Australia’s cities are greener than we first thought, with an estimated 1.3 million plus indoor plants living inside our city buildings. In Sydney the figure is estimated at over 500,000 in the CBD and surrounding suburban areas.
“While estimates are broad, we believe that in Sydney and Melbourne CBD offices alone there would be nearly a million indoor plants and with Australia’s other capital cities, the total figure would rise well above 1.3 million,” says Ray Borg, divisional manager of one of Australia’s biggest suppliers of indoor plants for offices, Rentokil Tropical Plants .
“If you consider each of these plants – whether in air-conditioned offices or not – is improving indoor air quality, then our cities are heading in the right direction.”
The Green Building Council Australia has recently included indoor plants in their assessment for Green Star rating buildings. Indoor plants can score 2 credit points towards the office interiors rating – the equivalent of interior lighting.
“It is possibly the first official recognition of that fact in Australia that indoor plants do improve air quality in the commercial building industry,” says Mr. Borg.
The points are awarded according to appropriate plant species, that a maintenance plan is in place for the plants for a minimum of two years and that there are one large plant (300mm pot) or two small plants (200mm pots) for every two work settings.
“We still have a long way to go however if we consider recent research from the University of Technology Sydney. It shows that three large pot plants can remove up to 70 per cent of VOCs from an average office space of 10 square metres – how many offices don’t even have one plant in them?” says Mr. Borg.
VOCs are indoor pollutants produced by furnishings, carpets, paints and plastics, and outdoor VOCs – mainly fuel emissions – trapped indoors.
Professor Margaret Burchett from UTS who conducted the research said:
“Urban dwellers often spend more than 80 per cent of their time indoors, so indoor air quality is a major health consideration. Potted plants will be increasingly used as a flexible indoor biofiltration system, as well as for beautifying indoor spaces,” said Professor Burchett.
According to Ray Borg, more architects and building developers are now considering plants as an integral part of interior design and new buildings and Rentokil Tropical Plants is seeing an increasing recognition of the indoor air quality benefits.
“At the same time we have greatly improved the style of containers and presentation so that they fit with contemporary indoor environments. Stainless steel, ceramics and enamels are being used, as are pebbles and crushed coloured glass around the base of plants.”
So what are the most popular indoor plants in cities? Rentokil Tropical Plants Top Five are:
1. Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) – Although it’s been around for a while, it is still number one choice for indoor plant as it is so hardy, and stylish.
2. Bromeliads – a current favourite, there’s a variety of bromeliads which provide dramatic indoor planting displays and desktop arrangements.
3. Sanservera – or ‘Mother-in-law’s tongue’. What’s old is new again...this plant is everywhere!!
4. Yukka – again, not new, but made popular by use in every garden makeover show.
5. Dracaena marginata – like the yukkas....still popular for their sculptural appeal and hardy tolerance to indoors.