Finding the Right Light
Light 4 by madmolecule
Planning the perfect indoor landscape for an office building can pose many challenges. One of the greatest challenges may be finding adequate light. While many plants are well suited for living indoors, they all still need at least some light to grow and thrive. Indoor light can be very different than natural sunlight. Offices often have many interior spaces with no access to windows, and only artificial lighting. With these challenges ahead of you, it is important that you plan ahead and find ways to either provide light, chose appropriate plants for the amount of light you have to work with, or find ways to place the plants in spaces where light is accessible.
Why have a plan?
According to the University of Missouri Extension, there are several ways to tell if a plant is not getting enough light,
“The growth pattern of the plant can be a good indication. No growth may indicate poor light but could be a sign of other problems as well. A healthy plant under poor light may develop long internodes (length of stem between leaves). Leaves may develop smaller than normal on some plants. Color of many plants in poor light may be pale green, and lower leaves may yellow and drop.”
All of these indicators will be unsightly and disappointing for your client. It is best to plan ahead and insure your plantscape will receive enough light before it becomes a problem.
Making Your Plan
When you are getting started with your plan, survey the space well. Where are the windows? Which direction are they facing? Are there any other factors restricting how much light the window will provide (shade trees, awnings, etc…)? How will the light from the windows change seasonally? Now, where are the artificial lights? What kind of lights are they? How many hours a day are they on?
Once you have determined all of these factors, you can begin planning your interiorscape and how you will ensure each plant gets the right amount of light. Providing the appropriate amount of light may be very difficult and costly. You would need access to electricity, fixtures for the lights, and it mostly likely will significantly impact the overall appearance of the interiorscape.
The easiest way to plan for lighting needs may be to chose plants that only require the amount of light that is already available in that space. There are plants that require a high amount of light, a medium amount of light, and low light. The University of Missouri Extension has an excellent resource including detailed information regarding the light requirements of various indoor plants.
The last part of your plan includes discovering how you can be creative with space, using the windows that are available, and the plants that are most appropriate. How can you use containers with plants as accents in spaces with windows nearby? Will your plants be on the floor in large containers, or on tables in smaller containers? How will you place the plants so that larger plants do not block out sun from the smaller plants? Where are spaces in the office area that have more light available to them?
Your interiorscapes add value and beauty to otherwise plain office spaces. It is important that your plan is the best for making sure the office space becomes beautiful and that your plants are successful and easy to care for. This means planning ahead to have the right amount of light.
Your Experience
What lighting challenges have you faced as you have planned your interiorscapes? How have you overcome them? What plants have you had the most success with in areas of high, medium and low light?
Image “Light 4” courtesy of madmolecule.
Tags: Indoor plants, Light, Plant Care