The Best Houseplants for Every Room
10-16-2024My partner has the green thumb for our houseplants, but I do love watering them. It’s well proven that by adding more greenery to your home not only creates a beautiful home but also improves air quality and can even improve your mood. However, not all plants thrive in the same conditions. Whether you’re looking to brighten up a shady corner or add life to a sunny windowsill, here’s a guide to help you choose the best houseplants for every room in your home (and yes, we literally have all of these in our home).
We’ve learned through the years (and a LOT of dead plants) to make a watering schedule. Seriously, this will save you and your plants and your wallet. But if the schedule is too much, just check occasionally if the soil is dry and retracting from the pot's edge, that’s always a pretty good sign that you need to water.
Living Room: Fiddle Leaf Fig
The living room is often the heart of the home, and the Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata) is the perfect plant to live here. This plant thrives in bright, indirect light, making it ideal for placement near a large window. Its large, glossy leaves add a touch of elegance and can become another member of the family, as it is in our house (my son calls her ‘Figgy’). The good news is that there’s a foolproof way to water your fiddle leaf fig plant just the right amount: they only need to be watered once a week!
Bedroom: Snake Plant
For the bedroom, consider the Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata). This stunning, hardy plant is known for its ability to thrive in low-light conditions and its air-purifying properties. The Snake Plant releases oxygen at night, making it an excellent choice for improving sleep quality. Some people will say having a “sharp looking” plant in your bedroom doesn't mesh with the energy of your bedroom, but we love our snake plant. Plus if I forget to water her, she’s very forgiving.
Kitchen: Herbs
I know I said that Living rooms are often the heart of the home, but in our home it’s the Kitchen. Always bustling with activity, the constant but satisfying sound of the refrigerator door opening and closing (a delicious snack found!), and in our house, where we gather twice a day to talk, eat and laugh. My wife had the beautiful idea to start growing herbs on our kitchen window sill, also slips of sweet, purple, and plain ol’ russet potatoes in various jars. We grow Basil, mint, and rosemary, which are all great choices for a sunny kitchen windowsill. Not only do they thrive in bright light, but they’re also handy for adding fresh flavors to your meals. Keep a small herb garden in your kitchen to bring both beauty and utility. I also highly recommend an herb garden outside if you have the space, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed dill or basil and can just easily walk outside and get a few snips of what I need. Watering herbs is deceivingly easy but does vary, so be sure to add this to your schedule (if you created one). It really helps that they’re often small pots.
Bathroom: Boston Fern
Bathrooms can be a tricky place for plants due to fluctuating humidity and light levels, but the Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) is the one we have and LOVE. This plant loves humidity, making it a perfect fit for a bathroom environment. Place it on a windowsill or hang it from a ceiling hook to add a lush, green touch to your bathroom. I will add that they can be a bit startling during a midnight bathroom break, it’s certainly happened to me, but you get used to it… eventually.
I have to add a note to this one, because honestly, I prefer the Pothos in our bathroom, they are so easy to take care of and seriously one of my favorite plants in our house. But there’s no doubt that the Boston Fern is the star of the show in our bathroom, and that’s why it takes this spot!
Children’s Room: Spider Plant
The Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is a great choice for children’s rooms. It’s non-toxic, easy to care for, and thrives in both bright and low-light conditions. The plant produces small “pups” that can be propagated, making it a fun and educational project for kids to watch their plants grow and multiply. We have quite a few of these scattered throughout the house, they (just like a pothos) thrive wherever they go, and our children love propagating new ones to care for (a lot have died, but that’s a part of the process of life, I like to think).
Home Office: ZZ Plant
The ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is ideal for a home office where you may not have time for frequent plant care. It’s incredibly low-maintenance and can tolerate low light, making it perfect for desks or shelves that don’t get much natural light. Its glossy, dark green leaves provide a calming effect, which for me is essential to working in my office.
Honorable Mentions:
Don’t sleep on these plants below, these are perfect for almost any situation
- Rubber Plant: This plant thrives in bright, indirect light and is known for its large, shiny leaves that add a touch of sophistication. It’s also relatively low-maintenance, requiring just occasional watering, making it perfect for busy households.
- Pothos: Okay, no joke, this is my favorite plant. I have 2 in my office, countless in our bathrooms, a few in our living room and a bunch living outside. Pothos is the Queen of dark spaces and forgetful waterings. They survive pretty much anything you can throw at them and they are insanely easy to propagate, making this a cheap, plentiful plant resource I highly encourage you to try!
- Aloe Vera: If you have a sunny spot, like a sunroom, Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) is a fantastic choice. This succulent loves bright, direct sunlight and is also known for its healing properties. Keep an Aloe Vera plant in your sunroom, and you’ll have easy access to its soothing gel for minor burns and cuts. Perfect for your clumsy kids (and adults).
Thank you for reading and I hope this list can help bring a little bit more life (and greenery) to your home!
