Plants are a great way to improve a workplace because they bring in more oxygen, rid the air of carbon dioxide and can have other healing and calming effects... as long as they stay alive.

The following plants are some of the best indoor plants for any workplace. They are cheap to buy and easy to keep alive with infrequent watering and minimal upkeep.

Areca Palm

A tall but unimposing looking plant, the areca palm doesn't need to be in direct sunlight and it only requires watering every few weeks as it likes mostly dry soil.

Spider Plant

One of the fastest-growing plants on this list, spider plants do well at room temperature and with bi-weekly watering. They're also fine in medium to bright light so put potted spider plants near a window, if you can.

Peace Lily

A great flowering plant for workplaces lacking in natural light, the peace lily likes the shade, low humidity, and is happy at room temperature. Keep the soil moist with occasional top-ups of water.

Aloe Vera

Varieties of aloe plants are used for lots of different things from helping hair grow to soothing burns. It's also a very easy-going plant, preferring artificial or indirect light to bright sunshine. When it comes to watering, aloe vera isn't a thirsty plant and it's best to keep the soil dry with infrequent watering.

Snake Plant

Like aloe vera, the snake plant is a succulent that likes dry soil and low humidity. This plant is unusual because it does most of its air purifying at night, so this could be a good choice if members of your team work night shifts. A potted snake plant doesn't like bright light and would survive on the desk of someone who is unlikely remember to water their plant every week!

Diffenbachia

Another fan of low light, Diffenbachia can be potted as a small table-top plant or placed in a large free standing pot as it can grow over a metre tall. It does need occasional watering to keep its soil moist but it does well in low or medium light so don't feel you have to position it close to a window.

Shamrock Plant

A pretty flowering plant, the shamrock plant is so-called because of the shape of its leaves. It doesn't need to be sitting in direct sunlight, but would prefer a room that gets some daylight, and it will cope with only getting water once a week.

Cast Iron Plant

The name for this plant should tell you how resilient it is and it's possibly the toughest of all the plants on this list. While regular watering won't do it any harm it can also go without a drink for surprisingly long periods of time, and it is also very happy in medium to low light.

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