Best Indoor Office Plants for a Home Workspace (or Cubicle)
Updated: Jul. 27, 2021
If you're starting a new job, sprucing up your home office or decking out your desk, think green! Here's the best indoor office plants for every workspace.
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Best Indoor Office Plants
The look of a traditional office space is changing as companies and employees adapt to hybrid and remote work situations. But wherever you’re working, indoor plants brighten your mood, purify the air and bring a touch of the outdoors inside—even when you’re putting in long hours on a big project. We found the best indoor office plants for your desk. Ready to get growing? Learn how to grow indoor plants with tips from real gardeners.
Heartleaf Philodendron
The charming heart shaped leaves will put a smile on your face even when you’re working on a super stressful project or presentation. This office plant is incredibly easy to grow. It will survive in low light and won’t wilt if you completely forget to water it occasionally (or often).
Golden Barrel Cactus
Want to encourage your cubicle mates to keep their distance? Put a prickly cactus on your desk! In all seriousness, this cactus is a fun and quirky plant that is slow growing (with no messy leaves or petals to clean up). It’s the perfect choice if you’re too busy for a fussy plant that requires a lot of attention.
Psst—we found cute cactus gifts for cactus lovers.
Sanseveria
This popular indoor office plant is commonly known as snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue. The leaves grow straight up, rather than out, so it’s a good choice for small workspaces. It also thrives in low light and purifies the air—though, unfortunately, it still won’t help if your cubicle mate eats a tuna sandwich at their desk (maybe a face mask will do the trick!)
Working in an office without windows? Don’t miss the top 10 best houseplants for low light.
ZZ Plant
Went on a vacation or road trip and forgot to water your office plants? Good news, a ZZ plant stores water in rhizomes under the soil, so it will still be alive when you get back to work.
Plants are perfect housewarming gifts. Here’s 5 great ones to give!
Polka Dot Plant
This pretty patterned foliage plant is extremely versatile. It can be grown indoors (on a sunny windowsill or on your desk), and will also thrive outdoors (zones 8-11) in your flower garden beds or containers. It will tolerate anything, from full sun to shade! In northern growing zones, treat polka dot plant as an annual or keep it indoors.
Discover the perfect houseplant for you, based on your zodiac sign.
Lucky Bamboo
Hoping to get the corner office, a raise or a promotion? A little extra luck certainly can’t hurt, right? We especially like that bamboo will grow with minimal watering (once a week is good), and there’s no messy potting soil to dirty up your desk. It comes planted in a glass cube with small pebbles.
Rubber Plant
Rubber plant is a type of succulent, so it will be fine if you forget to water it sometimes. It does grow best in bright light, but keep it out of direct sunlight. This indoor plant is safe for pets. So it’s a good choice for your home office if you have a cat or dog that likes to join your Zoom meetings.
Want to grow herbs and veggies indoors? Try an AeroGarden! Here’s our review.
Bird’s Nest Fern
Dreaming of escaping your cubicle and going to the tropics? A full size palm tree won’t fit on your desk, but this tropical indoor office plant might be the next best thing. This fern is easy to grow and will add a touch of tiki to your workspace even when snowflakes are flying outside.
No green thumb? Try the top 10 hard-to-kill houseplants.
Peace Lily
Feeling stressed out about starting a new job or an upcoming deadline? Find your inner peace with a peace lily. This office plant features dark green glossy leaves and white flowers. It will produce more flowers in bright light. Like other lilies, this indoor plant is not safe for pets, so keep it away from your furry workmates.
Phalenopsis Orchid
This indoor office plant only looks difficult to grow. In fact, it’s actually the opposite. Just place a few ice cubes a week on the soil and that’s it! Make sure you keep your orchid away from a drafty window in winter (and don’t crank up the A/C in summer), because this plant likes to be warm.
Next, learn how to get rid of indoor plant bugs and mold on your houseplant soil.
