Best Office Plants: 12 That Survive Desk Life

The best office plants are snake plant, ZZ plant, aspidistra, pothos and Chinese evergreen. They cope with lower light and the odd forgotten drink better than most. Which one suits you depends on how far your desk is from a window, how warm it gets and who’s doing the watering.

The RHS guide to plants for offices says the same thing: pick for the light you have, and don’t let everyone water the same pot. Below are 12 good choices, the signs a plant needs more light and some simple watering checks. For plants at home, see our guide to the best indoor plants for UK homes.

Why offices kill most houseplants

Offices throw three problems at plants at once. The first is not enough light. Window light fades fast as you move away from the glass, and office ceiling lights are made for people, not plants. Check a spot at different times of day before you trust it.

The second is dry, moving air. Radiators and air-conditioning vents dry out leaves and compost quickly. Keep plants out of the blast and check those pots more often.

The third is being left alone. Nobody waters at the weekend. The heating often drops over winter weekends, and the office may close for a couple of weeks at Christmas. A plant that needs attention every few days doesn’t stand a chance. The plants below cope with all three.

Aspidistra is happy in a dim meeting room corner, though it still needs some daylight.

The 12 best office plants ranked by survivability

Here are 12 plants that cope with office life: dim light, patchy care and dry air. The snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata, often still sold as Sansevieria) is the best place to start, as it grows slowly and stores water in its leaves.

Treat the watering times as a rough guide and always feel the compost first. The ZZ plant stores water in its chunky roots, so it’s ideal if you tend to forget. Our guide covers snake plant care through the UK year in more detail. A peace lily needs checking more often, but it droops dramatically when it’s dry, so it tells you. There’s more on getting a peace lily to flower indoors in our growing guide.

A snake plant grows up, not out, so it’s perfect when desk space is tight.

Why succulents and air plants disappoint on desks

Succulents look like the perfect office plant. They don’t mind dry compost and they stay small. The trouble is light, not water. An echeveria on a dim desk loses its neat rosette and stretches towards the window.

Haworthia copes with less light than most succulents, but it still wants a bright windowsill, not a dark corner.

Air plants (Tillandsia) drink through their leaves, so blasts of warm or cold air from vents dry them out fast. Keep them somewhere bright and out of the airflow, and follow the soaking advice for your type.

How to water an office plant

Too much water kills more office plants than too little. The fix is the finger test. Push a finger into the compost up to the second knuckle, about 5cm down. If it feels at all damp, leave it. If it’s dry, water until a little runs out of the bottom, then empty the saucer after 20 minutes. Roots left sitting in water soon rot.

The day of the week doesn’t matter. What matters is whether the compost is dry. Don’t water just because it’s Friday.

Where a plant sits changes how fast it dries. Pots near heaters or vents dry quickly, while plants in a cool, dim corner stay wet much longer. Move plants out of a vent’s airflow, and always check before you pour.

The finger test: push to the second knuckle and only water if it feels dry.

How low light changes the way a plant grows

A plant moved from a bright garden centre to a dim desk goes through a few changes. Knowing what to expect stops you panicking, and stops you overwatering.

1. First couple of weeks: some leaf drop. The plant drops a few leaves it grew for brighter light. That’s normal.
2. Next month or so: stretching. If it’s too dark, stems get longer, lean towards the window and new leaves come out smaller and paler.
3. After that: growth slows right down. In dim light most plants barely grow, and they drink far less.
4. Long term: steady or slow decline. Tough plants hold steady for years. Light-hungry ones keep stretching until they flop.

The big mistake is watering a dark-corner plant as often as one on a bright sill. It’s growing slowly, so wet compost hangs around and rots the roots. Our guide to growing pothos indoors shows what healthy, compact growth looks like.

Too little light on the left, a spot nearer the window on the right.

An office plant calendar for the UK year

• Spring: Growth picks up. Start feeding monthly and repot anything bursting out of its pot.
• Summer: Plants drink more, so check more often. Keep them out of hot sun through south-facing glass.
• Autumn: Move plants nearer the window in October as the light drops, and away from radiators once the heating comes on.
• Winter: Water less and stop feeding. Before the Christmas break, give them a good drink and group them away from cold glass.

A quick finger test on a Friday, a drink if it’s dry, and the plant is set for the weekend.

Why the snake plant is the top pick

Why start with a snake plant: Its thick leaves cope with missed watering better than most desk plants, and it grows slowly, so it won’t take over. It still needs some daylight, and it hates sitting in wet compost.

If 70cm of upright leaves is too much for your desk, the dwarf ‘Hahnii’ stays under 30cm and is just as tough. ‘Laurentii’, with yellow-edged leaves, is another popular choice.

The root cause: match the plant to the light

Most office plant deaths get blamed on neglect. The real cause is usually putting the plant somewhere too dark, which no amount of care can fix. A calathea or fiddle leaf fig on a dim desk is struggling from day one, however lovingly it’s watered.

The fix is free. Look at the spot at midday on an ordinary day. Can you see the sky from where the pot will sit? Is it bright enough to read comfortably without the lights on? A gloomy meeting room corner suits an aspidistra or nothing. A desk near a window opens up pothos, Chinese evergreen and spider plant. A bright sill can hold haworthia.

Two habits keep things steady. Move plants closer to the window in October as the light drops. And pick plants for your light, not for claims on the label. Our guide to air purifying houseplants explains why “cleans the air” shouldn’t decide it either.

A ZZ plant within a couple of metres of the window, where it gets enough light to keep growing.

Common office plant mistakes

• Leaving a plant on a sill above a radiator. Once the heating’s on, the compost dries out in days and the leaves scorch. Move pots to a side table when the heating comes on.
• Adding gravel to the bottom of the pot. It doesn’t help drainage. It just raises the soggy layer closer to the roots. Use a pot with holes and skip the gravel, as explained in our guide to repotting houseplants properly.
• Watering dark corners as often as bright ones. Plants in dim light drink far less. Wet compost then lingers, bringing root rot and fungus gnats around your houseplants. Always do the finger test first.
• Leaving plants dry through a long Christmas closure. Water well on the last working day and group pots away from cold glass, and the tough ones will cope. For thirstier plants, try the ideas in our holiday watering solutions guide.
• Buying for looks instead of light. Ferns, calatheas and fiddle leaf figs top the wish lists and the casualty lists. Check your spot first, then pick from the table.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best plant for an office desk far from a window?

A snake plant is your safest bet. It shrugs off missed watering and grows slowly, and the dwarf ‘Hahnii’ stays small. Even so, no plant lasts long without some daylight or a grow light.

How often should I water an office plant?

Feel the compost rather than following a timetable. Water when it’s dry for that plant, let it drain and empty the outer pot. Plants near radiators or vents may need checking more often.

Will office plants survive three weeks unwatered over Christmas?

The tough ones usually do. Snake plants, ZZ plants and aspidistras are safer bets than thirsty plants. Check them before the break, move pots away from cold glass and heaters, and arrange cover if you need it.

Why is my office plant leggy and stretched?

Long, pale growth almost always means too little light. Move the plant closer to a window or add a grow light. Then water a little less, as a plant in dim light drinks slowly.

Which office plants are safe around pets and children?

Spider plant, parlour palm, aspidistra and haworthia are safe choices. Snake plant, ZZ plant, pothos, philodendron and peace lily can cause harm if chewed. That matters in dog-friendly offices. Keep those on high shelves rather than desk edges.