What are some interesting plants I can grow in my office?
March 16, 2016 12:11 PM Subscribe
Looking for suggestions for uncommon plants that will do well in the specific environment of my very dry, well-lit, well-ventilated, cool office. Specifications within.
I have most of the typical office plants and would like some less typical ones. But there are a few particularities of my office environment which make it more difficult to choose plants that grow well:
Low humidity. In the winter it can be as low as 10% and a humidifier doesn't help much given the size of the room. Please do not suggest orchids, they will not thrive (I've tried). I am willing to mist and use trays but there is only so much that can be done.
It's cool. Well, in the winter it is cool, and in the summer it is cold. Generally temperatures are 60-72F. My desk is also breezy from a vent directly above.
Bright natural light. I live in a northern latitude (42N, ~9 hours daylight in winter) but my office has large west-facing windows which provide bright indirect light all morning and direct sunlight in the late afternoon. There is also overhead fluorescent lighting.
I am good with plants so no need to stick to "hard to kill" species. I am also willing to put up with some high-maintenance weekday plant care for something a little more interesting than the average spider plants, African violets, snake plants, peace lilies, ficus, etc office plants since I have all those. I would also prefer suggestions for specific species, rather than just "succulents" or "ferns." Thank you.
I have most of the typical office plants and would like some less typical ones. But there are a few particularities of my office environment which make it more difficult to choose plants that grow well:
Low humidity. In the winter it can be as low as 10% and a humidifier doesn't help much given the size of the room. Please do not suggest orchids, they will not thrive (I've tried). I am willing to mist and use trays but there is only so much that can be done.
It's cool. Well, in the winter it is cool, and in the summer it is cold. Generally temperatures are 60-72F. My desk is also breezy from a vent directly above.
Bright natural light. I live in a northern latitude (42N, ~9 hours daylight in winter) but my office has large west-facing windows which provide bright indirect light all morning and direct sunlight in the late afternoon. There is also overhead fluorescent lighting.
I am good with plants so no need to stick to "hard to kill" species. I am also willing to put up with some high-maintenance weekday plant care for something a little more interesting than the average spider plants, African violets, snake plants, peace lilies, ficus, etc office plants since I have all those. I would also prefer suggestions for specific species, rather than just "succulents" or "ferns." Thank you.
Best answer: How do you feel about clivias? They're unusual as an office plant, and I think they'd do well in your dry, cool, sunny environment, what with their origin in South Africa. To really bloom, they might actually need something even a little cooler than what your office provides.
If you'd like something a little more high-maintenance, have you tried asapargus ferns? I think your cool temperatures and bright light are squarely in their ballpark. Downsides are that they also like humidity, but I've been told by growers that the ferns can get by if regularly watered/sit on a regularly refreshed humidity tray/get some misting. And I love the ferny, lacy look they get, particularly the foxtail ones.
I've also got some rhizomatous begonias that do really well in a dry, very cool north-facing room without curtains where they get blown about by household vents . It looks like their temperature requirements match up well with your environment, and they come in a dreamy, dreamy array of leaves and colors. Before buying, though, I'd google to see whether a given type is actually rhizomatous/what the culture requirements are, because not all begonias are rhizomatous, and while some are sturdy and will thrive in the environment you describe, a number of the showiest are really frustrating and demand high humidity.
Last suggestion: are there any spots that get indirect light, but not a huge amount of direct light? If so, you could put orchids inside big ol' glass jars and terriarum them. It's how I've gotten some picky, high-humidity begonias and ferns to grow.
posted by joyceanmachine at 2:11 PM on March 16, 2016
If you'd like something a little more high-maintenance, have you tried asapargus ferns? I think your cool temperatures and bright light are squarely in their ballpark. Downsides are that they also like humidity, but I've been told by growers that the ferns can get by if regularly watered/sit on a regularly refreshed humidity tray/get some misting. And I love the ferny, lacy look they get, particularly the foxtail ones.
I've also got some rhizomatous begonias that do really well in a dry, very cool north-facing room without curtains where they get blown about by household vents . It looks like their temperature requirements match up well with your environment, and they come in a dreamy, dreamy array of leaves and colors. Before buying, though, I'd google to see whether a given type is actually rhizomatous/what the culture requirements are, because not all begonias are rhizomatous, and while some are sturdy and will thrive in the environment you describe, a number of the showiest are really frustrating and demand high humidity.
Last suggestion: are there any spots that get indirect light, but not a huge amount of direct light? If so, you could put orchids inside big ol' glass jars and terriarum them. It's how I've gotten some picky, high-humidity begonias and ferns to grow.
posted by joyceanmachine at 2:11 PM on March 16, 2016
Best answer: My mother grows hibiscus indoors under similar conditions, but it is dormant in the winter months. She just enjoys having a blooming indoor plant. I used to grow oxalis triangularis because I absolutely loved the intense purple leaves and little pinkish-white flowers. With care and attention to repotting, I could keep mine blooming year-round.
posted by xyzzy at 3:49 PM on March 16, 2016
posted by xyzzy at 3:49 PM on March 16, 2016
Best answer: I have a Hawaiian umbrella bonsai tree that's really sweet and is thriving in my office. Bonsai Boy has a bunch of indoor tree suggestions. Don't get an outdoor tree, no matter how enticing it is. You'd be shocked at how quickly they give up the ghost.
posted by janey47 at 5:23 PM on March 16, 2016
posted by janey47 at 5:23 PM on March 16, 2016
Best answer: • joyceanmachine's Clivia suggestion is very good.
