Plantlife is a vital component of the world we live in for food, shelter, medicine, and even the air we breathe. However, it is possible to reduce your relative world to the simple home office and still find the value of plantlife. They add beautiful clean oxygen to the air, can remove airborne toxins, and they can smell wonderful. That said, it is probably not best to turn your home office into a small jungle. At that point, you may as well just get your work done out in the forest, which is a great idea but not for everyone. Therefore, you only have a few plants at most to choose, so what will be your choices?
Cacti
Growing up in Arizona, I have become well-accustomed to living near tons of cacti. If you did not, try not to be afraid of them. You will not fall face-first into them. I have seen plenty of people that did not impress me intellectually who have still failed to fall onto a cactus.
Of course, one of the main benefits to having cacti is that they require very little water or maintenance at all. They usually survive well indoors or out, and some produce beautiful flowers.
Many cacti are truly beautiful plants, and people who live in Arizona often neglect how beautiful they can be. A saguaro is obviously not a good choice for a home office, but an Easter Cactus is an especially beautiful plant that blooms gorgeous pink blossoms in the late winter and early spring. The Christmas Cactus is similarly named and has a bit of a similar appearance, but has more of a red flower and blooms in late winter. Finally, the Thanksgiving Cactus blooms around that holiday of course. You could have a beautiful collection of those three blooming cacti and have wonderful flowers much of the year.
The star cactus is another gorgeous plant that is truly adorable with its small circular, symmetrical creation. The Queen of the Night has probably the most interesting name of any cactus, and is known for blooming in the darkness of night.
Succulents
Succulents are most successful in hot and dry climates, and their need for little water makes them excellent choices for home offices. They require very little maintenance, and little more than a window.
The Crown of Thorns is an excellent succulent to keep in a home office because it adapts easily to dry environments and room temperatures. It will survive for a long time without water if you forget, but it will only be successful if you water it only when the soil is completely dry. The Snake Plant may have an intimidating name, but it is actually more likely to be healthy than harmful. They are incredibly easy to maintain, and they remove air toxins, cleaning the air you breathe in that home office. The Panda Plant is another option for succulents that need little maintenance, and it has the added benefit of having very soft leaves, giving it a rather cute aesthetic.
Ficus Plants
Ficus plants tend to be a little larger than succulents and the cacti you would keep in a home office, but the health benefits and ease of upkeep makes them wonderful for keeping in your home office. Ficus Benjamina is a beautiful option which can be combined with another plant specimen, and it is also known as the weeping fig. It does struggle with cold drafts, so keep it away from the window. Ficus Lyrata are commonly kept in office areas. They grow tall in the wild, but in an office condition, they will stay short, and fail to grow fruit or flowers.
All ficus have the wonderful benefit of getting rid of certain chemicals in the air to relieve breathing conditions. This prevents coughs, colds, and sore throats by eliminating dust from the air and keeping the oxygen flowing well.
Bamboo
Bamboo have a bit a cult following due to their cultural significance, but they can be a little trickier to grow indoors. There are fortunately several kinds of bamboo, some of which fit indoor environments a bit better. In general though, bamboo ask for more humid environments, and this can be accomplished by a small tray full of water underneath the pot that holds the plant. However, you cannot afford to overwater bamboo as root rot affects them easily.
Shiroshima is a bamboo that grows well indoors as it only naturally grows to a maximum of 10 feet tall. With a little sunlight, it even displays a bit of purple on the leaves. Variegata is an especially colorful bamboo that will turn fire red with morning sun exposure and a bit of afternoon shade. Buddha Belly is enjoyable for its name as well as for the shorter, fatter stalks if it stays inside and is denied its normally sufficient amount of water.
Flowers
Flowers are a bit more varied, of course, when it comes to picking something good for an office. Some make good gifts for others, and others will last a bit longer to make them worth keeping in your office long term.
Orchids are a nice choice as they have needs for little more than shallow soil and to be kept moist. It is important to note that they require bright, indirect sunlight, so keep them near a window. Gerbera Daisies are another one of those wonderful plants that clean the air by their very presence and life. It needs some light on a daily basis, and the soil needs to be kept moist as well, but that is about it for their requirements. Magnolias are well-known for being great for air quality, clearing out the congestion you would usually blame flowers for in the first place. African Violets actually cannot grow outside successfully, so they of course make excellent choices for indoors flowers. They need very little light and water, so consider them easily.
Fake Plants
Unsure of your ability to really maintain the plants we have talked about? Perhaps, you simply spend too much time away from your home office to have them be taken care of, but you want to see something beautiful when you do come home. Fake plants may be a great option for you, and many of them look so real that they might fool your guests. What a joke you could have with them if they tried to smell a fake flower!
If you are going for fake plants, do avoid trees that typically bear fruit. They do not grow well indoors, and they will fake. If something looks fake, it looks tacky, so make sure it passes the glance test without a second look. Small, leafy trees can look very nice even if they are made of rubber, and a bit of leafy aroma may further sell the pitch if the device is not overwhelming. For a fuller list of great fake plants, check out this article by The Strategist.
Terrariums
Usually, terrariums will fall into the category of desert, tropical, or woodland. What you desire is purely up to you and what sort of theme you think best suits your home office. It is recommended to use varying heights of plants and objects to create a natural feel for your terrarium.
Jade plants and zebra aloe, as well as most other desert succulents, will look wonderful in a desert terrarium. Flowers can look nice, but make sure they are dry-weather loving plants. The bella palm and the ficus elastica are excellent additions to a tropical terrarium. Of course, these should look humid and lively, as green as possible. For a woodland terrarium, ferns and moss are what will really bring out the forest atmosphere. Greenery is wonderful, but it should look a bit drier than the tropical terrarium, and perhaps a bit less controlled.