If you don’t know how to improve your employees’ morale anymore, learn that an emerging method is about to change the productivity rate in your firm: corporate gardening. It may sound horrible for your employees to have another gathering and do random activities for them to get more energised, but we promise this method will surely boost their mood.

Of course, your team doesn’t have to get all muddy in country-side gardens. You simply need a small space to put your plants and allow them to grow. Luckily, houseplants have numerous health benefits that your employees will be thankful to achieve, such as providing relief for allergies, purifying the air or ensuring a relaxing environment. Mint, lavender and bamboo plants are the best in these matters. Moreover, caring for a particular plant will make your employees feel more fulfilled and improve teamwork. Here’s how to do it.

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Corporate gardens and how to create them

Creating a corporate garden isn’t something complex. You only need a designated area to grow flowers, vegetables, herbs or garden-type fruits. You can find a space right inside the company’s property, depending on how lucky you are. At the same time, even an atrium can be beneficial for your plant’s development. Of course, you need a place with proper lighting because even plants that are not required might need some sunshine to grow.

You can hire a specialised company to help build the place in case of a more prominent structure. But if you don’t have enough room, you can get plenty of planters and simply learn how to sow your seeds, which can take some time. Still, this time spent together is sure to make considerable changes to your company, culture and productivity.

First, make it practical ―then beautiful

A garden should first serve its purpose of plant growth. Therefore, the space for your crops must be clean and provided with room and storage for the plants to sit in the correct position. At the same time, ensure they have enough light and get some gardening and watering tools to make the process more efficient.

If you want to change the layout of this space, get planters on wheels that can be moved from one place to another in a matter of seconds. Your employees should be assigned weekly or once a few days to clean the area from rotten leaves and any mud left from the previous gardening session, but you can always come to terms according to everyone’s wishes.

After you get accustomed to the plants and the space, you can decorate it by levelling up with a bar cart, unique shelves or even cute animals that stick by the plants’ leaves. This activity can be one of the most fun to have since everyone gets to be involved in making the place prettier.

What plants are best for indoors?

Unfortunately, not every plant can flourish indoors because many require special soil, sun and water conditions. So, research the crops that can thrive in the office. Here are examples of plants that don’t need much light or care:

Money Tree needs to stay in indirect sunlight for only a few hours a day and needs watering when the soil is dry;
Philodendron loves staying in the shadows and requires watering only once a week;
Chinese Evergreen needs low exposure to indirect light and watering up to every ten days;
Spider plants might need more light and weekly watering;
Staghorn Fern needs indirect lighting and moderate moisture in the soil;

Still, if you want plants that will impact the wellbeing of your employees, choose:

Peace lilies help remove carbon dioxide within a room, improving concentration levels;
Rubber plants also have air-purifying properties;
Elephant ear plants help prevent insects from getting inside rooms;
Pothos decrease indoor ozone levels over time, reducing the risk of respiratory issues;
Herbs, like chamomile or lavender, can be used for teas that help reduce anxiety levels;

Corporate gardens are the best decorative motive in an office

Regular offices are dull and sad, contributing to low morale over time. While it’s true that a distractingly decorated office may not be the best, these environments need a little bit of spice to make your employees feel better and not a victim of capitalism.

This is why you need to prioritise design and architecture in your company’s building because businesses are required to do more to impress talented employees than ensure a basic salary. Considering that people spend most of their time in offices, why not make them feel more comfortable or fun so that no one gets overwhelmed by depressing concrete?

You can look at specific organisations whose office buildings are a wonder and try to implement new things with your company’s culture. For example, some offices in Rotterdam have multicoloured meeting rooms, chandeliers covered in plants and staircases that are made to be used as a sitting area too.

Other examples from Madrid show us how getting closer to nature makes offices interesting. Transparent acrylic and fibreglass windows allow direct sunlight to enter these spaces. Such offices are suitable in the middle of nature and take advantage of this aspect.

You should also consider Japanese-styled offices that successfully combine numerous materials such as wood, steel and concrete to make the place look professional but natural, since plants are everywhere. Of course, natural lighting is provided through massive windows, but layout lighting is also an essential component in the office. Japanese designs are usually clean and organised but keep natural elements close, so this might be one of the best approaches to the perfect office.

What do you think about plants in the office?

Approaching a project of corporate gardening might be one of the best things for your employees to thrive in a stressful environment. It would be best to involve them in the process of planting, watering and caring for crops, but even if not, plants in the office have numerous benefits in boosting good moods.