A guide to the best office plants

Here at TLB HQ, we are so happy that things are starting to look brighter as spring approaches, after what has been a pretty grim couple of years. We’re practically skipping into the office every day, excited to be back face-to-face with our colleagues, enjoying in-person conversations and the prospect of after-work drinks. As we reacquaint ourselves with our office spaces and colleagues, we’re feeling the need for a little spruce up – are you?

You won’t be surprised to hear that here at The Little Botanical we’re breathing new life into our offices with some fab and fresh new greenery in every corner. Not only does this look great, but bringing the outdoors into your workplace is actually highly recommended because it brings with it a host of other benefits too. If you’re feeling inspired to go a little greener in your office, you’re in the right place.

Read on to discover our top tips for the best indoor office plants to bring those jungle vibes to your workplace. Whether your workplace is sprawling and spacious or small and cosy, bathed in light or a little on the dim side, we’ve got you covered! To help you create an inviting workspace, we’ve put together a guide on the best office plants to transform your desk into a space of calm, relaxation and productivity.

Create a healthier workplace with indoor office plants

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; green beauties are simply amazing. Not only do they look good but they can purify the air around you too. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen through photosynthesis, but as well as that, they can remove toxic chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde from the air. Pretty incredible, right?

Studies have shown that plants can help us feel less tired, lead to fewer allergy symptoms and recover faster from colds. They also help to create a space with less stress and more productivity – sounds pretty perfect for an office environment, doesn’t it?

You can improve the air quality in your workspace with TLB’s fab range of air-purifying plants perfect for the office. Adding four or more plants to your space can improve the air by up to 60%. We’ve picked out some of our favourite air-purifying heroes below.

Devil’s Ivy (Scindapsus)

We just love Devil’s Ivy here at TLB and think he’s a fab choice for an office plant. He’s a top-notch air-purifier and as well as detoxing the air in your office he’s also super easy to look after. He can grow in any direction and will thrive in a dark corner or a well-lit spot. We have plenty of buying options for this popular plant in our range but we particularly love the vibrant green leaves against our gorgeous marble plant stand. The extra height of the stand helps this green beauty to stand tall and look extra special taking centre stage on your desk.

Chamaedorea

The Parlour Palm is a super long-lasting, air-purifying plant that will look great on a desktop, a meeting table or even in reception to welcome workplace visitors.

Make a style statement with indoor office plants

Redecorating or buying new furnishings can be expensive and isn’t always a choice for many offices. However, a quick and easy way to change the look and feel of where you work and make a bold statement is by introducing plants. They add colour and structure and can transform a bland room into an incredible space. We think this is a fab benefit of making green beauties your new office buddies.

Bring some colour into your office, create a green calming corner or place plants by the entrance to enhance the space. They’re also great if you have flexible workers or lots of hot desking. Adding a plant gang is a great way to make an office feel more welcoming and personal for people as they come and go.

You could add groups of mini succulents on meeting room tables or larger pots in-between spaces to help create clear zones. Plants in windows are also a great and easy way to add vibrancy. Just make sure to pick those that love sunshine and won’t dry out too quickly. Succulents and Cacti are brilliant for a sunny windowsill.

All the plants you order from TLB arrive with perfectly sized, stylish pots making your office transformation a stress-free experience.

Check out our copper collection for some fab statement plant options. All the plants in this range come in our oh-so-chic copper bullet stands for ready-made contemporary urban vibes in your workplace.

For an office environment, we’re particularly fond of our much-loved Monstera paired with the copper bullet stand for showstopping office style in an instant. Or take a look at the copper house gang, this stunning bundle pairs the gorgeous heart-shaped greenery of a Philodendron with three cute succulents. Pop them on a shelf, windowsill or in the middle of the boardroom table to bring the space to life. These copper collection picks are just perfect for an office because, as well as being totally stunning, they’re also super easy to look after, leaving you with more than enough time to concentrate on the day job.

Plantbox Indoor Living Wall with Houseplants

There’s no better way to make a statement in the office than with a living wall. These towering green beauties are currently making big waves in the plant world thanks to their feel-good vibes and air-purifying qualities. Their purpose is to help you bring the beauty of nature indoors. If you’re looking to wow customers, clients and colleagues, our PlantBox Living Wall’s the answer. Check out our Mobilane Living Art too for a wall-hung interior solution.

The best plants to choose for an office

When it comes to making choices about which plants you should add to your office, it can seem like a bit of a minefield because there are so many options. And it’s really important to make sure that they fit into your office life because we want them to help reduce the stress at work, not add more! But don’t worry, as a family of four generations of growers, here at TLB HQ we know a thing or two about indoor plants, so we’ve done all the hard work for you.

Whether you’re after big plants to fill an empty space or small plants to brighten up a cosy corner, or you need low maintenance plants to keep things simple, or low light loving plants because your office is short on natural light, we’ve got you covered. Read on to discover our top plant picks for whatever style of office you work in.

