Inspiration required - pot plant for my desk

RedLass

I wonder if you all could help me find a plant to sit on my desk at work... I used to have a dieffenbachia but it just got too big so I brought it home and it now takes up an enitre corner of my lounge So I'm on the hunt for a replacement.

I've been to my local garden center and Homebase, but their selections were very limited and equally uninspiring. I'm not having much success finding an online vendor that has much of interest either, though perhaps my search criteria need to be more specific.

Size wise I'd like something maybe 30cm tall - much bigger and it will start to get in the way. Smaller is fine but ideally not too tiny (I'm thinking cactus here), I want to notice it's there, IYSWIM.

I'm not really into those spikey looking ones, or the sort that look a bit like a mini palm. And although they can look great, I'm avoiding peace lily too. Colour is quite a big factor for me. Something that flowers would be lovely, but failing that, perhaps something with a little colour interest in the foliage.

Am I limited to "strictly" houseplants? Or are there some outdoor plants that would happily grow indoors? It's a big open office, air conditioned but I don't sit in a draught and the room gets reasonable light generally because the windows are huge and run all along the wall (though I don't have a window seat). I'm open to something a little bit different too, if there is something a little different that would work.

Of course, it will be named once sitting nicely in its new home

balustrada

My suggestion is a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera). Undemanding and colourful during the winter months. Get a small one, repot it in a 5" pot with good quality, well-drained compost and it should fare well.

tanith

How about an orchid, they flower beautifully and the flowers last for ages, they hardly take any looking after either.. once the flowers finish you cut off the stalk and eventually another one will grow..

Quiet_Life

Spider plant, allegedly excellent for air quality

madjackslam

Japanese peace lily. Looks nice when it's not in flower. Looks nice when it flowers. Doesn't need too much light. Flops when it needs watering, then perks back up when you water it. Perfect.

RedLass

Thank you ladies and gents, I've just googled all of these and I'm beginning to think I could try best of both worlds - a nice foliage plant AND an orchid in separate pots... since it looks like orchid's don't take up much foot space that could be an ideal combo :T I'm sure all the guys in the office think its very OTT - all their desks are bare and blank (and decidedly dull).

I have seen flaming katy around too, which does look very pretty, but what happens when it finishes flowering? Will they grow back?

Madjackslam I really like the peace lily but there are a few of those dotted around the building and so I was hoping to have something different. I saw some lovely specimens at a garden centre I visited today though... am contemplating buying one for my home.

lostinrates

How light is it? We have scented pelagoniums as houseplants (and normal ones when its cold, which often have a wonderdul scent too, especially red ones). They feel summery in the winter and jolly in the summer, have a variety of foliage, from zingy lime green to almost black, and a couple of scented have sort of ferny foliage instead of the nomal round leaves. They cope well with neglect. They are one of very few plants i bother with in the house.

Lotus-eater

lostinrates wrote: »

How light is it? We have scented pelagoniums as houseplants (and normal ones when its cold, which often have a wonderdul scent too, especially red ones). They feel summery in the winter and jolly in the summer, have a variety of foliage, from zingy lime green to almost black, and a couple of scented have sort of ferny foliage instead of the nomal round leaves. They cope well with neglect. They are one of very few plants i bother with in the house.

Tell me more about these.
Do they die when it gets cold then, even inside a house and by normal ones, do you just mean normal geraniums?

elsien

Josephs coat? Mum kept one as a house plant for years and it was really pretty when the foliage got its red and orange tinge.
http://www.houseofplants.co.uk/Codiaeum%20_Excellent.htm

It gets a lot more red to it than shown in this picture btw.

Elsewhere

I used to have a begonia maculata on my desk at work - the more I neglected it, the more it flowered!

They are very tough (so long as they aren't exposed to frost) and mine had lovely spotty leaves and red flowers. When it gets too big or too leggy you can just break off some bits and start a new one - they root easily.

cheekyweegit

What about a jade plant / money tree? Slow growing and thrive on neglect and are quite partial to cold black unsweetened tea instead of water.

They do also flower, my has successfully flowered for the last three years yet it's parent plant which must be over 20 years old has never flowered.

Worth a look and I'm quite happy to send you a cutting if you'd like.