Say hello to longer days and brighter skies because summer is almost here. While it’s impossible to spend every day in summer at the beach like many of us would like to do, there are ways we can bring the great outdoors inside so that we can feel the summer buzz in our day-to-day work lives.
Don’t settle for a summer trapped inside an office that remains frozen outside of time and seasons. Here are our favourite summer plants that are ideal for workplaces, so you can feel as if you’re extending your summer vacation while you’re still in the office.
Top 3 tropical indoor plants great for summer
Why not embrace the vibrant colours of summer with colourful indoor plants that will make your employees feel as if they’re working remotely on a tropical island?
Zanzibar Gem (Zamio)
Often seen as the ultimate unkillable indoor plant, the Zanzibar Gem is perfect for an office. It doesn’t need large amounts of summer sun, meaning it’s a great plant to brighten up a slightly darker corner of your office.
Going away over the Christmas break? No problem – Zanzibar plants can cope with little water so you won’t have to worry about returning to the office after New Year’s to find a distressed looking plant waiting for you. There have even been cases of people assuming that their Zanzibar Gem has died, only for it to be suddenly revived after receiving a small taste of water.
Crassula Jade
The Crassula Jade goes by many names including the Jade Plant, friendship tree, lucky plant and money tree. In some cultures, the Crassula Jade is believed to bring wealth to its owner. While you might want to forgo stocking up on thousands of Crassula Jades in hopes of winning the lottery, this tropical plant still makes a great office plant when kept in manageable numbers.
Crassula Jades are fantastic indoor summer plants, however they do need a lot of light to thrive. But if your office is lucky enough to have a west facing window that captures the summer sun, go ahead and place a Crassula Jade or two in front of it to add a bit of tropical mystique to your interior design.
In terms of watering, it’s best to allow the soil of your Crassula Jade to dry between each watering. The amount of water the plant will need is determined by the time of year, the amount of sunlight and the humidity of its environment.
Kentia Palm
A Kentia Palm is a must-have for any office looking to invite summer indoors. This durable indoor plant is not only stunning, but is also well-suited for container growing.
Native to Lord Howe Island, this Aussie indoor plant can reach up to 60 feet tall in its natural habitat. Don’t start reconstructing your office ceiling though. When kept indoors, a Kentia Palm will typically reach somewhere between 5 to 12 feet tall.
Thanks to its highly adaptable nature, the Kentia Palm is a tropical plant that can withstand both high and low amounts of light – perfect for any kind of office.
What are low maintenance indoor summer plants?
We can’t talk about indoor summer plants without mentioning these classic low maintenance tropical plants.
Philodendron
With its large, glossy green leaves, the Philodendron is a genus of beautiful flowering plants that are renowned for their ruggedness. Climbing varieties of the Philodendron make for a stunning accent piece in an office, whether it’s trailing up a shelf as an indoor living wall art or cascading off the side of a desk. Philodendrons typically prefer medium amounts of light, although this can vary from type to type.
Monstera
Also fondly referred to as the Swiss Cheese Plant, the Monstera is a beautiful tropical plant that is native Central America. Their iconic ‘holey’ leaves are perfect for setting the scene of a lush office jungle.
While the Monstera is relatively easy to care for, it will require a decent amount of bright and indirect sunlight. Keep in mind that this plant will also prefer moist and well-drained soil.
How to protect and take care of tropical indoor plants
Unless you are working remotely in a jungle this summer, you may need to take a few extra steps to ensure that your tropical indoor plants remain healthy and happy. While each tropical plant type is different, here are some general considerations to take into account when tending to your new indoor summer plants.
Fertilising and watering tropical plants
As a general rule of thumb, tropical plants will prefer more water than not enough water. Most tropical plants will need to be watered about once a week so that the soil is kept slightly moist (but not soggy).
When it comes to fertilising, most tropical plants will need to be fertilised once every fortnight during spring and summer with a liquid fertiliser.
Sunlight
Ideally, tropical indoor plants will receive around 12-14 hours of sunlight during the summer time. Keeping your office blinds and curtains open into the evening will help to ensure that your tropical plants get their daily dose of sunlight.
Temperature
Even if you find yourself missing those cold winter mornings, don’t start turning your office air conditioner down to temperatures in the low teens. Tropical plants will grow most successfully when kept in a climate with temperatures ranging somewhere between 18℃ and 27℃.
Ready to welcome summer with some new tropical indoor plants? Get in touch with The Plant Man to discover how our indoor plant maintenance services can transform your office into a tropical garden that lets you celebrate summer indoors.