1.     Low maintenance office plants

Having plants in your office that are low maintenance is probably one of the biggest must-haves for so many people. This is particularly important as we move towards a post-pandemic world – yay! Many businesses are taking a more flexible, hybrid approach with a mixture of home and office-based working. So, a daily watering schedule and demanding care plan are unlikely to be something you want to introduce into your work-life…

You’ll be pleased to hear, we have a fab selection of easy-care botanicals. They will look fabulous for weeks and months to come without demanding any special attention from staff and colleagues. Read on to discover our favourite picks of low-maintenance houseplants, or ‘survivors‘ as we like to call them, for your office.

Sansevieria  

On a list of the top picks for low-maintenance plants for an office, our wonderful Sansevieria (aka snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue) was the only contender for the number one spot.

These are most definitely the survivors of the plant world, they can tolerate neglect, so are perfect for a busy office where watering them isn’t going to be top of the to-do list – they only require water every few weeks when the top layers of soil have dried out and an occasional leaf dusting to keep them looking their best. Not only is their need for water pretty minimal, but our gorgeous Sansevieria can also cope well in both a well-lit or a darker space. They’ll even manage in warm or cool and draughty conditions, and they’re a top air-purifying plant too! What more could you ask for in a Green Desk Buddy?

Just be careful not to overwater him, though, as this is their Kryptonite.

We stock three of these plant beauties at The Little Botanical, and, quite simply, we love them all. First of all, we have a spikey version, which comes in both small & medium sizes. There’s also the super popular Snakey variety, which is one of our best sellers. You’ll see why when you see his leaf patterns. Just gorgeous! Another cute little desk buddy is Fernwood Punk. We like to call him Spikey’s little brother. If you’re loving the idea of these fab easy-care botanicals for your office, also take a look at our Air Purifying Bundle, which pairs Snakey and Fernwood Punk with the Ficus Benjamina (Weeping Fig). These are three of our bestselling plants; popular because they look great; are super easy to look after (as the name would suggest) and purify the air around them too – bonus!

Our favourite co-working space in Chichester, Rume2, loves to decorate its space with plants. They have recognised the wealth of benefits of Sansevieria and have them dotted around their trendy offices.

Plant Gang for Newbie Plant Parents

As the name suggests, this plant gang is great for people new to indoor plant care. However, we think plants that are suited to newbies are also great for busy office workers with little time to spend on plant TLC. We’ve carefully selected each plant in this bundle based on how easy it is to look after. This plant gang includes the Zamioculcas (ZZ Plant), the Medium Aloe and the Mini Haworthia all in gorgeous TLB pots. These beautiful botanicals are natural-born survivors and are happy to live in a dark corner of your office. They don’t even mind if you forget to water them… so perfect if you aren’t in the office as much as you used to be!

Succulents

Succulents are another fabulous, low-maintenance option for an office. One of our favourites is the striking Haworthia with his distinctive, fleshy leaves patterned with white. Perfect for adding a touch of texture to your desk. For an extra dose of succulent style take a look at our Succulent Plant Gang; this bundle of striking succulents is a quick and easy way to introduce low maintenance houseplants into your workspace. Whether placing them individually or together as a bundle, our Medium Haworthia, Medium Crassula and Mini Echeveria Miranda work together to add some beautiful greenery to your office. Potted in our stylish pots, they’ll make a statement on your desk and they only need watering every 3-4 weeks, so you can get on with your work without worrying about them. Win-win!

Find out all you need to know about caring for your succulent over on our blog.

We have two final plant bundle picks for an injection of easy-care, chic styling in your workplace. Firstly, the Marble Trio Plant Gang is oh so elegant, bringing together the Haworthia, Philodendron and ZZ Plant in our stunning marble ceramics.

And finally, our Plant Lovers Gang combines the Devil’s Ivy with a mini and medium Molded Wax Agave succulent. All come potted in our TLB bespoke concrete grey ceramics with a varnished base for timeless elegance.

2.     Office plants for small spaces

If you have less space to play within your office, this doesn’t mean you should avoid having plants altogether. There are plenty of ways to incorporate small office plants into your workspace without feeling like it’s a squeeze. Instead, you can get creative with how you display them. In fact, we stock a wide range of mini and small plants that are perfect for a smaller space, so you can still bring some big botanical style with some Little Botanical plants. You might be surprised to hear that you can still bring a bundle of plant joy into your office with our gangs of smaller sized green beauties. Read on to discover our pick of the bunch.

You could add groups of mini succulents on meeting room tables or larger pots in-between spaces to help create clear zones. Plants in windows are also a great and easy way to add vibrancy. Just make sure to pick those that love sunshine and won’t dry out too quickly. Succulents or Cactii are the best for a sunny windowsill.

Plant Shelfie Bundle 

But first, let me take a ‘shelfie’… If you’ve got an unused shelf in your office or a sideboard that needs a little love, this cute little bundle takes up barely any space at all. Featuring a bestselling mix of succulents and cacti in our stylish grey & copper or black & gold pots, you can bunch them together or spread them out around your workspace to create little pockets of plant joy. How sweet!

