21 Small Indoor Plants for Apartment Living
Houseplants are one of the most effective methods for bringing vibrant color to your home and bringing nature inside. Not only that, but plants are also a great way to make your home’s air cleaner. Decorative and enchanting philodendrons and majestic palms make the perfect finishing touch for any room, as well as for filling empty corners and walls. It’s true that gigantic plants don’t make the best choices for tiny apartments and homes of less than two bedrooms. However, there are plenty of choices for smaller plants that can add a touch of green without taking up too much space.
Almost any plant, whether small or large, will work well being arranged on your desk or nightstand. Air plants and succulents can go together seamlessly, and peace lilies can occupy a small corner of the room without taking up too much space. In order to help you get started, we gathered our favorite small indoor plants along with tips for styling them in a small space. See which ones you like best and adapt them to your own space.
Air Plant
Air plants do not require soil to stay healthy, so they are a great choice if you’re looking for a small plant and don’t want to care for pots or soil. One creative way to plant it is in a terrarium. Terrariums should have openings so the air can circulate when the plant is housed inside.
Aloe Vera
The succulent aloe vera plant is a member of the succulent family, and like their relatives they like to thrive in the sun. They prefer that their soil be completely dry between waterings. Keeping potted medicinal plants around is a great way to reduce the pain of minor burns, like a sunburn.
Anthurium
The smaller anthuriums are perfect for adding a splash of color to any room in the house without taking up too much space. They can tolerate almost any type of light, but they grow best under bright, indirect light.
Asparagus Fern
In spite of its name, asparagus fern is actually a member of the lily family. If possible, make sure the plant has some breathing room on either side so its leaves can fan out. It will add a beautiful pop of color to your shelves or tables.
Baby Toes
This adorable succulent is part of the succulent family and gets its name from how similar they look to an infant’s toes. They’re a great conversation starter because of their unique look.
Cast-Iron Plant
The plants referred to as cast-iron are hardy and tolerant of a variety of light and soil conditions, so they’re the right choice if you’re willing to give up some floor space for such a hardy and durable plant.
Chinese Money Plant
In addition to their rounded leaves, this plant is known for being quite difficult to cultivate. Chinese money plants are also referred to as missionary plants, because Norwegian missionary Agnar Espergen brought cuttings with him in the 1940s and gave them to his loved ones. The plant eventually spread throughout the world this way. These plants are easy to propagate, so you can easily acquire your own with the help of a friend or an online exchange.
Echeveria
The echeveria is one of the most common types of succulents. Little plants of this type are usually found on desks at offices and homes because of their ease of maintenance and small size. Watering your plants too much is the leading cause of death, so make sure to let their soil dry completely before giving them any more water.
Jade Plant
In addition to their oval, thick leaves, jade plants can live for years, as long as they are properly maintained. Keep the leaves glossy by wiping them down every so often to prevent dust buildup. This will make the leaves more absorbent of sunlight.
Kalanchoe
These flowering plants are favored for their beautiful blooms. You can easily grow them near a window so that they have plenty of opportunity to bloom. Kalanchoes are also members of the succulent family, so they require a dry, well-draining environment.
Lithops
As with succulents, these small plants can survive in hot temperatures with little water, making them ideal for a garden or other outdoor display. Lithops may look like stones or pebbles, but its deceiving appearance makes it a great plant to show off to guests!
Lucky Bamboo
These plants are capable of growing in both soil and water. If you choose to plant them in water make sure you change the water every 7-10 days, using filtered water if possible. If you plant them in soil, make sure you water them when the first inch of their soil feels dry.
Oxalis
These particular oxalis varieties are also called “purple hamrocks” or “false hamrocks.” They bear a striking resemblance to Irish shamrock, which is also known as the three-leaf clover. In addition to its name, the photophilic nature of this flower is a major selling point. Flowers and leaves open and close in response to light.
Peace Lily
There are many reasons why peace lilies are a good houseplant to have in the home, including their variety of sizes, aesthetic appearance and ability to purify the air. A peace lily can flourish with fluorescent lighting, so you can grow them in rooms that don’t get enough natural light.
Peperomia
They can survive under fluorescent light, but grow best under bright, indirect sunlight and can grow in tightly clustered clusters that make them the perfect choice for smaller shelves or desks. The thick leaves can hold water, allowing them to persist without hydration for long periods of time.
Polka Dot Plant
Polka dot plants are highly visible plants that provide a pop of color to any shelf or tabletop. Originally only available in pink, the plants have recently become available in additional colors (like red, white, and green). Despite its preference for indirect sunlight upon emergence, some direct sunlight each day is fine for your plant when it isn’t all that colorful yet. Just remember to bring it back out of the direct sunlight to avoid scorched leaves.
Pothos
Pothos plants can add a beautiful touch to a plain wall or bookcase with their trailing leaves. They are also popular plants that purify the air and make the room healthier. Pothos plants have a classy appearance and purify the air; they are a great choice for home offices or living rooms.
Rubber Tree
Rubber trees have large leaves and vibrant color, making them a great indoor plant with a significant impact. Rubber trees can reach ten feet in height and need to be pruned regularly to keep them thriving. If you take good care of them, you can even get new branches for them.
Snake Plant
Plants like snake plants are easy to grow, and they are helpful for improving air quality. Snake plants grow vertically and thrive best in indirect sunlight. These plants can thrive in a variety of light conditions. Since snake plants originated in the desert, they can also thrive for long periods without water. Let the soil dry between waterings to ensure best results.
Spider Plant
Besides their long, skinny leaves, spider plants have other unique nicknames as well, such as the “airplane plant” and the “ribbon plant”, which refer to their iconic leaves. Spider plants make excellent hanging plants thanks to their dangling leaves.
String of Pearls
String of pearls plants are increasingly popular due to their unique appearance. They have pearl-like foliage that draping above their containers attracts the eyes of all your guests. Unlike most other tropical plants, they require very little water and lots of light.
How to Style Small Indoor Plants in Tiny Spaces
When you’re short on space, turn to creativity and see how you can incorporate foliage into your home! You can keep your garden simple with a few small potted plants or go artistic and create wall gardens to use your vertical space. You can also incorporate small indoor plants into your tiny space with simple DIY projects, such as modern plant terrariums or kokedama string gardens.