We spend a large proportion of our waking hours at work, so why not instill some style to your personal work space with fresh flowers and plants? It doesn’t have to break the bank if you follow some of our handy tips below. And you don’t need to be a floral stylist to pull it off either!
Whether you are lucky enough to sit near a window or have a desk in a windowless office space, here are some simple ideas to jazz up your personal office space with flowers and plants over the winter months.
IF YOU HAVE NATURAL SUNLIGHT NEAR YOUR OFFICE DESK
Flowering Cyclamen Plants
Autumn and winter is the season for beautiful flowering Cyclamen plants. Available in all shades of pink, mauve, purple, crimson and pure white, these little beauties look great in a basket or schmick ceramic pot on your office desk. You can also purchase quite small sized plants, if you don’t want to take up space. All they need to flourish is some natural sunlight and watering to keep their soil moist.
If your plant starts to look a little tired (getting a bit over the internal heating), take it home and place it outside on your patio or in the garden for some cool fresh air and sunshine, keep it watered, and it will spring back.
Once winter is over and the flowering season has finished, plant these beauties in the garden. They will go dormant over the spring/summer months but fresh green leaves will begin to sprout from the soil when the cooler weather kicks in.
TIP: Remove dead leaves and flowers at the very base of their stems to allow for new growth.
Cost $$$
Expect to spend as little as $15 for a mini Cyclamen plant (no pot), or around $45 to $55 for a larger Cyclamen plant in a stylish ceramic pot.
Purchasing a ceramic pot in a style and colour that suits your office and reflects your personal taste is a great place to start. Not only is it more economical to own your own pot in the long term, but as seasons change you can easily switch your Cyclamen plant for another gorgeous option that flourishes in spring and summer.
This Cyclamen plant below is a great starting point to get your office desk looking beautiful.
Succulent Terrariums
These can be super small terrariums, or larger ones like pictured below. It all depends on how much space you have to work with. Terrariums are easy to make (the perfect weekend project!) or you can buy them ready made from your local florist. Succulents are perfect for using in terrariums, but they do require natural sunlight to thrive. Watering is at a minimum, bonus!
Tip: Follow our instructions on how to create and care for plant terrariums here.
IF YOU HAVE NO NATURAL SUNLIGHT IN YOUR OFFICE
Air Plants
Did you know there are more than 650 types of air plants that can grow and thrive without soil? These bromeliads get water and nutrients through their specialised leaves, thus they are perfect for the office and anyone who does not have much of a green thumb.
Display by laying on a flat ceramic tray or plate for an architectural look, or in a mini glass terrarium like the one pictured below (we particularly like the touch of Old Man’s Beard in this!)
Tip: Spray with a light water mist daily during warmer weather, less often in colder conditions. Fertilising helps to keep your air plants healthy for longer.
Cost $$$
A small glass terrarium and one air plant might set you back around $25.
Simple Cut Flower Bunch or Single Flower Stem
Okay so not everyone in a sunlight-free office space is lucky enough to have a stylish all-white office ensemble like the one pictured below, but see the difference a simple vase of flowers makes? What is smart about the picture below is the size of the vase. It’s narrow width at the opening means you don’t need many flower stems for them to sit nicely in the vase. In fact there are probably a few too many in this picture.
You can buy certain flowers by the stem from your florist, which is a great way to stick within a budget. If it’s a chunky, woody stemmed flower with lots of foliage, you can easily get away with just one. Flowers such as King Protea, Warratah, Banksia, tropical crab claws and Cymbidium orchids are ideal.
Alternatively a few stems (odd numbers are best) of lilies or orchids work just as well. Chyrsanthemum daisies are cost effective too!
Cost $$$
Single flower stems can cost around $5 to $15 depending on what they are. Note that the more expensive the single flower stem, the hardier and longer lasting it usually is. A plain bunch of cut flowers can be picked up from a florist from around $15 to $25. You could even get additional value out of the bunch by splitting it between a vase on your office desk and one at home.
