The Best Plants for Your Office Desk

• Written by Holly Hughes on December 05, 2021

Plants completely transform an office space. Not only do they bring colour and life into a dull or stagnant environment, they boost employees’ mood and creativity, lower stress rates and improve productivity by up to 15%.

With so many benefits to greening your workspace, we want to help you find the best flowers for your office and plants for your desk. Whatever your work environment, we have the perfect plant – and plant delivery provider – for you.

In this article, we will look at:

• the benefits of having work plants
• the best flowers for your office and desk space
• the top easy to care for plants for an office
• the best plants for office desks with no windows
• the best plants for your home office

The benefits of work plants

Having plants and flowers in your office aren’t just pleasing to the eye. They offer real benefits for both our mental and physical health as well as increasing our focus and, therefore, our productivity.

Research has shown that having plants in the office improves air quality, stabilises mood, augments creativity and increases attention span. On top of this, it has been shown that having plants in your workspace actually decreases chances of illness – particularly things like the common cold, headaches, sore throats and coughs – and therefore reduces absenteeism.

The best flowers for your office and desk space

Now that we’ve seen the physical and psychological benefits of showering our offices with plants, it’s time to find the perfect options for your individual needs.

Firstly, choosing plants that require little maintenance or attention is crucial as a watering schedule and daily sunlight requirement is often too much to ask of busy workers – particularly with the holidays fast approaching!

Luckily, low-maintenance does not mean low-quality. There are so many beautiful flowers and plants out there that thrive without almost any attention – let’s have a look at some of them!

The top easy to care for plants for an office

The Peace Lily

One of the best flowers for your office desk is the stunning peace lily – a popular and resilient indoor plant that also blooms a beautiful flower. Despite appearing quite fragile, the peace lily is surprisingly strong and one of the best air purifiers. Best of all, it only needs to be watered about once a week.

Succulents

It’s no surprise that when it comes to finding the best desk plants for an office, succulents top the list. As water-retaining plants specifically adapted to flourish in dry conditions, succulents are perfect for the arid air of centrally heated and air-conditioned office spaces. Compact and small, they are perfect indoor plants for your office desk.

Sansevieria

Sansevieria – a plant characterised by stiff, sword-like leaves – are one of the most common office plants due to their indestructible nature. Snake plants as they’re also known are almost guaranteed to survive. Thriving in either well-lit or dark spaces and needing water only rarely, sansevieria are one of the best plants for an office desk.

The best plants for office desks with no windows

Working in a windowless office? Fear not! You can still reap all of the green goodness of an indoor jungle with plants specially adapted to thrive in dark spaces.

Scindapsus

Also known as Devil’s Ivy, Scindapsus flourishes in dark corners and couldn’t be easier to maintain. As you might guess from its name, this plant grows in any direction and is a wonderful climbing or trailing plant. If you are looking to liven up your desk space, Scindapsus is a perfect option, giving you all of the air-purifying benefits of an indoor plant but also being an interesting and enlivening art feature.

Zamioculcas

The beloved ZZ Plant – with its dark green, attractive leaves – doesn’t just tolerate neglect, it thrives on it. Lasting weeks – even months! – without water, Zamioculcas is content to live in an office without windows. Growing up to three feet as it spreads its wide, shiny leaves that reflect light, the ZZ plant is your perfect desk companion. 

Find the perfect small plants for an office desk with no windows at Plants.com, Lively Root, or Fromyouflowers.com

The best plants for home offices

While office plants generally need to be more compact, home offices can embrace the big and bold! For low-maintenance but impressive shrubbery, consider the leafy Dracaena, known by its central stalk and outward-growing leaves.

We can’t talk of indoor plants without mentioning the Monstera. Its wide, hole-filled leaves make it distinctive and the perfect plant to add some jungle charm to your home office. Blooming best in well-lit spots with fortnightly watering, the Monstera brings tropical life into your home. 

Find your perfect Monstera at Plants.com.

Is it good to have a plant on your desk?

Most people spend 90% of their time indoors, with a lot of this time dedicated to working. This disconnects us from nature and negatively impacts our mental and physical health. Having a plant on your desk counteracts this. It lifts our mood, purifies the air, increases our concentration and reduces illness.

Why do people put plants on their desk?

There are many reasons to put plants on your desk – for the sheer pleasure of their beauty, to bring some colour or calm into your office space or to increase your health and productivity.  Plants add personality, structure, and some important psychological benefits to your work environment.

Can you grow a plant in an office?

Yes, no matter how much or little light your office has, however diligent or forgetful your work colleagues are, it couldn’t be easier to grow and maintain plants in an office.

How many plants should you have in your office?

Research has shown that having even just one plant in your office space is enough to improve your happiness, focus, and health. However, if you want to enjoy all of the slump-busting, mood-boosting benefits plants have to offer, experts recommend four or more plants per room.