10 Indoor Plants in Malaysia that Instantly Improve your Home Office

If the current obsession over indoor plants in Malaysia doesn’t make you consider cultivating your green thumb, this next trend definitely will.

The term “biophilic design” has been around since the 70s, and today it is the buzzword in the architecture and design world. Simply put, biophilic design is a style concept that incorporates nature into buildings and homes to reconnect humans with nature. The goal is to create spaces that improve health and well-being. Sounds perfect for Malaysia's stressed-out culture, doesn’t it?

The good news is, joining the biophilic design movement can be as easy as sprucing up your at-home workspace with a houseplant or two. The even better news is: you don’t have to settle for the typical snake plant or spider plant! With the sheer variety of greenery currently available in the Malaysian market, there’s bound to be one that is suitable for your work-from-home setup.

Who knew you could decorate with indoor plants for health and self-care reasons? If you’re ready to give your work-from-home life a major glow up, read on.

10 indoor plants in Malaysia that cultivate well-being in your home office

1. Air Plants (Tillandsia spp.)

One of the most fascinating groups in the botanical world is also the easiest to care for. Air plants can live without soil. This means you can get creative in displaying them in your home office — atop a wire holder on your desk, attached to driftwood on a wall, or even hung from the ceiling in glass globes. As long as their spot gets bright, indirect sunlight, and as long as they get weekly waterings, they’ll be happy.

In return, air plants can help reduce allergies by trapping dust and allergens using the scales on their leaves called trichomes.

2. Staghorn Ferns (Platycerium spp.)

There’s no better way to show off the sculptural beauty of a staghorn fern than to mount it on a slab of wood or fern bark, then hang it on the most prominent wall in your home office. After all, out in nature, these ferns with the antler-like fronds (the “leaves”) like to grow on trees. Indeed, this growth habit makes it ideal for the home office because it does not take up valuable real estate on your desk or floor.

Ferns are also one of the best plants to improve indoor humidity because their fronds are efficient at transpiring water. Good for you, and great for other humidity-loving plants in your workspace.

3. Hoyas(Hoya spp.)

There are few species less demanding than hoyas. These slow-growing vines thrive on neglect, produce beautiful waxy leaves, and reward their carers with tiny flower clusters that smell exquisitely of chocolate, vanilla or cinnamon. No wonder these hanging indoor plants with flowers are having a moment amongplantfluencerson social media.

Hoyas can also be grown in a semi-hydroponic setup using Leca, or lightweight expanded clay aggregate. Plant parents who prefer to grow their indoor plants in the water know the benefit of this — by eliminating soil and other organic media, you lessen the chances of introducing plant pests into your home.

4. String of Hearts(Ceropegia woodii)

The dainty trailing string of hearts is a delight when cascading from a hanging pot above your workstation. Its thick heart-shaped leaves store much water, making this semi-succulent plant tolerant of dry soil. Do not overwater this beauty as it is prone to rot.

Why should you choose a pot of string of hearts for your home office? They grow fast, are fairly pest-resistant, and are non-toxic to pets.

5. Money Plant(Golden Pothos/Epipremnum aureum)

When it comes to displaying them, money plants and their relatives in the Pothos/Scindapsus/Epipremnum aureum group of plants are versatile. They are profuse trailers when grown in hanging pots, and they are also rigorous climbers given moss poles or coco poles. This versatility is a good thing when you have limited space in your home office.

Besides their popularity as air-purifying greenery, money plants also have a reputation for bringing prosperity and luck, according to feng shui. It certainly can’t hurt having one or two auspicious houseplants in your place of work.

6. Radiator Plants(Peperomia spp.)

Limited surfaces call for compact potted plants. Peperomias or radiator plants are ideal desktop decor because, aside from their size, they also only need infrequent waterings. That means fewer chances for moisture to absorb into wooden desks.

While being hailed for the ability to reduce formaldehyde levels indoors, peperomias are also said to be symbols of luck and reassurance in Brazil.

7. ZZ Plant(Zamioculcas zamifolia)

The glossy-leafed ZZ plant is the MVP of home offices with poor light conditions. It is also an unkillable wonder because its rhizome stores water efficiently, making it extremely drought-tolerant.

8. Begonias(Begonia spp.)

Though begonias technically fall under the category “Indoor Plants with Flowers”, the blooms of most varieties available in the market are rather unremarkable. Their foliage, however, is a fantastic kaleidoscope of shapes, colours and patterns. As such, they’re an excellent alternative to other flowering plants.

If you want them to spend all their energy on producing their colourful leaves, pinch off the flower buds as they appear.

9. Swiss Cheese Plant(Monstera deliciosa)

If you want a statement piece in your workspace, theMonstera deliciosais a delectable choice. Even if the It Plant of 2020 has since become so much more affordable, it’s still worth every ringgit spent. Give it bright, indirect light, allow it to dry out between waterings, and it’ll reward you with glorious fenestrated leaves (the reason for its nickname, “Swiss-cheese plant.”)

TheMonstera deliciosa’s massive leaves also make it very effective at transpiring moisture into the air. Just like the staghorn fern,Monstera deliciosasexcel at raising the humidity in indoor spaces.

10. Fiddle Leaf Fig(Ficus lyrata)

The ubiquitous Fiddle Leaf Fig is still at the top of many plant lovers’ wishlists. Fortunately, they have also become affordable recently, thanks in part to tissue culture production. They have gained quite a reputation for being fussy, but once you get the lighting (bright, indirect to some direct light) and watering (do not let it dry out) down pat,Ficus lyratasbecome quite easy to maintain for years.

What makes the fiddle leaf fig an excellent home office plant is its broad leaves — their thickness and size mean that they have a higher transpiration rate. This makes it another natural humidifier that vastly improves dry indoor air.

Thanks to the houseplant trend and the near-fanatical demand for indoor plants in Malaysia, local entrepreneurs have spent the last two years making sure every Instagram-worthy plant from all over the world is available in the market. Now that the supply has finally caught up with the demand, the once astronomical prices of rare plants have finally gone down.

What does all this mean for people who have managed to evade the houseplant mania so far? With so many green beauties available at more affordable prices, there has never been a better time to get into the plant parenthood trend than now.

So go ahead and bring the outdoors into your home office. It’s about time we made our WFH setups not only efficient but beautiful and restorative as well.

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