Make your dental practice welcoming and comfortable with some houseplants that are (almost) impossible to kill.
Your dental office should be clean and functional, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also be stylish and make both patients and staff feel at home. If you’re wondering how to decorate your dental office, an easy and affordable way to brighten up any office style is with houseplants—the kind you don’t need a green thumb to keep alive.
There are many houseplants that are easy to care for and will thrive in an office environment. The plants you choose should grow well in low-to-medium light and only need to be watered weekly or less; that way the plant can flourish in any room in your office and survive if you forget about watering it for a week (or, even, a month).
Below, we’ll tell you where to buy houseplants (in person or online) as well as five stress-free houseplants to buy that are easy to find and easy to take care of. And if you want a more detailed guide to caring for specific houseplants, a great resource is the gorgeously illustrated website How Many Plants.
Where to buy houseplants and pots:
- Your local nursery
- Home Depot / Lowe’s
- The Sill
- Lively Root
- Horti
- Amazon (yep, for real)
Five easy houseplants for your dental office:
1. Golden Pothos, or Devil’s Ivy
This houseplant is one of the easiest to take care of, as well as one of the most beautiful in an office environment. There are several kinds of pothos plants, but the Golden Pothos has almost heart-shaped leaves in shades of dark to light green. It’s easy to find in your local plant shop and only needs low- to medium-light to grow quickly and steadily. The vines will flow to the floor or even climb the walls if you provide something for them to grasp onto. Water the Pothos once a week at most.
2. Snake plant
The Snake Plant has long fronds that point straight up into the air, kind of like a snake. It does best in indirect light and can thrive in any humidity level. Water once a week or less, and be sure to let the soil dry out between waterings.
3. ZZ plant
The leaves of the ZZ plant look waxy and luxurious, even next to office supplies. Depending on the pot you plant the ZZ in, it can stay small enough to sit on a desk or as big as a piano (if you’re looking for a true office centerpiece). You should place it in indirect low- to medium-light and water no more than once a week; when the top soil is dry you’re safe to water again.
4. Spider plants
Spider plants are easygoing companions that have lovely desk appeal. Their thin green tendrils sprawl out like a waterfall, then the plant sprouts mini spider babies that hang around and can be easily propagated to expand your office plant empire. They do well in medium, indirect light and can be watered once a week (or less—keep an eye out for dry soil).
5. Succulents
There are many kinds of beautiful succulents, and you can’t go wrong with most of them as an easy office plant. A few examples you should be able to easily find include the spindly Aloe Vera, the rose-shaped Echeveria, and the fuzzy Zebra Plant. Succulents don’t need much more than low, indirect light, and as desert plants they don’t need much water—in fact, be careful not to overwater them as that’s a common cause for them to yellow and shrivel. Just a bit of water every couple of weeks or so should be just fine.
