Plants...I beg your garden?!

No, you heard it right! I know what you're thinking, back with the puns as I couldn't leaf them out. For my new job in fire safety, I spend four out of five days working from home so I have got my home office in order. Aside from the usual IT equipment and some bookshelves, I decided to follow the interior design trend which has re-emerged for the modern day - houseplants.

A home office can look somewhat monotonous without dashes of colour here and there so I took to the web to see which plants were the easiest to look after and spruce up the window cill and shelves. Some of the plants I recognised from their 70s heyday whilst others I remember being in my parent's house growing up. It has also been shown that there are mental health benefits from being around plants; making us calmer and more relaxed whilst reducing anxiety and stress.

So here are all eleven that I have purchased along with the African Spear that I propagated.

1. Aloe Vera is a succulent that is well known for its medicinal properties. It can be handy to keep in the kitchen in case you burn yourself. It has a very short stem, thick green leaves, and small serrated teeth.
2. Spider Plant (Latin Chlorophytum Comosum) is a very common houseplant that is known to remove toxins from the air within homes.
3. Crassula Ovata Gollum has tubular trumpet-shaped leaves and the tips can turn red when left in full sun. Like Aloe Vera, it is a succulent.
4. Crassula Ovata Jade is the classic Jade plant which can grow white or pink flowers. Also a succulent.
5. Snake Plant (Latin Dracaena Trifasciata or Sansevieria) is another succulent that helps filter air and regulates healthy airflow.
6. Haworthia Attenuata is yet another succulent, this plant has spiky leaves and white tubercles.
7. Hoya Carnosa Tricolor is a waxy-leaved plant which as the name suggests has multi-coloured leaves. In summer it should provide sweet-scented flowers and it proliferates.
8. The Swiss Cheese Plant (Latin Monstera Adansonii) is a classic with large, heart-shaped leaves with holes.
9. Philodendrons have large green leaves and two types of leaves on each plant; juvenile and adult leaves.
10. Chinese Money Plant (Latin Pilea Peperomioides) is a member of the nettle family with small circular leaves.
11. African Spear (Latin Sansevieria Cylindrica) is a succulent with spear-like leaves that can be braided together.
12. Wandering Dude (Latin Tradescantia Zebrina) is a quick-growing plant with a beautiful pink/purple colour to the leaves.

This may sound unbeleafable but horticulture isn't a subject I profess to have much knowledge about but I thought it was worth noting down my purchases in case you are also interested in some office greenery. I will aim to provide an update this time next year to see how many I have managed to keep alive so keep rooting for me! By bringing a bit of the outdoors indoors they make the office a greener and happier place to work.