What are the best indoor office plants for sprucing up your office with some greenery? With so many choices available in any garden center, it may seem impossible to choose one single plant. And yet, how do you actually choose a plant that will please you – one that will brighten your office without troubling you with a time-consuming care routine?
You can ask experts – who work with plants on a daily basis and know them inside and out. This is normally harder said than done, but the good news here is that we’ve done all the legwork for you. We surveyed experts to find which indoor plants are the best, and here’s what they told us.
How do you look after the plants inside your office so that they thrive? What are the preferred plants inside members of the industry? The expert practitioners of gardening and interior design selected the following 12 top-rated indoor office plants!
1. Golden Pothos (Devil’s ivy)
Hardy and great for air purification, not to mention the vibrant yellows and light greens that brighten up any corner. It is very easy to maintain; simply water lightly once a week when the soil is nearly dry.
Leave it to its own vices and it will climb anything and attempt to take over. Besides being pretty, it also grows new plants from cuttings, so you can use them as gifts or other places.
2. Guiana Chestnut (Pachira aquatica)
You can call it Money Tree, and trust me – you can’t kill it, inadvertently. Plants that are native to the tropics thrive near wetlands and swamps, and just love moist soil, so overwatering won’t be a problem.
The plant doesn’t require any direct sunlight, it just needs a bright spot to grow properly. Make sure it is standing in water (its natural habitat), so get a planter with good drainage. Water it more or less equally, once or twice a week.
3. Rhapis Palm – Rhapis excelsa (Lady Finger Palm)
I am in love with this plant because of how gracefully the fronds “weep”. It grows more and more stems from its root system randomly. It prefers good light, but will also tolerate lower, indirect light. Rhapis palms love water almost as much as Spathiphyllums and once you train them it’s easy to figure out their watering schedule.
The Rhapis palm will let you know when it is about to wilt if you keep an eye on it. Just add water and it’ll be fine. Brown tips sometimes appear on the fronds. It is literally a matter of wrapping your fingers around the fronds, grouping them tightly, and tearing along the ends of the fronds. As a result, the natural edge of the frond will be mimicked.
4. Aloe Vera
My first plant interaction as a child probably occurred with this plant. While I was harvesting the aloe’s gel, which would be used to heal my broken skin, my mind was blown! This undoubtedly planted the seed of fascination with medicinal plants that inspired us to create Isaiah’s Figtree.
Plants like aloe vera require little maintenance. Only a sunny window will do, preferably one that gets lots of direct sunlight. Make sure the soil is bone dry before watering the plants at the roots — not on the leaves — and that the water is properly draining.
Aloe also tends to produce baby plants from time to time. Each one can be separated from its mother and repotted as a new individual Aloe plant. So many ways this plant gives back to us!
5. Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen)
Arum or aroid family plants include this species of plant. Sometimes it is called “Chinese Evergreen” because it is native to Southeast Asia. In commercial production, there are many natural varieties and cultivars (“cultivated varieties”), and their leaves vary greatly in size, color and shape.
Among my favorites are “Maria”, but they are all easily grown in low light environments. Since they are true tropical plants, they are susceptible to cold damage, so if located on an open patio, they should be brought indoors when temperatures drop below 45 degrees.
The whitish spathes should be removed when Aglaonema is grown indoors, since they encourage the growth of mealy bugs, which is one of the minor problems associated with Aglaonema.
6. Kentia Palm (Howea forsteriana)
Among our customers as well as interior designers, Kentia palms are favored plants. It is truly tropical in its nature, with the most elegant of palms. Its natural habitat is in shaded environments of the Pacific Islands, where it thrives in medium bright light.
Most Kentia palms are grown on lava rock soil mixes or sandy mixes due to their dislike for wet feet. After the soil is dry 1-2” down, water the root ball thoroughly until it runs out the bottom. Typically Kentia palms range from 4’ to 15’ tall, which makes them perfect for small offices or large hotel lobbies.
One of the reasons why this plant is so popular is because it has few pest problems. It is prone to mites, mealy bugs, and scale but it is an occasional problem rather than the norm. The problem can easily be resolved with horticultural soap or oil. A good palm fertilizer with potassium, manganese, and boron is essential to provide good dark green foliage. Enjoy this plant. It’s a winner!
Pat North – Plantique
The Kentia Palm thrives in low light and lower humidity in an indoor environment where most palms would not. This plant needs to be allowed to get really dry between waterings, and I’d be careful not to overwater it in darker areas. It grows slowly and is a very graceful looking plant.
7. Snake Plant (Sansevieria)
Usually has a height of about 3 inches (sometimes more). With so many colors to choose from, sage and hunter greens, variegated leaves, deep hunter greens, patterned greens, margined leaves, all very different from one plant. In addition to a range of colors, they also have a range of shapes.
