Last Updated on October 31, 2021 by Phil
Want to spruce up your workplace with a touch of nature? Here are the best office plants that don’t need a lot of sunlight. They’re also able to withstand neglect and lack of watering without dying on you.
This makes them easy to care for indoors even for very busy people.
The good news is, there are so many plants that are well suited for indoor conditions. They enjoys the temperatures we do and don’t mind the extra humidity as well.
Depending on what you’re looking for, you can go with small trees, desk plants, or floor plants. Some are flowers with brilliant colors. Others are foliage plants.
But, all of them look amazing yet different.
Check them out and choose the ones you like most.
Best Office Plants
Cactus
Everyone is familiar with cacti because they appear quite often in cartoons as well as movies. But, something that many people don’t know is that there are over 1,000 varieties of cacti.
Most of these can be grouped by category based on their characteristics. And, when you do so, you’ll notice that there are 2 big groups that do very well indoors. And, they both don’t need a lot of maintenance which makes them easy to care for.
These are the desert cacti and the forest cacti. The former is the one most of use are familiar with. The latter are those found is tropical and subtropical forests which enjoy warm, humid conditions as well. This makes them very similar to houseplants.
Snake Plant
Snake plants are very popular houseplants which makes they perfect for offices as well. They have a beautiful unique look thanks to the their stiff foliage that stands upright.
In addition, the lovely yellow stripes on the border of its leaves make them stunning to look at.
Interestingly, they’re amazing at purifying the air of indoor pollution. In fact, NASA has named the snake plant one of the top air purifying plants around.
Snake plants grow up to as much as 12 feet tall. Although most are much smaller with some only reaching 6 inches high.
They thrive in low light conditions and partial which makes them a good choice for offices even if you don’t have lots of windows.
ZZ Plant
The ZZ plant is another well-known indoor plant because you can neglect it quite a bit and it will not die on you. it is likewise fairly low maintenance which is my many offices and homes have them.
This means you don’t need to water it often, nor do you have to keep a watchful eye to keep it alive.
In case you were wondering, ZZ stands for Zamioculcas zamiifolia, which is the plant’s botanical name. Since the name is long and difficult to pronounce, most people just shorten it to ZZ.
That said, the plant itself grows up to 3 or 4 feet high. It is a tropical perennial which makes it well-suited for indoor conditions which is moderate to slightly warm and a bit humid.
Pothos
Pothos are trailing vines. This means that as their stems get longer then tend to overflow from the pot and trail downwards. This feature makes them perfect for hanging containers and baskets where you allow their vines to grow long downwards and show off their beautiful leaves.
Pothos, like snake plants are very common indoor plants because they’re easy to care for. You don’t need to water them often. And, even if you forget, they’re very forgiving and won’t quickly die or deteriorate on you.
In addition to their high tolerant for neglect, they’re beautiful as well. Depending on the variety you have, they can grow up to 20 or 40 feet long.
Similarly, you can choose from different kinds of foliage with some being solid green which others very beautifully variegated with different patterns. There are also pothos with yellow green or near yellow colored leaves if you want something brighter.
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Aloe
Aloe very is the most well-known of the aloe plants because of its use in beauty products. But, it is worth noting that there are many different kinds of aloe plants as well. In fact, there are over 300 species of Aloe. Although, not all are suited for indoors since some can get very big.
The most common one that’s grown indoors or as a houseplant is the Aloe barbadensis. That’s because it is more manageable in size. Plus, it is likewise beautiful.
Aloes are succulents. As such, they have thick leaves that contain watery gel. This is also what people use to treat burns or hair.
Because they are native to warn, dry conditions, these plants have evolved to survive by storing water whenever they can get it. And, this is what causes their foliage to be thick.
Rex Begonia
Rex begonias are loved because of their beautiful leaves. These come in unique shapes and have distinctively varying colors and patterns.
They likewise do well even when there isn’t enough bright light. This ability to tolerate medium light conditions makes them well-suited for indoor growing including homes and office.
Lucky bamboo
If you’re looking for a unique plant that will bring your office or business prosperity, do consider the lucky bamboo plant.
This is one of a few “fortune” plants that’s been said to help improve your financial situation. As such, it makes them very popular in offices, work desks, office décor and even homes.
In addition to the luck they bring, they’re also very resilient. They don’t need a lot of care and they can tolerate quite a bit of abuse without dying one you.
Similarly, if you look closely at any lucky bamboo plant, you’ll notice that each will have a varying number of stalks. And, the stalks are likewise made to form different shapes since they can be molded as such as they grow.
African Violet
Does your office need bright colors?
This showy flower offers some amazing hues include violet, pink, white, blue and red to name a few. You can also choose between those that have solid colored petals as well as those with two-tones.
African violets thrive in temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes them easy to care for indoors.
But, you do need to have some kind of sunlight coming into the room. They need filtered light so they don’t necessarily need to stay right beside the window.
Philodendron
Philodendron are another popular houseplant because they come in so many different beautiful varieties. But, all of them an be categorized into one of two groups: climbing and non-climbing.
This gives you an option whether you want something that climbs on poles or trellises as it grows upwards. Or, another kind that is more like a regular plant that stands upright on its own without any support.
Once you decide on that, you can choose the look of the plant and its colors among the different species within that type.
Besides being gorgeous plants, they are also known to clean the air making them healthy for anyone who sits behind their desk for many hours a day.
Ficus Benjamina
Images from Wikimedia Commons
In case you’re looking for a tree to grow in your office, then the Ficus benjamina is a great choice. Also known as a the weeping fig or fig tree, this is a small tree that grows to between 3 to 6 feet high.
Thus, it can easily fit into any office space even if you don’t have high ceilings.
That said, they do enjoy bright, filtered light. This means they’re better suited for offices with windows rather than cubicles positioned in the middle of the floor.
Dracaena
There are over 100 different species of Dracaena plants. And, while many grow into large trees that get to up 15 to 20 feet high, they can likewise be kept at manageable sizes when grown indoors in containers and some pruning.
Dracaena are popular houseplants because they are drought tolerant and don’t need a lot of maintenance. It also takes a lot of kill them. So, even if neglected, they won’t just die on you.
