Add Green to Your Work Life With These 3 Desk Plants

Plants are an excellent addition to any living space but especially good for home offices. Whether it’s a fully furnished and dedicated room, desk in the bedroom or even just a laptop at the kitchen table, your workspace will benefit from some greenery. Luckily there are some great indoor plant options that are both compact enough to live on a desk and easy enough to care for that you won’t even have to worry about occasional neglect.

What Are the Best Plants for a Home Office?

Here are 3 suggestions for plants to add to your home office:

• Snake Plant - The snake plant, also called mother-in-law’s tongue, is a popular choice of houseplant because of how easy it is to manage. These plants come in multiple sizes and some larger varieties can grow several feet high. The smaller or ‘dwarf’ snake plants can live happily in a small pot on your desk. Because of their long, vertically pointing leaves you won’t have to worry about them taking over your workspace. You can also have the peace of mind knowing that these plants can tolerate going without water for as long as a month before it will show signs of distress. They also grow well in low light, so they make a great plant option for an office anywhere in the home.

• ZZ Plant - The ZZ plant (full name Zamioculus zamifolia) is a type of succulent that thrives indoors. While succulents are generally great low-maintenance options for indoor plants, the ZZ plant is especially suited for a home office because it can thrive under fluorescent lights. If you don’t have a window or the area you’re working doesn’t get very much natural light during the day, this plant will be happy to get its energy from fluorescent bulbs. Like other succulents, ZZ plants can grow with only occasional watering.

• Cactus - When it comes to small and low-maintenance indoor plants, cacti are excellent candidates. Unlike the snake plant and ZZ plant, however, a cactus will do best in bright light. They are perfect plant for a sunny windowsill or shelf and your desk even if you only get moderate light during the day. Being native to desert climates makes cacti extremely efficient at retaining water so you can rest easy even if you forget to water them frequently. There are many varieties of small cactus and as plants go they are fairly inexpensive and easy to find.

Why Have Plants in Your Home Workspace?

Plants have a profound effect on our daily lives and often without notice. For many of us, working from home has included a radical readjustment of our daily routines. It can be uncomfortable, so whatever you can do to improve your home work environment is worth consideration.

Plants improve the air quality by filtering toxins and providing extra oxygen in the home. They can also help ease anxiety and stress by keeping you connected to nature no matter how “stuck” inside you might feel. With so many options for small and low maintenance house plants, why not try it? Consider adding a bit of green to your home office and experience the benefits for yourself.