May the best team win: your starting 11…office plants
Full Player Analysis:
Offices across the country have been gripped by the nation’s footballing efforts. Colleagues are going head to head in sweepstakes and fantasy teams, all hoping to take home the bragging rights come the end of the tournament in just over a week’s time.
Caught up in the spirit of the tournament, we’ve compiled our very own “Plantasy” team; eleven plants that will thrive in the office. The right team of office plants can help workers to connect with nature, which has been shown to boost productivity and improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.
If you are looking to revitalise your place of work with a winning team of office plants, but need a little help choosing, here is our expert line up:
Plant goalies
A team’s ultimate defensive player is the goalkeeper, and in our plant line-up it is the South American Spathiphyllum standing between the sticks. Commonly known as a Peace Lily, this sturdy plant keeps indoor air clean from certain environmental contaminants, including benzene and formaldehyde. When it comes to keeping out harmful toxins, this is the plant you want in the office.
Detail in defence
Leading the defence, we have chosen Dracaena marginata (Madagascar Dragon Tree) and Ficus benjamina (Weeping fig, or Benjamin Tree). These strong evergreen plants can grow up to four metres in height and over two metres in spread, making them highly sought-after players. For the wing-backs, Anthurium (Tail Flower) and Guamanian (a bromeliad) add a pop of colour and style to the defensive line. Anthurium’s bright red spathes and Guzmania’s colourful bracts (modified leaves) will certainly draw the eye in any office.
Meet the midfielders
Reliability and adaptability are essential qualities in midfielders on a football pitch, and your office plants require the same dependable traits. Aspidistra elatior and Zamioculcas zamiifolia are hardy plants that can withstand low levels of light and require infrequent watering. Their ability to thrive in tough conditions has led to them being named Cast-Iron Plant and Eternity Plant (respectively).
The highly adaptable Howea Forsteriana (Kentia Palm) and Yucca complete our selection of midfielders – Yucca’s tough, sword-shaped leaves and Kentia Palm’s impressive height make great additions to your plantasy team.
Flowering plants play forward
Presenting the show-stopping strikers of the plant world: Sansevieria and Phalaenopsis, although they’re known on the team as Snake Plant and Moth Orchid. Every side has its crown jewels – with Sansevieria’s attractively marbled leaves and Phalaenopsis’s vibrantly coloured long-lasting flowers, these plants can make a big impact in the office.
Everyone’s a winner
For employers, the benefits of incorporating plants into the workplace are very clear. Being close to greenery makes us feel more at ease with our surroundings, experience less stress and can even help to improve our wellbeing.
This can lead to an increase in productivity, as joint research from the universities of Cardiff, Exeter, Queensland and Groningen, and supported by Ambius has shown. This study demonstrated that plants can increase productivity by as much as 15 percent, as well as improving employees’ sense of wellbeing in the workplace by up to 40 percent.
If you want to score a rejuvenated work environment by drafting your own office ‘plantasy’ team, then why not talk to our experts?
