Greening Your Work Space

By Ellen Shoner, Director of Finance, Chelsea Jewish Lifecare
Sitting in my windowless office all day, I miss seeing nature’s beauty.  To compensate, I wanted to put a plant in my office.  Since there is no sunlight, I had to find a plant that can do well with artificial light.  Philadendron is the perfect plant for interior spaces.  It has pretty heart-shaped leaves on trailing vines and needs very little light.
Philodendron care has three basic needs: light, water and fertilizer.  If there were a window in my office, I would have to take care to avoid direct sunlight. For now,  I just put the plant on top of my filing cabinet where the fluorescent light easily reaches and nourishes its leaves.  I water it only once a week and keep a small container of all-purpose plant fertilizer around for once a month feedings.  It’s so simple!
For my minimal efforts, I’m rewarded with enough foliage that I periodically take cuttings to give to co-workers who are also looking for some plant companionship in their work spaces.  Making a plant from cuttings is very simple with the philodendron.  I cut a stem that is getting leggy above a joint.  I strip off all but the top leaves and place the stem in water.  After a few weeks of refreshing the water periodically, roots begin to appear.  The stems can be maintained in water indefinitely or can be potted in soil.
This hardy plant makes me look like I have a green thumb, but more importantly, it gives beauty and life to my office. Greening your work space is easy! Just grab yourself a philadendron.