The best plants for offices in Amman
Air conditioning, fluorescent light, and nobody there at the weekend. These are the plants that cope.
What makes an office hard for plants
Three things, in order of how much damage they do:
- Nobody waters at the weekend. A plant that needs water every three days will not survive.
- Air conditioning. It removes humidity constantly, and vents blow cold, dry air directly at whatever is nearby.
- Light quality. Deep floorplates mean many desks are far from a window, and fluorescent light contributes very little that a plant can use.
Plants that handle all three
ZZ plant — the default recommendation. Rhizomes store water, so a long weekend or a two-week Eid closure is not a problem.
Snake plant — upright, so it fits a narrow spot, and needs water less often than almost anything else.
Aglaonema — the one way to get patterned foliage into a dim interior without it reverting to green.
Dracaena marginata — height without floor area, useful next to a desk or in a corridor.
Kentia palm — for a reception area where you want something substantial. Slower and more tolerant than any other indoor palm, and non-toxic to pets if the office has any.
Practical setup
Keep plants at least a metre from air-conditioning outlets — the single change that prevents the most damage. Pick pots with drainage and a saucer, so whoever waters cannot leave one standing in water. And put one person in charge; plants distributed across an office with shared responsibility get watered either five times a week or never.