Desk Buddy Plant Gang

This desk buddy bundle does exactly what it says on the tin. It is the perfect way to add some easy-care greenery into your workspace, whether you have a small space or simply don’t want to feel too overwhelmed by plants. Featuring our Medium Aloe Succulent, Medium Sansevieria Punk and Medium Haworthia, each plant’s a perfect desk companion guaranteed to improve your office space instantly.

Pretty Pink Plant Gang

This little bundle of gorgeous greenery is perfect for adding a feminine, calming vibe to your smaller workspace. Featuring a stunning selection of succulents in our pretty pink and copper ceramics, it is a fab choice for an injection of green style to a small space.

3.     Office plants for low light

Not all offices benefit from large windows and lots of natural light. Thankfully, there are plenty of plants that actually prefer lower light to choose from for your office, meaning you don’t have to miss out on building an urban jungle in a darker workspace. Whether you want to brighten up your office, make the most of plant-related health benefits, or find a desk companion that’ll boost your productivity and concentration, we’ve picked out a selection of plants that like shade. An added benefit of low-light loving plants is that they’re usually pretty low maintenance too, meaning they’ll thrive in your office without demanding too much attention. Winning!

Zamioculcas

Also known as the Zamio or ZZ Plant, the Zamioculcas is a fab plant to invite into your workspace as it’s one of the easiest indoor office plants to care for. That’s because its shiny, hardy leaves are willing to be somewhat neglected. The plant can also last for weeks – if not months – without water. And if you work in a dark workplace, you’re in luck. The Zamio is pretty happy to be placed in a room without much light. As long as you keep it away from draughts and radiators, it’ll be your faithful desk companion for many months to come.

Large Dracaena in Ceramic 

Create an urban jungle in your workspace with the big, leafy green Dracaena. It’s not only gorgeous to look at, but this beautiful botanical is a dream to look after. It’ll instantly transform your office with its bright green leaves and likes a shadier spot, so it’s great for rooms that don’t get much natural sunlight. Pop him in your reception so that it’s the first thing visitors see when they walk into the building or place him in a darker meeting room to inject some vibrant, green love.

4. Big Botanicals for your office

Our range of large houseplants is just perfect for the office environment. Not only will they add a lush, jungle vibe to your workspace, they’ll also act as natural barriers between work stations or aisle dividers to mark out walkways. Have a little browse at our large houseplant collection for some green inspo. We’ve picked out a few of our favourite big botanicals for an office below.

XL Yucca

This gorgeous plant with its striking sword-shaped leaves is a great office companion. Measuring up to 1.5m tall, it’s also a great botanical to green up a dark corner or act as an office divider. This low maintenance houseplant will love keeping you company in your workspace.

XL Lemon and Lime Dracaena

Big and vibrant, this gorgeous green beauty will add colour to your office. It is easy to care for and is happy in slightly darker areas, so works perfectly for greening up workspaces.

L & XL Areca Palm

Larger palms are a fab option for an office crying out for some big statement plants. Our large and extra-large Areca Palms will bring a super cool, urban jungle feel to your office. Do bear in mind though that these guys do need slightly more TLC than some of the other plants we’ve recommended. He will thrive in a well-lit spot away from direct sunlight and will need water about once a week. His leaves will also appreciate an occasional mist. If you can find the time in your work schedule to look after this big guy, you’ll be rewarded with fab, tropical vibes in your workplace.

Big Calathea

This big beauty is full of character and interest. It is a great choice to bring some green character to a larger space in your office. Also known as the ‘Prayer Plant‘, the leaves of this green beauty move up, prayer-like, at dusk to get closer to the light and open out again at dawn, simply fabulous! The Calathea will be happy in a bright spot away from direct sunlight. It will also thrive with some water every 1-2 weeks.

Big Peace Lily

This elegant, green beauty with her gorgeous white blooms will bring heaps of calming style to your workplace. Known as the bringer of peace, this gorgeous botanical is an air-purifying hero. It adds an air of tranquillity wherever she’s placed. Who wouldn’t want that kind of vibe in their office?

We hope we’ve given you plenty of inspiration for the many ways in which you can bring the outdoors in with office greenery. Ultimately, whatever your style, green-fingered ability or workplace layout is, there will be a plant to suit you and your office. This will allow you to refresh the look of your office and benefit from the purified air and calming qualities that plants can also bring.

Let us know how our office plants guide has helped you to use plants in your office. If you’ve still got questions, we’d be happy to help, get in touch at [email protected].

We’d love to see your greenery in its new home, feel free to share some photos. Don’t forget to tag us on insta; @thelittlebotanical. 

Have fun greenifying your office with our plants!

Lots of love

Team TLB xx

P.S. If you’re wondering how green our office is at TLB HQ… Yes, it’s rather jungle-like. Here’s a sneak peek of just a few of our office plants…