With the weather getting warmer and much of the UK’s countryside at the peak of its beauty, more people are getting out and about to enjoy and appreciate it, going on walks or sitting in the garden. The average Brit now spends 90% of their time indoors, that’s 22 hours a day! Being outside in the sun (without getting burned) has many health and wellbeing boosting benefits including boosting vitamin D, improving mood and regulating melatonin production.
While it is important that we do get out and about as much as possible, how about bringing the outdoors indoors? We think that every day is a good day to encourage health and creativity in your workspace, and have written plenty of blogs about how plants can improve indoor air quality as well as detailing plenty of other reasons to have plants in the workplace so we know that you already understand the benefits of office plants.
Just for fun, we’re going to look at which desk plants best suits you and your colleague’s personalities, and how to take care of them.
The Super-Efficient
No business could properly function without a few of these types in the office, often found in your accounts team. When working they are quiet but determined, but during discussions, they are forthright with useful suggestions. These people are a great asset to your company and are often the ones that others rely on in a pinch. Good at fact-checking and meeting deadlines, expect them to pick you up on any mistakes before anyone else notices!
Their methodical minds mean that these people are well suited to catering for succulents and will get a lot of pleasure from their neat and tidy aesthetic. The ‘succulent family’ has a wide variety of plants in it that share a beautiful plum pillow like foliage. They require little water and do well in most environments making them a great plant for busy staff.
Succulent Care Tips
They require little water and do well in most environments making them a great plant for busy staff. They can withstand a lot of heavy sunlight without burning, but the newly planted risk scorching so be careful if you’re introducing your plant to a bright windowsill. It is also good to rotate them to stop them leaning towards the sun.
The Creative
The type whose desks and desktop computers are completely unfathomable and drowning in junk, but if you ask for something that you suspect is buried in there, they will no doubt surprise you by quickly rooting it out before you even have a chance to complain about the mess. They might be disorganised, but they will tell you that it’s just their creativity overflowing.
These types aren’t disorganised, they’re simply too busy to keep up a tidy appearance for the benefit of other people. To stop and tidy up would mean slowing down and reducing their output, so they’re best left to get on with their work. That said, they’re great at thinking outside the box, perhaps because they refuse to be contained by the same social expectations that govern everyone else so they can be a great asset in creative roles like sales or marketing.
Their curiosity can lead to pushing company boundaries, often for the benefit of the business but sometimes for their own gain. This can lead other members of staff to consider them a bit eccentric and difficult… which is why we recommend a cactus for these types. These indoor plants are quick and easy to care for, as well as entirely unique.
Cactus Care Tips
Although neglecting to water a cactus is unlikely to kill it quickly, many people underestimate the amount of water that a mini-cactus will need. Generally, watering when the top half-inch of the soil is dry will allow the cactus to flourish. Seasonal changes in temperature or atmosphere will also affect its needs, so it is better to check the soil of your cactus before you add water.
Some other tips and tricks to help your office to achieve some stunning cacti are to remember to rotate them every now and then for an even distribution of sunlight, as well as avoiding watering them during the winter when they enter their dormant phase.
Despite all the little extras that you can do to help a cactus be its best self, they are easy to keep alive, which busy individuals in your office will surely appreciate.
The Fashionista
A fashionista thrives on beauty, they tend to work in the more creative departments of your business, like PR or IT, and they come up with some truly spectacular ideas. The way things look is extremely important to them, which means that they are great for quality control and keeping your brand identity on trend. If you want someone to represent your company, you could be looking towards them.
To keep those ideas flowing you should gift your fashionistas with a flowering plant that really suits them, such as the stunning guzmania – also known as a bromeliad. These plants require a little hard work and effort to keep in peak condition, but they bring forth beauty, elegance and individuality when treated correctly – a challenge that your fashionistas will love.
Guzmania Care Tips
Guzmania require careful tending and are very rewarding. You should water them only when the soil begins to feel dry and tip away any excess water that the soil cannot soak up. They can tolerate long periods without water, but they dislike being drowned and might rot the roots. This means that it is ok to forget to water your guzmania on occasion, so long as you never over-water them.
A bit like the fashionista’s who will enjoy growing them, guzmania like to spend time in the spotlight, but don’t place them in direct sunlight or they might burn!
The Snacker
Judging by the number of wrappers and crumbs adorning their desk, it could be easy to confuse a Snacker for a Creative – their desks do look quite similar from afar. Some differences between these two are that when it comes to working, snackers are organised and straightforward with the ability to follow arduous processes with ease; their success is fuelled by the food they snack on and they’re quite happy to work long hours, as long as there is food.
Snackers flourish when they’re cared for and are generally very easy to get on with, often bridging social groups in your company and bringing everyone together. If you’re trying to host a team building event then you should get them involved in the planning process; they certainly know of at least five places where your entire team can enjoy a lunch and learn together.
What plant best suits your sociable snacker? Spider plants are very easy going and have a retro feel about them. Just like the snacker with their biscuit stash, these plants are a gift that keeps on giving as they are keen to propagate, which means that you can easily take cuttings from a spider plant to grow more. You can learn more about the spider plant and how to share them in the video below:
This blog is just a bit of fun, we really do appreciate that diversity in the office is what makes it work, everyone is different, whether your team would prefer a cactus or a bromeliad it’s just a matter of personal preference. In the end, the happiness of your staff is what really counts, and the fact that putting plants in the office makes you 15% more productive is sure to help your business to flourish as much as the plants inhabiting it.
