Nurture your own office

RESEARCH has shown that regular exposure to plants and green, open spaces can drastically reduce stress levels and put us altogether in a better mood.

Add character and identity to your desk with a personalised pot plant

Better indoors . . .

Worryingly, the air in our homes and offices can be up to 10 times more polluted than outside.  Air-conditioning systems, synthetic fibres, sick building syndrome and work-related chemicals can take their toll on polluting our environment, on a dangerous, invisible level.

Creating harmony at work . . .

This is where pot plants or houseplants can come into their own, absorbing harmful pollutants and creating a natural harmony in our surroundings, on many levels.

As well as helping to create a restful and peaceful environment, pot plants can help sooth the hectic pace of modern-day life.

They provide a useful foil, as a decorative backdrop, for the trappings of a hectic and sometimes bland office life. 

The inside story . . .

Plants can absorb various pollutants from the air (as part of their daily growth and photosynthesis process) – improving air quality and purity.

Toxins from modern man-made furniture, MDF, paints, varnishes, new floor coverings and emissions from computers have all been linked to the worrying rise in asthma cases worldwide.

Familiar pot plants, such as perennial favourite Pot Mum (chrysanthemum), Spider Plant (chlorophytum) and trailing English Ivy (hedera), can be effective air filters in enclosed spaces. 

Add to these, the funky Gerbera daisy, ribbon dracaena, angelic Peace Lily (spathiphyllum) and stalwart Mother-in-Law’s-Tongue (sansevieria), and the scene is set for a glamorous health-giving interior makeover!

Office gossip . . .

Pot plants give us the potential to cleanse, and give our working and living spaces a great new look from week to week – simply circulate plants from room to room, revitalising and creating new interest where they settle. 

The presence of living plants indoors can give each room a different feel, feature or focal point.  As conditions vary, find the perfect plant(s) to suit.

With the advent of large picture windows and modern double-glazing, the range of plants that can be confidently grown in our homes and offices has quadrupled. 

Temperature fluctuations throughout the day, and between the seasons, have been dramatically reduced, aided by central heating; increasing the range of tender tropicals from which to choose.

Under the spotlight . . .

If headroom will allow, small indoor trees can add a new dimension to any environment.  High-ceilinged Victorian office-conversions, lofty stairwells or even two-storey conservatories lend themselves to plants of tree-like proportions. 

Some trees can be symmetrical in shape, while others appear made for corners.

High-flyers . . .

When cleverly planted in troughs, pot plants can be used as screens, subdividing a room from the floor-up, or if suspended, from the ceiling-down.  Trailers can be drawn as a curtain of foliage across the divide, cascading towards the floor – even disguising a bad feature or uninspiring view, so common in many places of work.

Plant promotion . . .

Place herbs on your office or canteen kitchen windowsill; not only will you have an endless supply of fresh, tasty flavours to spice-up your lunchtimes, but also their sight, smell and presence will ensure you are never far from healthy ‘greenery’ at work.

BY CHRIS ROBERTS

Managing director of Van Hage in Pepper Hill, Great Amwell