Coming into a commercial building and seeing a plant on its last legs – wilting, pot too big, dead leaves still attached – leaves a bad impression. And that goes not just for your customers and other visitors, but for your employees. It doesn’t inspire confidence to have dying plants at a reception desk or in an office where you are hoping for top-notch professional services, and it’s not nice to come into work every day in a neglected environment, either.
Plus, it can be costly to replace plants and demoralizing for the employees who are in charge of your plants if they die. With over 50 years of working with indoor plants in Pittsburgh, we know a thing or two about keeping your greenery looking good inside. Here is some of our best advice for trouble-shooting plants in your commercial space.
Choose the Right Office Plants for Your Space
Every commercial space is different, which means that even a “low-maintenance” plant may still struggle in your office. In order to choose the right plants, first assess your:
- Lighting, including window direction
- Heat and AC, including vent placement
- Drafts
- HVAC and humidity levels
- Activity levels
These criteria will help you choose plants well-suited to your space with plants that like your setting. And remember that not all advice is equally true when it comes to plants. For example, we often see that drought tolerant plants are “easy” in information online. But we also know that one of the most common killers of potted plants is overwatering, not forgetting to water. If you know you will flood plants every Monday and Friday mornings like clockwork, getting that “easy” succulent may be a path to failure.
When you’re ready to purchase, make sure you get good quality plants. Not every nursery or garden center is selling high-quality plants that are in the right containers. (In fact, some plants may need to be immediately re-potted after you buy them.)
Plantscape recommends: Doing your research first. We have an easy guide right on our website to get you thinking about what plants will thrive in your office. And consider working with a professional who can choose the right plants for your space and source excellent specimens. Plantscape can do both for you as part of our interior plant services.
Make Sure That Your Office Plants Are in the Right Location
Every space has its own quirks and differences, and knowing yours will be key for setting yourself and your plants up for success to prevent problems before they start. Because what thrives in a sunny window dies in your interior meeting room, and what thrives in the chilly ground floor windowsills languishes in the stuffy break room.
The “right space” and the right care can change, especially in Pittsburgh where we have a lot of variation in sun between summer and winter, and humidity variations due to central heating.
Plantscape recommends: Taking a very proactive approach and realizing plant health is a constant conversation between you, your space, the weather, and your plants. If you feel overwhelmed, an interior plant professional can assess what the best places for your plants are, and can recommend seasonal care adjustments. We offer this as a part of our interior plant services.
Use a Professional Office Plant Maintenance Service
The people who work for your company probably haven’t been asked questions about horticulture in their job interviews. We have! A professional plant maintenance service can save you time, energy and the cost of replacing plants. They ensure that you get the most out of your investment, whether you’ve already purchased plants or have worked with a professional to get plants into your office.
At Plantscape, we offer plant maintenance from a company with 50+ years of experience, and maintenance staff that will notice potential problems before they are ever apparent to you.
We have the expertise:
- What size pot should this plant get next?
- Does drooping leaves mean over-or under-watered?
- Should I prune a leaf if it’s only dry at the edges?
- How can I make sure plants survive the switch to AC?
- Is this plant looking bad because it isn’t getting enough sun, or is that a pest?
For every variety, in any commercial space, we know the answer. We have all the equipment: No need to waste an afternoon comparing types of plant food or trying to figure out what soil blend is right for your plants. And no extra costs re-buying something when you realize it doesn’t work. We have an eye for detail: We clean your plants (yes, they gather dust!) and we replace them if they aren’t looking good and are covered under our guarantee. We work very hard on prevention, paying attention to the smallest changes week-to-week in your plants to stop issues before they start.
Plantscape recommends: Working with the professionals, who get the job done right. Getting a monthly maintenance program will give your own employees time back, and save you from having to figure out where a trowel and three new ferns are coming from in the busiest quarter of the year.
Consider Artificial Office Plants – They Aren’t a “Last Resort”
If your plants aren’t alive you won’t be able to kill them. Replica plants are a great option for those who want to have the look of office plants in their space but:
- aren’t prepared for maintenance
- have conditions that are very challenging for plants to grow
- want to be as hypoallergenic as possible
We are a premiere supplier of replica plants and truly give you something that looks and feels like you have “real” plants in your space. We can discuss anything from gorgeous silk flowers to replica potted plants all the way up to 30-foot tall indoor trees.
Plantscape recommends: Being very choosy about your supplier, as cheap fake plants do not look good. Our cutting-edge sister company actually fabricates their own replica plants, so we can offer significantly more options and creativity than many other interior plant services, not just those in Pittsburgh but across the country.
For Great Looking Plants, Trust the Plantscape Professionals
If you have an office or another commercial space in Pittsburgh and want to ensure that your plants always look great, contact us today. We can take over your existing plants for maintenance or provide you with a plant refresh to give your space a fresh new feel.
