Office Plant of the Year 2011 named

25 July 2011

The judging panel – Matthew Appleby of Horticulture Week, David Curtis of The Landscaper Magazine and garden designer Claudia de Yong met on Wednesday to find eFIG’s Office Plant of the Year.

Unfortunately Austin Clark of Florist & Wholesale Buyer was unable to attend at the last minute but sent his comments to add to the assessment.

Just as Nigel Colborn reported in the Daily Mail recently that the orchid is the UK’s favourite plant and so it was for our judges too!  After much discussion about the context in which each plant could work, the judges concluded that the Phalaenopsis Orchid just had more impact and style as well as versatility - it stands out in so many different situations.

The Orchid won, despite its perceived ubiquity, for its "elegance", "reasonable price", and comparative "ease of maintenance".

Matthew Appleby endorsed his vote for the Orchid in terms of supporting the British growers and given that the plants themselves are more suited to our climate.

Austin Clark commented, “The orchid ticks all of the boxes.  The colour choice is unrivalled, it feels exotic, so therefore brings interest to an office workspace, and is an effective ‘air cleaner’ further enhancing the plant’s claim to be an ideal plant for an office environment.

A wide range of sizes are available, making it suitable for every indoor space from a desk through to larger reception areas or atrium spaces, whilst it’s great value for money thanks to excellent supply. In fact, it’s fair to say they look more expensive than they are, making good business sense.

As far as popularity goes, according to the Flowers & Plants Association it’s the top-selling plant in the UK, so simply can’t be beaten in terms of popularity.

Judges Matthew Appleby, Panel chair Ian Drummond IGD, Claudia de Yong & David Curtis