Guest Post- How to Decor with Plants Your Working Space to Make It Healthy and Inspiring

Having a green home is obviously important. But what good can it do if we, busy working people, spend 60-80 hours per week in offices? 

Luckily, there are ways to put some greenery in our working spaces. 

It turns out, there is a bunch of office plants that are viable in a challenging working environment. When you work, you don’t have time to do watering and replanting. You are looking for a balance between beautiful and tough – and we can help you out. 

Why do we need plants in the office?

We, plant lovers, already know all the main benefits but your boss doesn’t. Just to spare you the awkwardness of all the questions, we prepared four quick advantages – in case your co-workers don’t divide the same green passion. 

1. Less stress. Researchers in Sydney made an interesting discovery. After interviewing workers who had plants in their offices, scientists discovered that 58% participants felt less stressed after their office became green. 
2. Plants attract candidates. When job applicants see green offices, they feel compelled to accept the offer. The company, which cultivates the culture of office plants, obtains a reputation of a caring employer. 
3. They increase productivity, creativity, and well-being. For fresh ideas, fresh air is essential. It’s not a coincidence that NASA astronauts started sending plants to space not only to produce oxygen but also to improve their well-being in outer space. 
4. Reduce sick building syndrome – and it’s proven by thousands of office workers. Donna Moores, a writer in HandmadeWriting, says: “I often experienced a headache and tiredness after sitting at the office for 8 hours. Plants create that nice outdoor feeling and make creative work easier”. 

What plants can survive office space?

If people feel sick in cubicles to the point where it’s an official diagnosis, what can fragile plants do? You need survivors to help you through working days. We analyzed hundreds of possible offers and based our analysis on the following criteria:

• Surviving capacities – what type of light  and water quantities are required
• Looks – you want your office plant to look reach
• Air-producing capacities: it’s not a secret that some plants are better photosynthesizers than the others.

Now that you are familiar with our evaluation method, let’s bring on our winners. It’s not a top so the order doesn’t matter – all of the options are equally valid. 

Neon Pothos

Neon Pothos is not necessarily a flower you’d put in your home judging from its ordinary looks. For an office, however, it’s a full package. 

• This minimalistic plant fits well for any interior and doesn’t take too much space in a small cubicle. 
• It grows into an amazing vine which looks great on the walls. But if you are not ready for something that radical, you can just cut the branches down in case they become too long. 
• Neon doesn’t require much attention: watering once a week and medium light – just what a cubicle can offer. 

Snake Plant

Josh Carlyle, a content manager at Write my essay, with 5-year experience in working in a green office, jokingly says:‘If there would be a contest for a plant’s long-term survival, a little snake plant would be a winner. Fine, cactuses might provide some competition’. We agree – the growing abilities of this steadfast plant couldn’t be underestimated. 

• Snake plant should be watered only once per month. Even if it’s not, ‘snake’ can survive 60 days without a drop of water – just in case your manager or cleaner forgets to water greenery. 
• It’s small and classic, no worker will be distracted. It’s also a major point for your boss – they are usually not big on appreciating big plants. 
• No window view required. 

Rubber Tree Plant

So far, we’ve been looking into on-door and on-walls options – what about floors? Well, here comes the leader. This dark-red plant is perfect for empty corners, just big enough to be a decor element but not disrupt the working process. 

• Large leaves produce a lot of air without taking up much space. 
• The plant is resistant to mechanical damage. If in Asia it’s used to build bridges and walls, it clearly can survive a couple of stepping legs. 
• Requires only a low light with once-on-a-week watering. 

Aloe Vera

This guy here requires somewhat particular conditions – what else would you expect from a desert plant? If your office is lucky to be bathed in sun, this is just the option. 

• Aloe vera has a medical purpose – it’s used for cosmetics and herbal medicine. Having such a healer in the office improves your skin and immune system. 
• Needs water once a month. Be sure to tell your cleaning team though since they often have a habit of watering all the plants at the same time. 
• If you often travel, it’s a perfect plant. 40-60 days without water and no additional routine is not a problem for aloe. 

Conclusions

Now you know why office plants are a must-have and what to tell your boss if he casually wonders about the purpose of the green renovation. You also have a big choice of plants – not just those we overviewed but these that match three basic criteria: 1) survival skills 2) looks 3) producing a lot of air. 

Looks like it’s time to share our advice with co-workers and find out what they think. It’s a straight road from that point on – just buy plants and enjoy the positive effects. Good luck and green work!