Office proof plant?
 

I'm looking for a plant for my home office and am wondering if anyone can
provide some suggestions? Here are the requirements -

Must like central heating (warm/dry)
needs to be tall and bushy, and not sticky outy (going in a narrow gap next
to the door)
evergreen if possible (to lazy to pick up the leaves)
strong survival instinct (no doubt I will over or under water it, toast it
some days and freeze it the next)
doesn't need lots of light (will be in the shade)
idiot proof (err... self explanitory)
healthy for me (aren't some plants supposed to be good at absorbing toxins
from the air? and with all my PC's and printers there should be lots of
those)

"anon4186" wrote in message
o.verio.net...
I'm looking for a plant for my home office and am wondering if anyone can
provide some suggestions? Here are the requirements -

Must like central heating (warm/dry)
needs to be tall and bushy, and not sticky outy (going in a narrow gap
next
to the door)
evergreen if possible (to lazy to pick up the leaves)
strong survival instinct (no doubt I will over or under water it, toast it
some days and freeze it the next)
doesn't need lots of light (will be in the shade)
idiot proof (err... self explanitory)
healthy for me (aren't some plants supposed to be good at absorbing toxins
from the air? and with all my PC's and printers there should be lots of
those)




Aspidistra.

In article rio.net,
anon4186 writes
I'm looking for a plant for my home office and am wondering if anyone can
provide some suggestions? Here are the requirements -

Must like central heating (warm/dry)
needs to be tall and bushy, and not sticky outy (going in a narrow gap next
to the door)
evergreen if possible (to lazy to pick up the leaves)

This a common misconception, at least if posts to urg are anything to go
by.
Evergreen plants do not keep their leaves for ever (any more than you
keep your skin for ever). They shed them all through the year, rather
than all at once.

The situation you are offering is not particularly friendly to plants -
too dry an atmosphere, too variable in conditions, and almost certainly
too little light I'd be inclined to go for silk if you want something
that will continue to look good with minimal attention

If you really want a plant, go to your local garden centre to the
houseplants section, look for something with leaves that you like whose
label does not say anything about 'medium to bright light' or 'keep
moist' or 'mist frequently' and without flowers (flowering houseplants
as a rule need more light, and certainly more care if you are to get
them to flower again). Treat it as if it were a long-lasting bunch of
cut flowers - ie be prepared to replace it every few months (this is
what the commercial suppliers of office plants do).

Growing plants successfully indoors needs more care than growing them
out of doors - not only are they relying on you for water, they need
dusting just like everything else does, and you have to keep an eye out
for pests and be prepared to deal with them. While you can spray, the
chemicals which kill pests aren't are probably ones that you want to
have around indoors if toxins from PCs are a major concern to you.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

"anon4186" wrote in message
o.verio.net...
I'm looking for a plant for my home office and am wondering if anyone can
provide some suggestions? Here are the requirements -

Must like central heating (warm/dry)
needs to be tall and bushy, and not sticky outy (going in a narrow gap next
to the door)
evergreen if possible (to lazy to pick up the leaves)
strong survival instinct (no doubt I will over or under water it, toast it
some days and freeze it the next)
doesn't need lots of light (will be in the shade)
idiot proof (err... self explanitory)
healthy for me (aren't some plants supposed to be good at absorbing toxins
from the air? and with all my PC's and printers there should be lots of
those)

Plastic palm :~)
Jenny

On Sat, 5 Mar 2005 14:52:38 -0000, "anon4186"
wrote:

I'm looking for a plant for my home office and am wondering if anyone can
provide some suggestions? Here are the requirements -

Must like central heating (warm/dry)
needs to be tall and bushy, and not sticky outy (going in a narrow gap next
to the door)
evergreen if possible (to lazy to pick up the leaves)
strong survival instinct (no doubt I will over or under water it, toast it
some days and freeze it the next)
doesn't need lots of light (will be in the shade)
idiot proof (err... self explanitory)
healthy for me (aren't some plants supposed to be good at absorbing toxins
from the air? and with all my PC's and printers there should be lots of
those)

I took a Monstera to the offices where I worked. The lab people
claimed it and it lived happily there for years.
Diana

"anon4186" wrote in message
o.verio.net...
I'm looking for a plant for my home office and am wondering if anyone can
provide some suggestions? Here are the requirements -

Must like central heating (warm/dry)
needs to be tall and bushy, and not sticky outy (going in a narrow gap
next
to the door)
evergreen if possible (to lazy to pick up the leaves)
strong survival instinct (no doubt I will over or under water it, toast it
some days and freeze it the next)
doesn't need lots of light (will be in the shade)
idiot proof (err... self explanitory)
healthy for me (aren't some plants supposed to be good at absorbing toxins
from the air? and with all my PC's and printers there should be lots of
those)



===============
If you don't mind putting your plant on a stand try a 'Spider plant'. Once
they're established they can be quite large and droopy. They're easy to grow
and will stand some neglect. If it fails it won't have cost very much for
the experiment.

Cic.

anon4186 wrote:
I'm looking for a plant for my home office and am wondering if anyone can
provide some suggestions? Here are the requirements -

[snip]

I know an office whose umbrella tree plant survives and
apparently thrives on a diet consisting almost entirely of
coffee dregs..


Rhiannon

--

http://sciethics.blogspot.com/ -- the rights and wrongs of
science.

anon4186 wrote:
:: I'm looking for a plant for my home office and am wondering if
:: anyone can provide some suggestions? Here are the requirements -
::
:: Must like central heating (warm/dry)
:: needs to be tall and bushy, and not sticky outy (going in a narrow
:: gap next to the door)
:: evergreen if possible (to lazy to pick up the leaves)
:: strong survival instinct (no doubt I will over or under water it,
:: toast it some days and freeze it the next)
:: doesn't need lots of light (will be in the shade)
:: idiot proof (err... self explanitory)
:: healthy for me (aren't some plants supposed to be good at
:: absorbing toxins from the air? and with all my PC's and printers
:: there should be lots of those)



Ficus Plasticata Domestica

--

http://www.blueyonder256k.myby.co.uk/

I took a Monstera to the offices where I worked. The lab people
claimed it and it lived happily there for years.

Problem with a Monstera is that it can get pretty wide - I've got one which
is now about 12 years old. It's about 7 - 8' high, but the leaves stretch
out about 3' with each leaf up to 1 1/2 ' wide!! It did use to live in the
hall before I moved and survived on relatively little light and some
neglect. In my new home it's actually too big for the living room where it
now is. I'm thinking of selling it. Any ideas?

I know an office whose umbrella tree plant survives and apparently thrives
on a diet consisting almost entirely of coffee dregs..



I've got a couple which have survived bad light in the hall + neglect and
are still thriving. I think these are the ideal plant for the conditions
described!

anon4186 wrote:
I'm looking for a plant for my home office and am wondering if anyone
can
provide some suggestions? Here are the requirements -

I had a Ficus Benjamina 'little lucy' that lasted 20 years, only just
about doubling in size. In all the conditions you describe. Only
repotted 3 times