that cascade around a central rosette. The sides of the leaves pucker and curl like crinkle-cut fries. Give a bird’s nest fern a nourished life in Corporate America.
Fern Care Tips
- Indirect light —find a spot in a bright room away from the window.
- Water every 1-2 weeks or when soil is completely dry.
- Evenly moist the soil, but never overwater.
Ponytail Palm
Similar to the spider plant, this Mexican native sprouts long skinny leaves for a lasting effect on your coworkers. What’s different is its smooth bark trunk that sprouts from a single bulb. It’s also an extremely low maintenance office plant only needing an occasional sip of water.
Ponytail Palm Care Tips
- Loves bright, indirect light.
- Water every 3-4 weeks.
Now go forth and find the best plant for your office! Pick your favorite low-maintenance garden plant and have fun turning your work space into a corporate greenhouse. Notice how the air will feel cleaner, your creativity becomes refreshed, and you spark connections with other cross-functional green thumbs. You may even find yourself racing into work, impressing your manager, even though it was to water your new growing garden.
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