Plants make the office a little less dreadful. Having indoor plants provides a sense of calmness, fresh air, and an earthy feeling. They offer a little dose of nature in tech-centric spaces.
While natural light is a luxury for indoor spaces, not every single part of the floor will have it. Which brings up the question: How do these indoor plants survive in little to no light environments?
In a TikTok with more than 476,500 views, Evelyn (@thefiddleleaflady) reveals a dirty little secret on how office plants are able to thrive in such settings.
Why won’t your indoor plants last as long as the ones you see in public?
In the TikTok, Evelyn reveals a “dirty little secret” with the plant industry and with public indoor plants. Many public spaces including offices and stores appear to upkeep indoor plants very well despite low light situations.
Seeing these plants thrive in this type of environment goes against the traditional logic of plants needing water and sunlight to survive.
However, seeing these indoor plants in public can be misleading and give a false sense of hope.
Evelyn claims that companies will switch out dying plants every few months to maintain the fresh-looking aesthetic. So whenever a plant is looking sad and unhealthy, it is replaced by a new plant. She mentions she knows since because she dated a guy that worked at a plant shop.
Turns out what Evelyn revealed is a whole industry that specializes in indoor plant maintenance.
“This is called interior landscape design,” one TikTok commenter added.
What is interior landscape design?
According to Planterra, interior landscape design is the practice of designing, installing, and maintaining greenery and biophilic elements inside buildings.
Professionals in this field specialize in upkeeping indoor plants to ensure that they will thrive in any indoor environment. Interior landscape designers will monitor the plants’ health and will make adjustments when plants begin to look unwell.
“When I worked at an accounting office, they paid someone to come in and take care of the plants” one TikTok commenter shared
“You can rent office plants. They water, fertilize, and change them out when needed. Pretty handy,” another TikTok commenter added.
What plants thrive in indoor environments?
Just like people, not all plants are the same. The upkeep and maintenance will vary depending on the plant. Some plants need daily attention while others can survive with little water and sunlight.
So when purchasing plants for indoor environments, it is essential to know the characteristics of the plants and how they handle the indoors. In order for a plant to thrive, it needs the appropriate amount of water, light, and care.
According to Good Housekeeping, these 12 plants are great indoors. They’re separated out by light needs:
- First, for low light indoor environments, plant buyers should look into getting philodendron plant, ZZ plant, succulents, cacti, peace lily, pothos, and ferns.
- Now for medium light indoor environments, consider buying elephant ear plants and rubber plants.
- Lastly, for bright indoor environments, snake plants, spider plants, English ivy, and herbs are great options.
The majority of the plant’s success will be based on picking the right plant for the right condition. Knowing what the lighting environment is absolutely vital to raise healthy long-lasting plants.
What did the viewers think about this?
“I’d just assume they were fake,” one commented.
“Big plant does not want you to know this,” one joked.
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“Most corporate offices don’t own the plants. It’s all leased. Another company owns them and will maintain them weekly. If they start to look sad, it gets switched out,” one added.
“I worked at a hospital that had snake plants in the basement. I promise that in 5 years, they weren’t ever swapped out.” one shared.
The Daily Dot has contacted @thefiddleleaflady over email and Instagram messenger for comment.
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