It’s all well and good looking for a houseplant that suits a certain aspect, but what if your box-room home office doesn’t have space for these beautiful houseplants? The good news is that there are plenty of small houseplants that do fit smaller spaces, without eating up the room you have left.
Saintpaulia tongwensis (African violet)
Despite what its name suggests, the African Violet isn’t actually a violet. Its flowers simply bear a striking resemblance. That being said, the flowers can also be pink, white, blue, and red. This adds a great pop of colour to any smaller home office. The blooms are a clustered rosette of soft leaves, and with the correct care and conditions, these plants can flower non-stop for months on end.
Although they were first discovered among the hills of Tanzania in East Africa, these plants don’t need tropical conditions to survive. In fact, they can be found growing sheltered under other plants. So they shouldn’t be phased by the size of your home office.
- Prefers either South-Facing or East-Facing aspects
- Evergreen
- Enjoys partial shade
- This houseplant can be fussy about water – it prefers lukewarm water, but let it dry out between waterings
- Try to repot once a year, but into a pot of the same size
- Flowers in the late autumn to early spring, which gives your home office a welcome pop of colour in the winter months
- A small plant that reaches a height of about 10cm and each flower is about 2.5cm across
It’s the plant that never stops getting prodded by pencils. This plant is popular not only due to the hair-like structures on its leaves that look like vicious teeth, surrounding its blood-red throat, but because you can see it eat its lunch.
This plant’s hair-like structures are used to sense the presence of insects. And when they do, the plant responds by snapping its jaw shut. It then secretes digestive juices to consume its prey. Get one of these and you’ll never have to share your home office with insects again!
- Prefers South-Facing or West-Facing aspects
- Evergreen
- Full sun or partial shade
- Prefers rainwater or distilled water as salt in tap water can be bad for this houseplant
- Will eat your home office flies, so if you have a window or space near your door, place your Venus flytrap here
- The Venus flytrap goes dormant for a few months of the year – it’s not dead, just resting!
- They can spread to 30cm wide, but won’t grow very tall, up to 10 cm
Ceropegia Linearis subs. Woodii (Hearts on a String)
It’s tricky not to fall in love with this succulent plant. Especially when you take a look at its cascading trails, covered in pinkish, heart-shaped leaves. What’s more, come summer, this plant may bear small, pink, tubular flowers. This will add an exotic element to your home office.
These plants are perfect for small office spaces as they grow best on a high shelf or hanging pot. They look their best when placed somewhere above desk level, to let their leaves trail over an edge. So, they’re not taking up any floor space, and you won’t have to worry about knocking it over when you go to pick up the phone.
- Prefers either south-facing or east-facing aspects best
- Tolerates different light levels, but enjoys bright conditions best
- Needs water when the soil is dry, be wary not to over water
- Plant in a smaller pot – they grow best in crowded pots
- Perfect gift for a loved one, with leaves that will remind the recipient of your special connection
- Best placed in a high location – trailing foliage can grow well over 2m
Getting the perfect houseplant for your home office will help you concentrate better and bring some life into the space.
If you want to learn more about taking care of your houseplants, see the link below to my book ‘My houseplant changed my life’. Many of the home office houseplants mentioned on this page are inside!
To learn more about home office houseplants, see my other blogs below.
Find out about one of the most popular houseplants – Monstera:
Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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