Public Servant Lifestyle

Does the air in your home office feel stale? Time to go green! With a PC generating extra heat - and most home offices located in smaller spaces - it can get a little stuffy working from home. So why not go green and add some plants to the place? Just a small selection can help lower your stress levels, as well as absorbing potentially harmful chemicals from the air.

Daily Environment

Incorporating indoor plants into your daily environment not only improves the look of your surroundings, but will also benefit your wellbeing, says scientific research. Some houseplants are healthier than others, as they can absorb potentially harmful chemicals found in paints, varnishes and dry cleaning fluids; car exhaust fumes; and tobacco smoke. Such substances are increasingly found in office environments, and can adversely affect your health.

Some of the healthiest houseplants - those best at absorbing chemicals - are:

Ficus - including Ficus alii; weeping fig (F. benjamina); rubber plant (F. robusta) : For a woodland tree look try the weeping fig; or for something more tropical-looking, the sturdy rubber plant

Ivy (Hedera helix): available in many leaf shapes, some with cream or yellow patterning (variegation)

Spider plant (Chlorophytum): an old favourite, its tuft of long stripy leaves are great at removing chemicals from the air

Philodendrons - including sweetheart vine (P. oxycardium), elephant ear (P. domesticum), and Red Emerald (P. erubescens): dark glossy heart-shaped leaves from the floor of the jungle

Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum): large glossy leaves and white sail-like flower-spikes add glamour to your room

Pot chrysanthemums and pot gerbera: bright vivid flowers to cheer up your home or office

Ferns - especially Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata); and Kimberley Queen (Nephrolepis obliterata) : fresh green feathery fronds

Dragon tree (Dracaena marginata; D. deremensis; D. fragrans): trunks topped with tufts of long strappy leaves - often with coloured stripes

Palms - including Yellow or Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens); Lady palm (Raphis excelsa); and Parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans): bring a touch of the tropics with elegant herringbone leaf fronds

All these plants are easy to look after, particularly the chrysanthemums, gerbera, ivy, and dracaena. To get maximum benefit from your leafy friends, keep them in a brightly lit position out of direct sunlight and draughts. Give them a regular misting of lukewarm water to prevent drying leaf tips, to clean the leaves, and to keep the plants breathing well.

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