A west-facing window has a great deal of sunlight coming through in the afternoons. What makes this so different from an east-facing window, is that the sunlight that homes in tends to be hotter and more intense than east-facing windows. Therefore, your houseplant for your west-facing home office window will need to be one that can cope well in slightly hotter temperatures.
Cordyline fruticosa ‘Kiwi’
The Cordyline fruticosa houseplant is popular for its array of colours that all feature within one part of the plant: its leaves. Otherwise known as the ‘Tiplant’, it is often found in Hawaiian gardens. It is widely cultivated in Hawaii, and the strikingly colourful leaves have been used in Hawaiian cooking as food wrappers.
Furthermore, this plant is thought to bring good luck, which makes it a lovely addition to the home office space.
- Does well in East-Facing, South-Facing and West-Facing aspects
- Evergreen
- Enjoys full sun or partial shade
- Water sparingly in winter, but mist daily to increase humidity
- Wipe dust from the leaves with a soft cloth
- The leaves boast three different colours: green, pink and yellow. Enough to brighten even the dullest home office!
Hypoestes phyllostachya (Polka Dot Plant)
This plant’s colourful foliage is great for inspiration and for adding shades aside from green to your office space. Among some of its common names are ‘freckle face’, ‘measles plant’ and ‘flamingo plant’, all clearly referring to its distinctive colouring and speckled pattern.
If you are not a big fan of the colour pink but you are fond of the polka dot plant’s spray-paint patterning, there are other varieties with white, yellow, or green coloured spots.
- Enjoys South-Facing or West-Facing aspects
- Evergreen
- Full sun or partial shade
- Keep the soil most when growing, but water sparingly in the winter
- Has beautiful patterns on the leaves – if you want to keep this pattern keep in partial sun rather than full sun
- Flowers in summer – their lavendar colour really pops, and emerges from spikes on the plant
Mimosa pudica (Sensitive Plant)
Otherwise known as the ‘Shameplant’ or ‘humble plant’, this houseplant’s reaction to physical touch and change in its environment is fascinating to watch. It is theorised that this plant’s quick reaction is a defensive adaptation to put off herbivores looking for a snack.
A final thing to note before getting your own sensitive plant for your home office, try not to disturb it too frequently. Closing its leaves regularly uses up the plant’s energy, which may lead to fatiguing it.
- Does well in East-Facing, South-Facing and West-Facing aspects
- Evergreen
- Enjoys full sun or partial shade
- Water sparingly in winter, but mist daily to increase humidity
- Wipe dust from the leaves with a soft cloth
- The leaves boast three different colours: green, pink and yellow. Enough to brighten even the dullest home office!
Getting the perfect houseplant for your home office will help you concentrate better and bring some life into the space.
If you want to learn more about taking care of your houseplants, see the link below to my book ‘My houseplant changed my life’. Many of the home office houseplants mentioned on this page are inside!
To learn more about home office houseplants, see my other blogs below.
Find out about one of the most popular houseplants – Monstera:
Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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