Attack Of The Six-Hundred-Foot Office Plant

The most comfortable living spaces that people embrace are ones that have an abundance of life to them, and this is also true of office workspaces as well.

Instead of being largely static, minimalist places to put desks and chairs, the best offices break up their surroundings with life, and that is why office plant hires can create an immediate impact.

However, arguably the office plant that has had the greatest impact on an office environment is a potted ivy that belongs to Protective Solutions Limited in Gloucestershire and for the last 14 years has almost entirely dominated the office part of the building, highlighting the robustness of the best office plants.

The ivy was originally a tiny cutting that was bought in 2009 by owners Allie and Des Brennan, for the same reasons most business owners buy or rent plants; they wanted to brighten up offices that were perfectly functional but somewhat nondescript and impersonal.

The particular potted ivy they had, however, took on a rather substantial life of its own. As it turns out, the ivy in question grows at a rate of six inches a month, or around six feet every year.

This meant that, in not all that much time at all, the ivy had clambered up and around the entire office, and whilst it has naturally prioritised the side with daylight, it has also healthily grown in the darker corners bathed only by the glare of the ceiling lights.

It has spread along the walls and has been in places pinned to the ceiling so the larger branches do not get in the way of the desks of the people working there.

It originally became something of a joke but as customers came in, Mrs Brennan claimed, it became a huge central fixture and something they became very interested in.

It typically only needs a small amount of feed and watering once each week, which means that despite its size it is remarkably low maintenance, highlighting the potential for clambering plants and garden walls in offices despite the apprehension sometimes generated by the needs they can present.

The plant even managed to get a sponsor who provides the feed for the ivy, and because of its scale, the plant provides a lot of purified office air, reducing the risk of sick building syndrome that can come from a lack of ventilation.

Fascinatingly, it is still growing, to the point that Mrs Brennan joked that they would need to supply machetes to help hack through it much akin to dense jungle overgrowth, but that the fact it keeps growing and changing and shifting makes the office feel more alive.

It is amongst the largest and most unique office plants out there, but despite this does not appear to encroach on their office space, is loved by staff and customers alike and has made the company the talk of the town, even receiving natural press interest in the process.

Given how robust and low-maintenance ivy is, it is unlikely that the plant is going anywhere, anytime soon.