Educational, historical and cultural aspects

Bringing a little of nature indoors, especially in urban areas where people may not have had much exposure to plant life can be both stimulating and educational. Where else, other than the tropical plant houses of botanical gardens, will you see the variety of exotic and unusual plant species usually on display in shopping centres and large office atriums? The increasing use by many establishments of plant labels, with information on species, origins and history, is increasing this benefit even further and encouraging people to take more interest in their surroundings.

In the multinational world of commerce, every country has businesses, whether banks, hotels, manufacturing facilities or airlines, from every corner of the globe.  Many of them are proud of their origins and wish to reflect it in the style of building they occupy and the way it is furnished.  This doesn’t always just apply to the decor, fittings and building design; companies are increasingly turning to interior landscaping to make a national or cultural statement.

A good example is the use of stones, water and plants that form the basis of Japanese gardens in many Far Eastern organizations (e.g. atrium of a Japanese company's offices in the USA illustrated here).

Other examples include the use of native species and locally-designed containers that are popular in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Above: examples of native plant species used in South Africa (left) and New Zealand (middle and right). Below: examples of plant displays that evoke Australian landscapes.

This concludes module 1 of our on-line CPD training course.  You can test your knowledge with a short quiz and download a certifcate of participation that you can print and place in your personal training file.