In the modern workplace, it is necessary for people to adapt to a wide variety of environments – from booths with little natural light, to huge open plan spaces where the opportunity to find a quiet place to concentrate is much more challenging. Intelligent plant selection is required to complement the environment in which they are placed.
Office Plants
Office plant selection
Interior planting has long been associated with productivity and well-being and effective senior managers have recognised the importance of creating an environment that promotes health and creativity in their staff. People often adorn their surroundings with plants but the correct species for the environment will make a far greater impact than one in which it is wholly unsuited.
The only thing worse than a space without plants is one in which the plants are dried out, dead or dying!
Equally as important as selecting the right species is expert plant care. Surprisingly few people know how to care for a plant properly and it is useful to know how to ensure many happy hours with your plants, particularly as their appearance reflects your business.
The variations in ratio of natural to artificial light, the types of electric lighting employed in the premises and number of hours of direct sunlight available to plants mean that it can be tricky to select the correct species. Plants with dark leaves commonly need less light so choose these for darker areas while flowering plants need the much more so will fare better next to a window. The Anthurium is ideal for lower light areas that will benefit from its vibrant colours.
Watering plants excessively is the most common way that plants are destroyed; they should be watered thoroughly after potting and then the soil should be allowed to become fairly dry before watering again. If your office is one that leaves lights on at night for shift workers or security purposes then plants may actually need a little extra water and occasional supplementary nutrition.
Central heating is a contributory factor to the demise of a healthy plant; spray leaves with a fine mist dispenser if it is hot to increase humidity. For a plant to flourish it is a general rule that the interior temperature should not be too extreme and rather cooler than hotter. In the situation where a plant, having flowered, is now shedding the dying blooms remove them from the plant and surrounding pot along with any yellowing leaves to ensure strong growth the next time around.
Improved air quality is very important in the workplace and intelligent use of flora can completely transform a workplace – choose a plant possessing a leaf with a large surface area. Alternatively select a plant with a small leaf but one that is abundant as the overall surface area is the important factor, like the fig.
At Aureo we create outstanding environments that are enhanced by our expertise in landscaped planting solutions. Our resilient Ecoroot™ planting has been specially created to ensure your office landscaping flourishes all year round.
Talk to us to discover more about plant selection for your workspace.
