The Best Office Plants for Every Workplace Scenario

Choosing the best office plant isn’t a one-size-fits-all decision. It depends on your environment - how much light you get, how much care you can give, and what you want the plant to do. In this guide, we’ll break down the best plants for different office situations, so you can find something that suits your workspace perfectly.

Low-light office? No problem. These plants thrive in shade and don’t mind being away from windows. They’re ideal for interior zones or corners that don’t get direct sun.

Aglaonema 'Stripes' 'Chinese Evergreen'

Anthurium elipticum 'Jungle Bush'

Ficus cyathistipula 'African Fig'

Rhapis excelsa 'Broadleaf Lady Palm'

These plants are popular in commercial spaces for a reason: they’re dependable and low-fuss.

Got a sunny spot right next to a window? You’ll need plants that love the light. Not all indoor plants do, so choosing the right varieties here is important to avoid scorched leaves.

Crassula ovata 'Gollum' or other Crassula cultivar

Schefflera actinophylla 'Amate'

Aloe vera (succulents)

These sun-lovers will thrive where others might wilt.

We get it, not everyone has time to look after plants as well as do their day job, and not all office budgets can accommodate professional maintenance (although, it's not as expensive as you might think!)

These are our top picks for low-effort, high-impact greenery. Ideal for busy teams or offices without professional plant maintenance.

Sansevieria zeylanica

Zamioculcas

Dracaena marginata

Tough, attractive, and tolerant of a bit of neglect - they’re our go-to for easy-care office planting.

Lots offices are starting to experiment with growing edible planting in the workplace, whether you just want to garnish your lunch or you're trying to build a community of office gardeners, here are some great options.

In-office hydroponic mini-farms make it easy to grow everything from chard to thyme year-round. Without one, stick to herbs which thrive in indirect light:

Chives

Parsley

Coriander

To prevent common diseases like root rot and botrytis (grey mold), ensure good drainage, airflow, and avoid overwatering.

There's a lot to be said about plants and air purification. Some argue that air change rates in modern offices are so high that plants don't have a noticeable affect, others claim that even the localised purification is enough. Either way, here are our favourites for air purification. These plants have higher transpiration rates, this refers to how quickly a plant releases water vapour from its leaves into the air through tiny pores called stomata.

Rhapis excelsa

Philodendron scandens

Aglaonema

Ficus elastica 'Robusta'

Spathiphyllum

For the sake of this exercise, we're going to assume that your meeting room doesn't have a lot of extra room around your meeting table. You're most likely to want a statement plant that will fit within a corner without getting in the way.

It will probably need to be able to cope with low light conditions as the meeting room lights won't be on when people aren't using it.

Pleomele (Dracaena) reflexa or other Dracena varieties. We opt to use Plemomele because it holds a better shape/Architectural shape. Strong upright position for smaller meeting rooms.

For meeting rooms with more space, we could use a Caryota mitis.

Trailing plants are a great way to bring some added intrigue to your office space; these plants can grow in unique and interesting ways.

Some are more fragile than others, so we'll give you the hardier options here.

Scindapsus (Epipremnum) 'Aureum'

Philodendron scandens

Rhipsalis paradoxa

These are great choices if you want a dramatic, cascading effect without the drama of high-maintenance care.

Whatever your office conditions - dark corners, sunny sills, forgetful watering - there’s a plant that can work for you. Use this guide as a starting point, and don’t be afraid to experiment.

Want help choosing plants for your workplace? Get in touch with our team, we’ll help you design a planting scheme that fits your space, your people, and your budget.