The Ultimate Guide to Indoor Plants: Greenery for Every Space
With indoor gardening continuing to gain popularity worldwide, more people have begun to recognise its significance for creating a healthier lifestyle. This applies not only to residential spaces but also to business establishments.
Beyond enhancing the overall look of your hotel lobby, office premises, or food establishment, plants have the power to reduce noise pollution. According to research, they also help improve the air quality in and around an area, boost employee mood, productivity and creativity, and play a vital role in stress reduction, focus, and improved cognitive performance.
Given the significant benefits of greenery in the workplace, business owners and commercial fitout professionals are becoming more aware of the importance of incorporating natural plants in highly urbanised places, such as cities in the United Arab Emirates.
In this blog post, we’ll provide practical insights on choosing and caring for different types of indoor plants, ensuring you enjoy the therapeutic benefits of this pursuit for a healthier and greener space.
Key Considerations When Caring for Indoor Plants in the UAE
Before you start looking for shrubs, ferns, plant pots and other gardening essentials, you need to consider several factors that are crucial in establishing a healthy indoor landscape:
Space
Whether you plan to have some strategically placed potted greenery or an indoor garden in your establishment, you must first consider the space the plants need as they mature.
Large indoor plants such as Ficus Lyratas (fiddle leaf fig) and Ficus Elasticas (rubber trees) can grow as tall as 3 metres when planted in containers. Some climbing plants, like the Monstera Deliciosa (Swiss cheese plant), can also get as big as 8 feet wide and 10-15 feet tall indoors.
That said, if you have a small office to begin with, stick to flora that doesn’t take up too much space, like:
- Sansevieria (Snake Plant)
- Zamioculcas (ZZ Plant)
- Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)
- Philodendron Birkin
- Aglaonema Species (Maria, Silver Queen, etc)
Hanging plants also work well in areas with limited floor space, like toilets and pantries. Some examples include:
- Epipremnum Aureum (Pothos / Devil's Ivy)
- Tradescantia (Wandering Jew)
- Hedera Helix (English Ivy)
- String of Hearts
- String of Pearls
Alternatively, green walls offer a space-efficient solution, creating a striking feature with abundant greenery without using floor space.
Light
Plants need three key things to thrive: water, nutrients from the soil, and sunlight. Unlike those that grow outdoors, most types of indoor plants need your help to get enough UV light for photosynthesis.
Observe the areas of your indoor space and note how much sunlight the plants can get. You can use this information when deciding how to arrange new or existing flora.
Here’s a brief guide to get you started:
- Direct sunlight
- Location: Windows facing south, west, and southwest.
- Plants to pick: Crassula Ovata, Croton, Succulents, Cacti.
- Bright indirect sunlight
- Location: Windows facing north, east, west, and southwest.
- Plants to pick: Monstera Deliciosa, Ficus Lyrata, Ficus Elastia, Schefflera Amate, Dracaena varieties, Philodendron varieties, Pothos and Calathea varieties.
- Low sunlight
- Location: Areas with little to no light source.
- Plants to pick: Aspidistra, Sansevieria, Zamioculcas, Aglaonema Silver Queen
Pro Tip: Artificial horticultural lights are an excellent alternative for indoor plants in spaces lacking adequate sunlight access. They now come in a variety of styles that can be seamlessly integrated into any space and design.
Humidity
In a place with an arid climate like the UAE, you must take extra care in selecting the types of indoor plants you bring inside your commercial space.
Most mature plants can grow well enough with humidity levels of 60 to 70 per cent, while some tropical species need as much as 90 per cent humidity to thrive. Since many indoor spaces in the UAE are air-conditioned, choose those that can withstand drier air (at around 10 per cent humidity).
Plants with thicker leaves usually store moisture in their foliage and are relatively drought-resistant. Here are some plants that are perfect for air-conditioned rooms:
- Crassula Ovata
- Yucca
- Sansevieria
- Spathiphyllum
- Heartleaf Philodendron
- Epipremnum Aureum
Pro Tip: Clustering plants together keeps humidity at an ideal level.
Maintenance
Plant care and maintenance aren’t as easy as you might think.
You need to know how much and how often you need to water your plants to keep them lush without causing root rot due to overwatering. You must also ensure that your plants get enough nutrients from the soil and keep pests at bay.
Of course, this task doesn’t have to fall on your shoulders. If you’re worried about the upkeep, you can always hire reliable landscape design and maintenance companies like Planters to ensure that the greenery in your commercial space stays healthy and lush season after season.
The Perfect Indoor Plants for Different Commercial Spaces
With so many types of indoor plants to choose from, knowing their characteristics and how they fit into the space can help you make an informed decision.
This section explores the types of flora that work best in specific indoor environments and our recommended plants for each part of your office, lobby, and other sections of your business establishment:
Office
As mentioned earlier, there is undeniable proof that plants can aid in increasing productivity in the office and reduce work-related stress.
To get the most out of these benefits, choose plants that can thrive with indirect light, low humidity, variable temperatures, and less frequent watering. Some examples include:
- Spathiphyllum
- Zamioculcas
- Pothos
- Sansevieria
- Chlorophytum (Spider Plant)
- Dracaena species
Pro Tip: Avoid terracotta containers since they are porous and make water in the soil dissipate faster. Instead, use glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) pots that help retain moisture longer. These water-tight containers are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use because they are durable yet easily movable, offering flexibility for any commercial space.
Our GRP pots are perfect for a wide variety of plants, including:
- Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)
- Alocasia (Elephant's Ear)
- Tradescantia (Wandering Jew)
- Codiaeum Variegatum (Croton)
- Ficus Lyrata (Fiddle Leaf Fig)
- Aspidistra (Bird’s Nest Fern)
- Nephrolepis Exaltata (Boston Fern
Lobby
Besides offices, lobbies are also common areas in business districts in the UAE that can benefit from a plant or two (or perhaps an entire wall full of them).
To maximise the perks of indoor gardens for your business space, choose species that can help reduce noise pollution, improve oxygen levels, and are pleasing to the eye.
Besides the common low-maintenance plants, here are some of our recommendations to add a pop of colour to your lobby:
- Orchids
- Guzmania Rana
- Anthurium
For larger spaces, rows of palm plants or dracaenas planted in fixed plant containers should offer added texture and depth to the interior design.
If you have limited floor space but still want a living wall for your reception area, consider a moss wall filled with ferns and trailing vines. Here is an award-winning example:
Toilet
For the toilet, consider air plants since they are small and can be hung or propped just about anywhere without soil. These plants thrive in humid tropical environments like the one in your office or restaurant toilet.
Alternatively, you can also choose indoor plants that can grow with low light and high moisture like:
- Epipremnum Aureum
- Aspidistra (Bird’s Nest Fern)
- Chlorophytum
- Sansevieria
- Zamioculcas
F&B Dining Areas
We also recommend strategically placing various types of indoor plants in your restaurant or cafe dining section.
Depending on the setup and theme, the following plants would make the dining space more appealing to customers:
- Areca Palms
- Spathiphyllum Sensation
- Strelitzia Nicolai (Birds of Paradise)
- Dracaena Marginata
Bring Nature to Your Doorstep
Cultivating indoor plants in your commercial space comes with numerous benefits. The right plants can enhance well-being, productivity, and creativity while providing a touch of nature in urban settings like the UAE.
Consider factors like space, light, humidity, and maintenance to select and care for the perfect indoor plants tailored to your specific environment.
If you don’t have time to build a green space in your workplace, Planters can help.
Get expert landscaping services in Dubai and reap the full benefits plants offer.
