Office Plant Placement: 4 Locations to Avoid

I once had to make a special trip to one of my accounts to track down a missing indoor plant. With the office manager’s help, we found it tucked away in an executive’s office. Somehow, the very heavy, tall planter had been moved behind the desk, wedged between a printer stand and a bookshelf.

After missing two weeks of service, the bottom leaves were brown and slightly curled. To water it, I had to lean across a wide desk covered in documents while trying to aim the watering can at the base of the plant. Seeing the dilemma, the office manager helped me balance the can so I didn’t hit the leaves or spill water onto the executive’s paperwork, books, or printer.

Unfortunately, I still managed to scatter flakes of dead leaves across the computer keyboard as I pulled them from the stalk. Trying to clean them up without pressing any keys just added to the challenge. Situations like this are a good reminder that office plant placement isn’t just about how a plant looks in the space. A good location also needs to support the plant’s health, allow for routine service, and give technicians safe access. Here are four types of placements that can create problems.

Hard-to-Access Spaces

No matter how careful you are when maintaining plants, accidents can still happen. Water gets splashed, soil gets spilled, and dead leaves fall where you don’t want them. Keeping plants away from office equipment, workspaces, books, artwork, and other delicate items can save technicians a lot of frustration and reduce the risk of property damage.

Most plant placement problems don’t start out that way. As companies grow, offices change, and furniture or workstations get moved, a planter that was once easy to reach can suddenly become difficult to service. That’s one reason it can be helpful to include a contract clause stating that clients shouldn’t move plants without approval. It helps protect both the client and the interiorscaper if moving the plant creates a maintenance problem or puts nearby property at risk.

There are times when a plant simply has to be near a workspace. In those situations, make sure the technician has enough room to reach the container safely or can move the planter easily for service.

High or Hard-to-Reach Places

It can look impressive to have plants trailing from balconies, credenzas, or the tops of cabinets. I’ve worked in two buildings, one a mall and the other an office building, where live plants hung over two-story balconies. The challenge was servicing them safely. A waist-high glass wall separated the technician from the plants, so maintaining or replacing foliage meant leaning over the glass. If that didn’t scare you, there was the added challenge of making sure no water spilled onto people walking below. A lift could be used during non-business hours, but doing that every week wouldn’t be practical or cost-effective.

Unless a balcony planter can be serviced safely from an open, accessible area, I try to avoid these placements. The same goes for shelves or cabinet tops that require a ladder for routine maintenance. If a technician can’t safely water or remove the planter with a small step stool, I often feel it’s too risky a spot for a live plant.

Near HVAC Vents

I often forget to look up at the ceiling when I’m doing a walk-through with a new client, but HVAC vents are an important part of office plant placement. Plants placed directly under a heating or air-conditioning vent can be exposed to constant blasts of hot or cold air. Over time, that can stress the plant and contribute to dry, curled, or discolored foliage.

The warm, dry air around heating vents can also make spider mite problems more likely, especially when a plant is already stressed. Spider mites thrive in warm, dry conditions and can spread on air currents, so plants near strong airflow are worth watching closely for signs of an infestation.

Low-Light Corners

Interior corners are often a client’s favorite spot for a plant. They keep taller plants out of the way, soften the hard edges of a room, and sometimes they’re the only spot available. The problem is that corners can receive much less natural light than areas closer to windows, and when a plant doesn’t get enough light, it may lose foliage, become leggy, or slowly decline.

If a corner is the only option, choose a plant that can handle lower light and keep an eye on how it responds. In darker spaces, an overhead light or supplemental grow light may help support healthier growth.

Planning for Challenging Plant Placements

Most interior plantscapers do their best to avoid less-than-ideal plant locations, but sometimes you have to work with the space you’re given. If a difficult placement can’t be avoided, higher replacement factors and contract protection clauses can help account for the added risk and maintenance challenges. A little planning up front can be the difference between a placement that functions well long term and one that creates problems week after week.