• Schlumbergera (holiday cactus) needs cooler temperatures (down to ~50-55F) to set buds. I grow a lot of mine in a cool room with western exposure and they do great. Bad: they're not particularly uncommon or unusual. Good: flowers are pretty.
• Euphorbia trigona (African milk tree) would be nearly-perfect for the location; they're very vertical, so they wouldn't take up a lot of floor space. They do get top-heavy with age, and like many Euphorbia, they have poisonous sap. More or less ditto for Euphorbia ammak, E. ingens, E. grandicornis, E. pseudocactus.
• primalux made a good suggestion with Euphorbia tirucalli, though you should know that they can get big (this can be kept somewhat in check by underpotting), and the sap can be very painful if you get it in an eye by accident. (ask me how I know)
• Eucharis grandiflora (Amazon lily) can handle cold temperatures and bright light; I'm less certain about the dry air. Blooms sporadically, even indoors; the blooms are fragrant and look a lot like solid white daffodils.
• I like Synadenium grantii (now Euphorbia umbellata; African milk bush) a lot. Very fast-growing, which could be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. Also has somewhat dangerous sap.
• Lots of intergeneric hybrids between Aloe, Haworthia, and Gasteria should work in this space. I'm especially fond of Gasteraloe x beguinii and Alworthia 'Black Gem.' As with a lot of the suggestions on this list, they may rot if the soil is both wet and cold simultaneously.
• Haemanthus albiflos (royal paint brush) has worked for me in a similar situation for a while, though my humidity is higher than what you describe. I'm also not sure I've ever seen one for sale in retail.
• Hatiora salicornioides (drunkard's dream) ought to work in this situation, and I find it pleasingly weird, though you're unlikely to get blooms.
• A lot of stapeliads (carrion flower, starfish flower) should do okay in this situation. Some have bad-smelling flowers (Stapelia gigantea, S. variegata: odor ranges from "faraway dog-shit" to "dead mouse"), but others don't (Huernia schneideriana, H. zebrina, H. oculata: all odorless as far as I can tell). Of those I've grown, S. gigantea and H. schneideriana are the least picky w/r/t care.
• Leuchtenbergia principis (agave cactus, prism cactus) is an acquired taste, and would probably not bloom for you indoors, but I like them anyway because they're cacti that look un-cactusy. Uncommon in retail.
• Pachypodium geayi and P. lamerei (Madagascar palm) are pretty widely available and odd-looking.Very thorny, though.
• I assume you're aware of Sansevieria trifasciata already, but do you know S. cylindrica?
• Not sure if Zamia furfuracea (cardboard palm) would be okay with air that dry, but I'm pretty sure it'd be fine with the temperature, and would appreciate the light.
posted by Spathe Cadet at 8:22 AM on March 17, 2016
• Schlumbergera (holiday cactus) needs cooler temperatures (down to ~50-55F) to set buds. I grow a lot of mine in a cool room with western exposure and they do great. Bad: they're not particularly uncommon or unusual. Good: flowers are pretty.
• Euphorbia trigona (African milk tree) would be nearly-perfect for the location; they're very vertical, so they wouldn't take up a lot of floor space. They do get top-heavy with age, and like many Euphorbia, they have poisonous sap. More or less ditto for Euphorbia ammak, E. ingens, E. grandicornis, E. pseudocactus.
• primalux made a good suggestion with Euphorbia tirucalli, though you should know that they can get big (this can be kept somewhat in check by underpotting), and the sap can be very painful if you get it in an eye by accident. (ask me how I know)
• Eucharis grandiflora (Amazon lily) can handle cold temperatures and bright light; I'm less certain about the dry air. Blooms sporadically, even indoors; the blooms are fragrant and look a lot like solid white daffodils.
• I like Synadenium grantii (now Euphorbia umbellata; African milk bush) a lot. Very fast-growing, which could be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. Also has somewhat dangerous sap.
• Lots of intergeneric hybrids between Aloe, Haworthia, and Gasteria should work in this space. I'm especially fond of Gasteraloe x beguinii and Alworthia 'Black Gem.' As with a lot of the suggestions on this list, they may rot if the soil is both wet and cold simultaneously.
• Haemanthus albiflos (royal paint brush) has worked for me in a similar situation for a while, though my humidity is higher than what you describe. I'm also not sure I've ever seen one for sale in retail.
• Hatiora salicornioides (drunkard's dream) ought to work in this situation, and I find it pleasingly weird, though you're unlikely to get blooms.
• A lot of stapeliads (carrion flower, starfish flower) should do okay in this situation. Some have bad-smelling flowers (Stapelia gigantea, S. variegata: odor ranges from "faraway dog-shit" to "dead mouse"), but others don't (Huernia schneideriana, H. zebrina, H. oculata: all odorless as far as I can tell). Of those I've grown, S. gigantea and H. schneideriana are the least picky w/r/t care.
• Leuchtenbergia principis (agave cactus, prism cactus) is an acquired taste, and would probably not bloom for you indoors, but I like them anyway because they're cacti that look un-cactusy. Uncommon in retail.
• Pachypodium geayi and P. lamerei (Madagascar palm) are pretty widely available and odd-looking.Very thorny, though.
• I assume you're aware of Sansevieria trifasciata already, but do you know S. cylindrica?
• Not sure if Zamia furfuracea (cardboard palm) would be okay with air that dry, but I'm pretty sure it'd be fine with the temperature, and would appreciate the light.
posted by Spathe Cadet at 8:22 AM on March 17, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks very much! Now I just wish I had a bigger desk:)
posted by epanalepsis at 1:33 PM on March 22, 2016
posted by epanalepsis at 1:33 PM on March 22, 2016
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