Give your tiny space a dash of the outdoors with these best dorm and apartment indoor plants. Want to add some life to that dorm room or apartment? Indoor plants breathe fresh life into your home and make rooms feel way more welcoming. And on top of how good they look, so many indoor plants actually work to purify the air and even boost your mood. So, if you wish to know which is the best indoor plant for a small living space, then welcome. Let’s dive into top options that are easy to care for and thrive in an indoor space.
Selecting The Best Indoor Plants For Your Dorm or Apartment
When choosing the best indoor plants that are perfect for your dorm or apartment, the best options are those that can thrive in low light conditions, require infrequent watering, and will not overcome your limited space. Fortunately, several beautiful yet low-maintenance options exist that fit these descriptions perfectly.
Here’s a list of some of best indoor plants for dorms and apartments:
- Snake Plant
- Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
- ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
- Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
- Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
If you have pets, we also some of the best indoor plants for dorms and apartments that are pet friendly:
- Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
- Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
- Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)
- Peperomia
- Haworthia
- African Violet (Saintpaulia)
Learn about each of these best indoor plants below, and how to care for them yourself:
Best Indoor Plants for Dorms and Apartments
Snake Plant
One of the most well-known and good indoor plants for beginners is an artful beauty named Snake Plant, more popularly known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue. With this plant, you can rest assured that it can survive low to bright indirect light. It is an ideal plant for those who have a tendency to forget to water their plants because it requires a once-in-two-to-three-week watering. Snake Plants are great air purifiers; hence, they would be ideal for rooms with small spaces such as dorms and small apartments.
Care instructions: Water only when the soil has become bone dry; never overwater. Place in any light condition but it does best in direct filtered sunlight. Fertilize one or two times per year during the growing season.
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
Pothos are rated as a top contender for best indoor plants in dealing with small spaces. This trailing plant houses heart-shaped leaves and grows in many conditions, which makes it great for hanging baskets or shelves, letting the vines cascade down. Pothos can also be quite forgiving if one happens to forget when he or she needs to water or change the light requirement; it will perform just fine either way.
Care instructions: Water when the soil is dry. Pothos will tolerate low-light to bright indirect light but will grow best in medium-indirect light. Trim regularly to maintain the size and shape. Noteworthy Properties: The ability to filter formaldehyde, benzene, and xylene.
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
The ZZ Plant is one of the perfect indoor plants if you want one that will thrive with a policy of neglect and still look simply stunning, with its glossy dark green leaves that bring elegance to any room. It will be best fitted in a dorm room or apartment where there is limited natural light because it is low in light and durable under drought conditions.
Care instructions: Allow soil to dry completely between waterings. Tolerates low to bright indirect light, best in medium indirect light. Feed sparingly, only once or twice a year.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
Chinese evergreens are some of the best indoor plants for their beauty, good foliage, and adaptability to many different light conditions. A variety in leaf patterns and colors is very attractive, hence they add visual interest to the room. These plants decorate corners or tabletops with dorms and apartments quite effectively.
Care instructions: Water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Chinese Evergreens can tolerate low or medium light, but they prefer bright indirect light. Be sure to keep the temperature away from cold drafts and mist occasionally to increase humidity.
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
Peace Lilies are popular choices for the best indoor plants because of their elegant white flowers and lush green leaves. They make for great air purifiers and can survive if the area has low light, making them perfect for dorms and apartments that have less natural light. A unique quality about Peace Lilies is that they are capable of showing whether they need water by drooping their leaves.
Care instructions: Water when the top inch of soil feels dry or when leaves start to wilt. Peace Lilies prefer low to medium indirect light. Remove flowers as they fade, to encourage new ones to bloom and to keep the plant tidy.
Best Pet-Friendly Indoor Plants for Dorms and Apartments*
Besides other factors like low maintenance and space efficiency, safety should be taken into consideration while choosing the very best indoor plants for dorms and apartments with pets. Fortunately, a few gorgeous options fit those criteria quite well.
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Spider plants are one of the top houseplants for air cleaning and simple care. They produce long, arching leaves and small plantlets that hang from the mother plant—a beautiful feature. These plants work for both hanging baskets and high shelves in dorm and apartment rooms.
Care instructions: Allow soil to be moist, but not soggy. Spider Plants prefer bright, indirect light but can adapt to low-light conditions. Plantlets can be taken off to propagate new plants or to prune the plant for size.
Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
Boston Ferns are the way to go if you are a pet parent in search of luxuriant greenery in your living space. It’s safe around both cats and dogs. Moreover, the plant’s fronds are very feathered in structure, which adds elegance and can assist in upping the humidity level in low-humidity spaces.
Care instructions: Boston Ferns like their soil to be kept always moist. They also like higher humidity. Place in medium to bright, indirect light, keeping regular water and misting of the fern to achieve higher humidity. Do not place them in direct sunlight because it can scorch the delicate leaves.
Parlor Palm
The Parlor Palm is among the best plants to bring inside your dorm or apartment if you are trying to give it a tropical ambiance. It’s pet-safe, and can also survive with low light, so it will do well in more dim apartments. Adding just that bit of class to your apartment, this is a palm capable of growing quite tall with time.
Care instructions: Water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Parlor Palms like low to medium indirect sunlight. They’re relatively slow growers and don’t require frequent fertilization.
Peperomia
Peperomias are compact, pet-friendly plants with leaf shapes and colors. They are the best fit for those students and workers who have tiny spaces yet want a little pop of visual interest in their dorms/apartments. They are low maintenance and ideal for busy students/workers.
Care instructions: Excellent draining is key. When giving the plants a drink, let them dry up first. Peperomias prefer bright indirect light but can do well in lower light. They do not need lots of feeding.
Haworthia
This is a very special type of small succulent that is safe for pets and also perfect for a dormitory or an apartment because of the limited space. It has various species with several patterns and shapes.
Care instructions: Water sparingly, allowing the soil to dry completely between waterings. Haworthias like bright, indirect sunlight but can take some full sun. They’re also drought-tolerant, which means they’ll forgive you if you forget to water them from time to time.
African Violet (Saintpaulia)
African Violets are pretty cute plants which, despite them being very beautiful with flowers, are nontoxic to pets. They are small and ideal for tiny places, say in the dormitory or even the apartment windowsills.
Care instructions: Keep the soil evenly moist, but not soggy. Set your African Violet out in a bright indirect light situation; they tolerate and even prefer to be grown in fluorescent light. Later, when the temperature usually soars, avoid splashing water on the foliage; it.
In conclusion, integrating these best indoor plants into your dorm or apartment can make all the difference in the world. They not only bring a part of nature and beauty into space but also purify the air and create an atmosphere for relaxation. Remember to choose plants that best suit your way of life and the conditions of the room. If looked after well, your indoor greenery will flourish and give vitality to your little living space for years to come. So go on, choose your favorites from the line-up, and get started on your indoor garden today!
At Riverview Tree and Landscaping, we’re here to guide you through all your gardening needs, be it advice, supplies, or larger landscaping projects; our staff of experts stands ready to help you out.
Happy gardening!
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*Disclaimer: We are not medical or veterinary professionals and are not providing medical or veterinary advice. The plants listed in this article section as “pet-friendly” are widely known as pet-friendly or non-toxic to pets. It is still advised to make sure the plants are out of reach and not consumed by your pets whenever possible. Consult with a veterinary professional if you have concerns about your pet consuming any type of plant that you are unsure of the toxicity to pets.