Offices are notorious for being dull and bare, but plants offer an easy way to liven up your space. We spoke to Nicky Roeber, Online Horticultural Expert at Wyevale Garden Centres, who told us his top five plants to improve your office environment.

Adding plants into your office space is a great way to freshen up the room, as well as improve your mood and wellbeing. You don’t want to be watering your plants constantly, so it’s best to consider something that’s very low maintenance and that can tolerate your workplace's conditions. Some even have great air purifying properties that can increase your productivity. I’ll be giving you my top five plants to freshen up your office environment.

Cacti and succulents

Cacti and succulents are becoming increasingly popular at the minute. As some of the hardiest plants you can get, they survive on very little water, so are perfect for office environments. 

They can grow in all sorts of interesting shapes, and some can also grow brightly-coloured flowers that are great for adding a splash of colour to brighten up the space. Growing plants has been linked to improved mood and wellbeing and, because cacti and succulents are usually pretty hard to kill, watching them grow and thrive will give you a great sense of satisfaction.

They do prefer a lot of sunlight, though, so it’s best to keep them on a windowsill if you can. They usually don’t grow very big, so they’re perfect for smaller offices where there isn’t much room for a bigger plant.

Peace lily

Peace lilies are very pretty, with their shiny leaves and long white flowers. They make great office plants because they don’t need a lot of light to thrive, and can generally tolerate the dry air from air-conditioning.

They also have great air purifying properties, as they're able to remove significant amounts of chemicals like trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde. These toxins have been associated with eye irritation and headaches, which can then lead to lower levels of productivity. So, having a peace lily on your desk could actually help you get more work done!

Snake plant

Snake plants have interesting, long leaves and are very hardy. They survive best at normal room temperature, don’t need lots of light, and can last up to a month without water. 

Like the peace lily, snake plants also help to increase productivity by removing toxins like trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air.

Pothos

Pothos are extremely popular for office environments and are relatively easy to take care of. With their bright green leaves, they’re the perfect plant to brighten up even the bleakest of office spaces, which will certainly improve your mood and make you feel more productive. Pothos can usually survive in low light and only need watering when the soil is dry to the touch. All they need is an occasional trim to stop them growing too wild.

Chinese evergreen

Chinese evergreen plants also work very well in office spaces thanks to their air-purifying properties. They also emit higher levels of oxygen than other plants, which means you’re going to have increased levels of productivity and improved wellbeing. 

Chinese evergreen plants can still thrive in offices that don’t have many windows, because they can usually tolerate low levels of light. They’re perfect for warm and humid environments, and are pretty hardwearing plants that don’t really need too much looking after.

An indoor plant can be the perfect addition to brighten up your workplace, and these five plants not only look great, but will improve your health, wellbeing and productivity in the office, too! 

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