Indoor plants add a lush green touch to countless corporate lobbies and executive offices. But houseplants have advantages that go far beyond the decorative. In fact, a bit of desktop or corner cubicle gardening could not only green up your workspace but also boost your productivity.

So how can a pot of ivy or a rubber tree impact your work? Research has shown indoor plants can reduce noise, improve air quality, keep humidity at a comfortable level, and even calm the psyche.

Go green and lower stress

Researchers at universities in the U.S. and Europe have found that just the presence of indoor plants in the office can have a beneficial and stress-reducing effect. For example, Virginia Lohr and her colleagues in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Washington State University conducted a study measuring research subjects’ blood pressure levels and emotional states while they completed a simple, timed computer task in a work area that had no plants. Then they repeated the experiment in the presence of greenery.

The results? "When plants were added to this interior space, the participants were more productive (12% quicker reaction time on the computer task) and less stressed (systolic blood pressure readings lowered by one to four units). Immediately after completing the task, participants in the room with plants present reported feeling more attentive (an increase of 0.5 on a self-reported scale from one to five) than people in the room with no plants," Dr. Lohr concluded.

Another study by scientists in the Netherlands also found that productivity and concentration levels were measurably improved in workers when plants were added to their office environment -- especially for people working at computer terminals. One reason the plants seem to calm stress, the researchers concluded, is because they improved air quality.

Breathe easier

Back in the l970s and l980s when the so-called "sick building" syndrome was widely publicized, people became aware that energy efficient buildings sometimes created a serious problem -- chemicals and toxins from carpets, plastics, and other building and office supplies out-gassed and accumulated in the air. The result was office workers complaining of headaches, sore throats, dizziness, and even more serious ills.

Around the same time, NASA was supporting research into how to clean the air in the space station and future space colonies. What they learned was that amazingly effective mini-air cleaning machines already existed. Specific houseplants improved air quality by absorbing pollutants into their leaves and transmitting the toxins to their roots, where they were transformed into a source of food for the plants.

While modern day offices are designed with better air flow to keep indoor pollution to a minimum, a few plants in your work area can boost air quality up a notch by helping remove toxins that are released by cleaning supplies, printers, and other office equipment. Indoor plants also reduce airborne molds and bacteria.

NASA and other researchers have documented the following fairly low maintenance indoor plants are particularly good at removing air-borne toxins:

• Rubber trees
• Boston ferns
• Peace lilies
• English ivy
• Chrysanthemums

Deck top gardening tips

Even if you are convinced you have a brown thumb rather than a green one when it comes to growing plants, you can successfully add greenery to your office by choosing the right plant for your workspace.

If your office has natural light try these easy-to-grow plants:

• Crotons have thick stems that branch out into large, colorful leaves. They thrive in warm spots, such as south-facing windows.
• Sanservieria, a tall foliage plant with spikes that shoot upwards, is also known by the politically incorrect name "mother-in-law's tongue." Let the plant dry out before watering thoroughly and it will thrive.
• A pot of Christmas cactus can tolerate extreme neglect and will produce colorful and unusual flowers during the year.

If your office has artificial lighting conditions, these plants can be successfully grown with little effort:

• Ivy can tolerate dark corners as well as brighter areas. Water sparingly and provide support if you want the vines to grow upwards.
• Spider plants require minimal light and care. As they grow, the plants cascade down over the pot's edges with new stems branching from the old ones -- providing tiny new plants you can pinch off and offer to your co-workers to start their own desk top garden.

Sherry Baker is a writer from Atlanta, Georgia. She last wrote the article Strange Ways to Treat Medical Conditions for Synergy. Sherry can be reached at featuredstories@adamcorp.com.