Whereas once, you’d struggle to find an office with plants, now you’ll struggle to find one without. Today plants are seen as an essential part of the modern office aesthetic, favoured by interior designers for their decorative properties, while also improving employee wellbeing, increasing productivity and helping to filter the office air. Dracaenas with their palm-like leaves have always been a firm favourite amongst office-plant lovers, thanks to their love for dryer soil and their ability to grow in a variety of lighting conditions, but as the market for office plants has grown, a selection of new more modern office plants have emerged.
Simply Plants for the modern office
Here at simply plants, we stock a wide variety of plants from traditional office favourites such as dracaenas, aloe vera and Chinese evergreens, to more modern, niche varieties that will look at home in even the most contemporary of office spaces. From small pots to large indoor displays, we can help you to grow and maintain the indoor garden of your dreams. Here are some of our most popular plants with modern offices.
The Fiddle Leaf Fig
The fiddle leaf fig has been made famous by magazines and interior designers from across the world and is prized for its large, deep green leaves and tropical vibe. A tall indoor plant, fiddle leaf figs can easily grow to six feet tall and grow best in large floor containers. Although native to the tropics where they would experience damp and warm conditions, the fiddle leaf fig is a hardy plant and adapts well to indoor life, preferring the kind of bright but indirect sunlight that most offices naturally provide. Despite encountering damp conditions in their native habitat, fiddle leaf figs don’t like to be overwatered and so should only be watered when their soil is dry.
The snake plant
Snake plants, also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, are a very hardy succulent that is virtually impossible to kill. Available in a variety of sizes from small pots to large floor containers, snake plants have tall, sword-shaped leaves and are famous for their ability to grow in virtually any light condition from bright light to near darkness. Easy to grow and easy to care for, snake plants are a firm favourite with modern offices looking to make a statement with their plants.
Air plants
Air plants are perhaps the epitome of the modern office-plant aesthetic, providing something that not many people will have ever seen before. Growing without soil and thriving when hung from wall hangings or ceiling fixtures, air plants make a great addition to a dessert-like centrepiece and also look great when placed inside decorative glass containers. Although they may not grow in soil, watering, feeding and lighting conditions are still very important, with most air plants requiring a weekly misting in order to stay hydrated in dry office conditions.
Peace Lilies
When it comes to minimalistic and elegant office plants that can thrive in virtually any light condition, peace lilies come out near the top. Smaller peace lilies make great flowering desk plants, with larger varieties looking great amongst other foliage or displays. Although peace lilies ideally like natural light, they can even thrive under fluorescent light, making them the perfect plant for subterranean offices.
ZZ plants
Affectionately nicknamed ZZ plants due to their complex name, Zamioculcas zamiifolia is another extremely hardy, easy to grow plant faired by modern offices looking for a green leaf aesthetic. ZZ plants have vivid green leaves which shine due to their waxy coating, and can sometimes look fake because they are so perfect. Requiring little maintenance, ZZ plants can tolerate varied light conditions and are one of the most tolerable indoor plants.
The benefits of having plants within your office
Aside from looking great, there’s a reason why so many offices now include plants as an essential part of their design – plants are good for business. At a practical level, plants can help to reduce office noise levels, to trap airborne dust, to clean the air and to humidify the air so that it is closer to the levels that people find most comfortable. From a productivity point of view, plants have even been found to increase workplace productivity levels by as much as 15%, with just one plant per square metre enough to have an impact. For wellbeing, plants can reduce the physical symptoms of stress by as much as 50%, as well as helping people to deal with anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue. All in all, plants reduce the number of sick days employees take, make them happier at work, and increase their productivity, which is all good for business.
Caring for modern office plants
Even the hardiest of indoor plants require some degree of maintenance to keep them looking their best, especially if they are being grown in less than ideal conditions. Here at Simply Plants, we have over 30 years of experience in curating and looking after a huge variety of office plants, allowing businesses to focus on what really matters to them, safe in the knowledge that their plants will always look their best for their customers and employees. At Simply Plants, we provide plants to offices on a service and rental basis, meaning that whether you just want us to come in and to tend for the plants you already own on a weekly basis, or you require us to supply you with plants and to tend to them on your behalf, we’ve got you covered. Our team of trained horticulturists will handle the watering, feeding, dusting, pruning and repositioning of your plants to keep them thriving, and if you use our plant rental service then we will be able to change around your plant selection as and when you require. No matter your office aesthetic, your lighting conditions or your budget, we have a plant setup that will suit you. To find out more about our plant care or our plant rental service, get in touch with us today on 07014216769 or by emailing us at info@simplyplants.co.uk.
