Considering how much time you may spend in your office, it’s uplifting to surround yourself with beautiful, healthy plants. I say healthy, since a struggling, stressed-out, crispy plant is only going to depress you…we brought home a challenged plant from my husband’s office to nurse it here, and bought him a fresh, new plant for his desk.

Not only is a healthy plant going to boost your mood, it can clean the air you’re breathing in the office environment, which is very important for your health and energy levels. Many offices don’t have windows that open, and with fall coming at us, with flu season right behind it, clean air is a Must.

Here are some of the top plants to get for your office, or to give to your assistant on the next gift-giving occasion:

Spider Plant: They’re large, green and lush, often with a white stripe down the middle. Keep them near a window but out of direct sunlight, since the heat and light of direct sun will cause these plants’ leaves to brown. These are easy-care plants, not needing a lot of light, not being sensitive to temperature changes (which can happen when the office AC conks out) and they’re happy with just a brief daily watering.

Philodendrons: These provide a tropical feel for your office, with their large leaves and lovely color. They like cool temperatures (between 60 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit), but they’ll tolerate a warmer environment. Place this plant near a window for some light, but they’re not huge light-needers. Farm-bought plant nutrients give it a boost to keep it healthy for you.

Lucky Bamboo: All they need is a pot of water with some rocks, bringing happiness and luck to your work space. Keep them watered so that they can grow tall. This plant is an office favorite, since it doesn’t have feeding needs and is happy on a windowsill with some sunlight.

Cactus: Cacti and succulents are growing in popularity, since they’re very easy to take care of. They prefer natural light, so placing them by the window is best. Since they don’t require a lot of water, they survive the weekends without getting moisture and can even be left for a few weeks (such as during a business trip) without worry. A big trend now is to line your office windowsill with several different types of flowering cactus and succulents for visual interest.

Pothos: These green plants have heart-shaped leaves with white splotches on them, doing just fine in a variety of lighting conditions. They can be cut to a round shape, or you can let their long tendrils grow to hang down over desks or filing cabinets.

Some additional air-cleaning plants:

• Rubber plants
• Dracaena
• Peace lily
• English ivy
• Umbrella plant [In brighter light, this one needs more water]
• Boston fern
• African violet [These need lots of light and moisture, but they add a happy burst of color to your office and clean the air beautifully for you!]

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.

The average home is a hotbed of toxins and irritants, including cleaning supply particulates, paint fumes, smoke and dust allergens, but air-purifying houseplants come to the rescue by providing a natural, organic way to clean the air in your home, making it a safer and more enjoyable environment for you, your children and your pets. With a number of air-cleaning plants in your home, allergens may be reduced or eliminated, fresh oxygen produced, and your body protected from high levels of dangerous toxins such as benzene and formaldehyde that have been linked to cancer, among other diseases.

Indoor air pollution comes in unexpected forms. Aerosol sprays, household cleaners, computer ink, dry cleaning chemicals, nail polishes and many other everyday products pollute the air in your home. So stock up on three to four air-purifying plants per room, especially in such rooms as your bathrooms where plastic shower liners give off chemical fumes, and especially in home offices where printer inks emit harmful toxins as well. Bedrooms benefit from cleaned air and a boost in oxygen provided by air-purifying houseplants.

Some of our New Jersey customers and friends say that they plug in electric air purifiers to help clean the air in their home, but those pricy machines can only clean the square footage of a room or two. For the many other rooms and spaces of their homes, our Chatham, Madison, Florham Park, Mendham and other local customers say they place several air-purifying plants all over their homes, enjoying the natural pollution remedy that comes in the form of beautiful, mood-boosting green plants.

NASA conducted a study on houseplants’ strength as air purifiers, having tested plants as air-cleaners on the space station, and they found that plants can photosynthesize even in low light. Photosynthesis also absorbs toxins as it fuels the plant, making houseplants the perfect, inexpensive air-cleaning options for every room in your home.

Here are some of the most effective air-purifying houseplants and air-cleaning flower plants that you may wish to incorporate into your home’s décor:

Anthurium
Areca palm
Australian sword fern
Bamboo palm or reed palm
Boston fern
Bromeliad
Cactus
Chinese evergreen
Dwarf date palm
Elephant ear philodendron
English ivy
Gerbera daisy or barberton daisy
Golden pothos
Heartleaf philodendron
Ivy
Madagascar dragon tree
Orchid
Peace lily
Red-edged dracaena
Reed palm
Rubber plant
Rubber plant
Schefflera
Selloum philodendron
Snake plant (also known as ‘mother-in-law’s tongue’)
Spider plant
Warneck dracaena
Weeping fig

Some additional, visually-interesting air-purifying plants are:

Tillandsia. This unique plant doesn’t grow in soil, but is instead an air plant that only needs to be dipped in water or misted once a week.

Kentia palm. These tall, air-cleaning plants are perfect if you have a high ceiling in your home, since they grow up to 12 feet tall and grow lush and full with indirect light.

Lucky bamboo. This is another plant that doesn’t require soil to grow, but rather thrives in a vase of water or in a ceramic planter filled with tiny stones and water. Bamboo is said to bring luck, which is another reason this is one of our top plants to give as gifts.

African violet. Along with air-cleaning, this plant provides bright, vibrant flowers in pink, white, purple and other hues for a mood-boosting effect in your home or office.

Placement and care are important for your air-purifying plants. Read your plant’s instructions to find out if it thrives in low light, moderate light or full sun, and water as instructed. And keep these plants out of drafts so that they may do their air-cleaning work to full effect.

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 books on family celebrations, including weddings, bridal showers, vow renewals, and more. She is beyond thrilled to be the new guest blogger for The Farm, and she will be posting inspirations and tips for your parties, get-togethers and big family moments throughout the year. Visit her website www.sharonnaylor.net for more on her books and articles.

A few potted plants and flowers, some interesting garden accents, and you’ve got an instant garden. That’s the beauty of container gardening, one of the top garden trends we see for 2010 as we talk to garden supply center customers. It’s easy to see the appeal. The variety of flowers you can have is endless. And it’s very quick and easy for semi-gardeners who don’t want to dig and plant and wait for their garden plants to grow. Read more…