Top houseplants to boost your wellbeing in the home or office

 Louise Ryan of Sunfleck, Dungarvan, Co Waterford, gives her expert advice on choosing plants for your home or workplace

Adding plants to your workspace can spark creativity, fight fatigue and promote focus. Ask your plant seller to show you plants with indicated talents in helping productivity, including soft leafy varieties and succulents with rhythmic leaf patterns showing the classic Fibonacci sequence. Picture: iStock

Prayer plant

The prayer plant can flower, delivers that lovely jungle feel and will thrive in the living room, kitchen, bedroom or workspace. 

The prayer plant/pink stripe or Calathea ornata. 

This houseplant offers beautiful patterns to increase productivity and attentiveness and enhance any ambient space.

Hoya linearis 

A hanging/trailing plant with furry long leaves on long stems, also known as the green curtain. This is the single best plant to soften edges and corners for relaxation and calm in a bright space. With their waxy leaves, Hoyas are really in at the moment.

Ponytail palm — Beaucarnea recurvata 

This is a slow-growing little tree with palm-like leaves on top, perfect for a desktop or as a bedside-locker plant. It needs minimal care and is perfect to add interest and boost mood in a workspace or on a little shelf in a home.

FOR MINIMAL CARE AND LIGHT

Snake plants — Dracaena trifasciata and dragon trees — Dracaena marginata 

Both of these thrive on (a little) neglect.

Snake plants offer a wonderful, sculptural quality and colours. They have lovely clean lines and that architectural look people crave, but they need minimal watering and are super-easy to look after.

TRENDING CLASSICS

Cheese plant 

So impactful right away, it is a good starter plant. 

The impactful cheese plant.

Cheese plants have that jungle quality, dramatic foliage and regularly have new leaves appearing.

Philodendron scanden (green) 

This is another great beginner plant and old favourite as it’s a doddle to care for and doesn’t take up much room. Very showy trailing over kitchen cupboards or hanging around your bed-head. They are considered a top air purifier too.

In trending plants, I expected the interest to wither, but air plants are requested constantly. They don’t need any soil and can suit difficult areas. Beyond that, it depends if you are starting out or if you are a collector or even a serious collector. Special orders are always possible from a good plant retailer.