Artificial plants in the office: greenery without the upkeep

In many offices there is a plant somewhere that has seen better days. That is rarely down to a lack of effort. Offices are dry, often dark, cold at weekends, and during holiday season nobody thinks about watering. Artificial plants side-step that problem. What they can and cannot do is set out here.

Why real office plants die so often

The underlying problem is not a question of will but of responsibility: many people work in an office, and almost nobody feels responsible for the plants. Where it does work, there is a watering schedule, coordinated with the holiday schedule and with cover arranged for sick days. That is exactly where it usually fails, in the second week of the holidays. You see the result at reception first, and so do visitors.

What research says about greenery in the office

The best-known finding comes from a study by Nieuwenhuis and colleagues at the University of Exeter, published in 2014 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. The researchers followed offices before and after planting and measured noticeably higher work performance in the green rooms, along with more satisfaction and concentration.

Important for context: that study examined real plants. Whether artificial plants trigger the same effect is not established by it. Part of the effect comes from the visual impression of green, another part possibly from factors artificial plants do not offer. Bloomli therefore does not claim that an artificial plant measurably raises productivity. What it certainly does: it looks tidy permanently, and in places where real plants die.

The air-purification myth

One argument you read all the time does not stand up to scrutiny, and it is one that actually speaks for real plants. The famous NASA study from 1989 showed that houseplants can filter pollutants such as benzene and formaldehyde from the air. However, it was carried out in small, airtight chambers, because the subject was space stations.

A 2019 analysis worked out what the results mean for normal rooms: for plants to achieve as much as the perfectly ordinary air exchange through windows and leaks, you would need, depending on the calculation, ten to a thousand plants per square metre of floor space. In a real office, the effect is therefore practically zero.

Why this is here, even though Bloomli sells artificial plants: anyone who advertises a benefit that does not exist also loses credibility on the benefits that do. In short: neither real nor artificial plants clean your office air. Airing the room does.

Where artificial plants work well in the office

Dark corners and windowless rooms

Real plants need light. In internal meeting rooms, corridors and basement offices they stand little chance. That is exactly where artificial plants play to their strength.

Rooms nobody looks after

A reception area used by three departments and owned by none is a classic spot for dried-out plants. An artificial plant needs nothing there beyond occasional dusting.

Long absences

Company holidays, moves, home-office phases: artificial plants survive several weeks without any attention, unchanged.

Practices, law offices and waiting areas

Here there is an additional point that has nothing to do with looks: potting soil is heavily loaded with spore-forming germs, which is why potted plants are off limits in hospitals. And cut flowers at reception become an issue after three to four days, when the vase water turns. Artificial plants have neither soil nor standing water.

No pollen

Artificial plants release no pollen of their own and therefore add no pollen source to the office. To be honest: dust gathers on the leaves over time. Anyone who reacts to house dust should wipe them regularly.

Where real plants are ahead

• They change, they grow, and they give a room a certain liveliness.
• They measurably increase humidity in their immediate surroundings; unlike pollutant filtering, that is not a myth, but it only works close to the plant.
• They are biodegradable.
• So far, evidence for the effect found in the Exeter study exists only for them.

If you have time, light and someone with a green thumb, real plants serve you well. Artificial plants are the answer for every other case.

How many plants for what area

As a rough guide, one larger plant per 15 to 20 square metres has proved workable. That is not a rule but a value from experience.

• Up to 50 square metres: three to four medium-sized plants, for instance on a sideboard, a windowsill and in a corner.
• 50 to 150 square metres: six to eight plants, plus one or two hanging elements for shelves or room dividers.
• From 150 square metres: twelve plants upwards, sensibly complemented by larger specimens at the entrance.

Where they do the most good

• Reception and entrance: the first impression sticks. Well-kept greenery works harder here than anywhere else.
• Meeting rooms: often internal and without daylight.
• Corridors and corners: areas that otherwise feel empty and echoing.
• Individual desks: a small plant on the desk that nobody has to look after, and that makes the background look tidier in video calls.

What to look for when buying

• Leaf structure: matt surfaces with visible veining look more real than glossy ones.
• Stability: larger plants need a weighted pot, otherwise they topple as people pass.
• Choice of pot: a plain, good-quality outer pot lifts the effect far more than more expensive leaves.
• Sun exposure: constant direct sun bleaches colours over time. Placed somewhat more sheltered, they last longer.

Two minutes of care

Every two to four weeks, dust the leaves with a soft cloth or brush; a hairdryer on the cool setting works too, held at some distance. Twice a year, a more thorough clean with lukewarm water, then leave to air-dry. Nothing more is needed.

Matching categories

For desks and sideboards, potted plants work well; for shelves and room dividers, hanging plants. Larger specimens for entrance and reception can be found among the artificial trees.