Using Plants in the Office

Office plants, ranging from massive displays in the main entrance to the individual pot on the top of a filing cabinet, are becoming increasingly popular. Many reasons have been advanced to conscientious office managers and house plant maintenance contractors to explain why house plants are a justifiable expense in a commercial concern. Probably, however, the most cogent, but perhaps more nebulous, reason for their use is that they make the office a pleasanter place in which to work.

From a utilitarian point of view, the everchanging moods of plants can soften the decor of many modern offices and mask the somewhat harsh lines of contemporary office furniture. More important, climbing plants can form relatively low space-consuming divisions in open-plan offices, as experience has shown that movement of persons is far more disturbing to personnel than machine noise. Climbing house plants and larger specimens can also be very effectively employed as screens behind which to hide temporary piles of incoming goods awaiting removal to storage. It could also be argued that their presence is an aid to tidiness.

It might be claimed by some that the presence of plants can have a good psychological influence on office workers. Certainly, those who are gardeners would appreciate them; for a long time it has been recognized that green is a restful colour. Moreover, in cities they are a pleasing contrast to the stark-ness and shabbiness of the brick-buildings seen through the office windows.

The greatest problem of having house plants in offices is their upkeep: How are they to be tended during hot weekends and holiday periods when the self-appointed, dedicated, office plant-lover is away? The answer, no doubt, is that the managing director should engage a house plant contractor to handle this problem for him. The contractor is a specialist and knows the most suitable plants for the purpose, what attention they need and when failing plants should be replaced.

For those who are interested in using the services available for this purpose, an outline of two types of contracts are given very briefly in the ensuing paragraphs.

Under one scheme the commercial concern buys and owns the plants and arranges with a contractor, who is usually the supplier, to maintain them regularly, about once a week. When plants need replacing the contractor undertakes to advise the owner. The great disadvantage of this type of contract is that, because of expense, there is often reluctance on the part of both parties to make the necessary replacements frequently enough and the display becomes shabby.

Under another rather more satisfactory arrangement, the contractor hires out the plants and agrees to maintain them regularly. In addition, he also contracts to replace immediately any plants that are failing. Under this type of agreement, arrangements in private offices are also regularly replaced so that interest is sustained and dying and overgrown dish gardens dealt with. In addition, when it is desired, the contractor will hire out bowls, dishes and other containers, and self-watering devices.

Suitable House Plants for Offices
Finding the right type of plants for an office is quite a problem and one best left to the expert. Probably the greatest menace can be the house plant that has found its way into the office through a good-hearted collection for somebody's birthday. Usually, unwittingly, the plant chosen is totally unsuited to the conditions under which it has to live and after a week or so it becomes a sordid object, instead of the thing of beauty that it should be. There is little doubt that only the toughest plant can survive and live happily in the atmosphere that even a modern office block has to offer. Although most offices do not suffer from the problem of insufficient light, there are other hazards. Excessive heat, hot radiators, dry air, draughts, tobacco smoke, deposits of unwanted vending-machine coffee and baking sun are but a few that can play havoc with the toughest specimens.

House plant suppliers and contractors have, however, learnt a lot about suitable house plants for this purpose. On page 29 is a list, that has been compiled by a leading house plant nurseryman, of those he has found to be most satisfactory. He has graded them according to his assessment of their suitability. Those in Grade 1 are excellent; those in Grade 2 very good; and those in Grade 3 are good and satisfactory. Peperomias are used for infilling in arrangements for the first six months until the other members have grown.