Sansevierias such as Laurentii and Zeylenica provide excellent linear shapes that accentuate many containers. Sansevieria Cylindrica can emerge in fun shapes such as fans or starfish. It can resemble a flower or a succulent. Fernwood Sansivieria can imitate grass. All Sansivieria maintain their original form for many years with minimal maintenance and survive in many lighting conditions.
Sansevieria not only looks beautiful, it is one of the best air-cleaning plants. It helps to clean the air and release moisture into it, as well as removing a variety of toxins. In addition to continuing to release oxygen without light/photosynthesis, Sansevieria is ideal as a sleeping plant.
Care for Sansivieria the same way you would any other house plant. Water them well and then let them dry down so their roots have to hunt for water. They can live in dark areas, but will benefit from bright indirect light. Keep them from drowning and make sure they get some light during the day.
8. Cordyline Red Sister
Particularly liked The Red Sister plant for its vibrant foliage that ranges from burgundy to pinkish. Despite it being easily cared for, it looks awesome in containers. Water it every couple of days to keep it moist but not wet. Be careful not to let the soil dry out, and mist the leaves a few times a month to keep them moist. The foliage will look healthier and glossier with humidification.
9. Begonias – Angel Wing and Rex
It is impossible to pick one favorite. I am currently obsessed with begonias – Angel Wing and Rex varieties. Begonias have such personality and character! Many consider them weird or because they’re old-fashioned.
My favorite part about them is their dramatic color schemes and textured leaves. There seems to be a band of characters surrounding me! In many varieties, each leaf appears to have been individually painted – just marvelous. Keep your begonia in bright indirect light, give it higher humidity conditions, water it with distilled water, and never allow it to get soggy.
10. ZZ plant (Zamioculcas Zamifolia)
One of the most popular plants that symbolize prosperity, it has shiny green stems that grow up to 3′ high, is attractive and easy to maintain. Water them only once a month because they store water and can grow in low light environments. Modern pots look stunning with single plants or in clusters in contemporary planters. The reason for their popularity is that they are not temperamental when neglected!
Adriana Salinas / Newcomb Landscaping Service
The Zamioculcas Plant’s motto is “Only the strong survive.” The Zamioculcas stands tall in low light and needs less water. It stands tall in high light and needs more water, just like me!
Margo Burke / The Professional Group
I love the way the ZZ always seems to be reaching for the sky, beside its beautiful thick glossy leaves. My favorite thing about this plant is how versatile it is for indoor use because it can handle lower light levels as well as higher light levels with proper care. Keep your zoysia from getting too wet! Let it dry out between watering. The plants hold water in their thick leaves, stems and bulbs. Too much water can lead to root rot.
11. Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii)
When properly cared for, it can provide up to four weeks of blooms per bloom cycle and can last for decades. Watered thoroughly when the succulent leaves first begin to lose the moisture that keeps them rigid, the plant will remain healthy above 55 degrees F either indoors or outdoors, in full sun or shade.
It is recommended that your plant be exposed up to one week before your desired blooming period to temperatures of 50 to 55 degrees F. After blooming, new leaves can be set out that stimulate flower buds. The next bloom cycle can then be initiated. The plants can be in bloom for four or five times a year. Even without the bloom, the structure is beautiful enough to be displayed.
12. Song of India (Dracaena Reflexa)
Original from Madagascar, there are thousands of varieties to choose from. This is one of my favorite cultivars for its versatility. A beautiful plant that you can use indoors or outdoors, either as a filler, accent plant, or a specimen in a nice arrangement. If left unpruned, its leaves grow from 2 to 6 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide and can grow up to 9 to 10 feet tall. Being a tropical plant, it has a high tolerance for frosty winters and thrives in zones 10b and above.
Variegated Song of India is the most popular version of this lovely plant. It can tolerate low levels of light as long as it gets enough water in the container. If it gets too much water in the pot, it will develop root rot. Root pruning is always good for a plant every two years to stimulate growth.
In general, it is a simple plant that can be grown from cuts replanted in the ground. If grown outdoors, it can withstand the hot sun of south Florida, but it will require frequent hydration and an adaptable variety of soils.
The plant is recommended to be fertilized quarterly and pruned back in the spring. While this plant doesn’t have any display flowers or fruit, it is so beautiful naturally that it doesn’t need any pretty flowers. Any landscape can take advantage of Song of India’s versatility owing to its ability to grow in any pattern.
I hope your head is buzzing with inspiration now after reading these best indoor office plants. Want to take it one step further and put some of these beauties in equally pleasing containers? Check out our another articles
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