Creating the Best Office Desk - Greenery for Desk Jockeys

Choosing the Best Desk Plants for Your Office

Plants don’t just grow outside, oh no. There are many plants that prefer to set up home indoors, to be precise their des-res is your office desk.

So Why You Should Buy A Real Desk Plant?

Plants are good for us. Scientists have found that indoor plants can make a big difference to our mental and physical health. NASA researchers found plants improved air quality all the way back in 1989 and a more recent Norwegian study found sickness rates fell in offices that incorporated living greenery.

We'll take a look at some recommended desk plant varieties in a moment. Please also be sure to check out our full range of recommended office plants.

So that’s a tiny part of the science, but it’s not the only reason to spruce up your desk with plants. A simpler reason is that it will look better. Every desk looks more attractive with greenery because cables and keyboards are dull, grey-beige and boring. Your desk is crying out for bright leaves, flowers and an injection of clean oxygen.  

Scared of Houseplants? Here’s How to Keep Them Alive

There are two main reasons why houseplants give up the ghost:

Folk are prone to over-watering houseplants but this creates rotten roots. Check what kind of plant you have on the label and follow instructions. Watering once a week is usually sufficient and it’s quite often less if your desk plant is a succulent or orchid. Obviously if the soil is drier than the Sahara at midday give it a soak.

Plants often prefer a sunny indoor spot but there are some tough nuts like a parlor palm that are pretty cheerful in low light. It can help to grab a baby wipe or damp tissue and run it gently along the leaves to remove grime once every few months. This allows more light in and helps the plant breathe. It’s only fair you do this because the plant is helping you out too.

If your plant looks unhappy move it to a brighter area and drain the water that’s collected in the container. Or better yet, if you just want easy!

Or better yet, if you just want easy! shop our Mr. Kitly pots and plants combo pack and their self-watering pots will take care of the watering for you.

What Kind Of Desk Plant Should I Get?

That depends entirely on your fancy. There are plenty of desk plants out there, but here are some of my favourites.  

• I’m too busy for a plant

Anyone can grow succulents in a sunny spot, or at least a spot with some light. Succulents are desert plants so they don’t mind going without a drink for some time. The Crassula Ovata Compacta, known to its friends as Baby Jade, is a virtually indestructible succulent.  It’s perfect for desk-bound office workers, students, and the box room. Succulents, in general, are ideal desk companions.

• I’d rather be at the beach

Parlor palms we’ve mentioned for their tolerant nature, but these palms really are lovely, and with their beautiful dark green leaves they’ll remind you of a beach in the depths of a dreary winter.

A parlor palm is perfect for a desk and when it’s grown to the full height of a meter you can either hide behind it or move it onto the floor. Small containers make small palms so choose your pot wisely.

• The neat freak

Set up a row of small and tidy desk plants if you like straight lines and organisation. Echeveria morning beauty is a small and neat rosette succulent that gives a huge sense of satisfaction when you have compact pots lined up to perfection. 

• A manly man desk

Men shouldn’t think that having a plant on their desk is feminine. There are plenty of office plants to suit the blokes - Microsorum Green Flame for example. What could be manlier than fire?

• Look at me – look at me!

Statement plant alert  Alocasia lowii Bebe/Bambino is a compact office plant but its foliage is out of this world. The glossy leaves are spear-shaped with white veins that hover on stems. It’s an intergalactic plant that catches everyone’s eye.

• The Recluse

Create a jungle if you don’t like looking at your work colleagues. In today’s open plan offices it’s nice to have a plant to hide behind. There’s nothing wrong with ‘me’ time.

• Pink Princesses

Showy Aglaonema commutatum Red Valentine has baby pink and dark green variegated foliage. It’s the perfect leafy desk plant to fight against office beige and brighten your day.

Another fun way to personalise your desk is with a coloured pot. Go bright or match your pot to the sleek decor because it’s important to stamp your personality on a work space.

Office plants can make a big difference to your levels of health and happiness. We are just simple mammals after all and we need greenery in our lives. So go wild, spruce up your desk and talk to your plant for spreadsheet inspiration.

If you work in a darker area check out our article on choosing the right indoor plants for low light areas.