12 Best Plants for Your Bedroom
Picture your bedroom on a weekday afternoon. The blinds are half closed, nobody has been in since morning, and the light is soft and low. That is the room most bedroom plants have to live in. They also get less attention than plants in the kitchen, since you are mostly in there with the lights off.
So the plants below were picked for those two facts. Most handle medium or low light, and most are fine if you check on them once a week. You will not find promises here about better sleep or cleaner air, since a few pots in a normal room do not do much of either. What a plant can do is make a bedroom feel calmer and more lived in. Pet notes are included for each one, which matters if your cat sleeps on the bed.
How we picked: Each plant is listed for bedrooms in our profiles and copes with the softer light and once-a-week attention most bedrooms get.
1.Snake Plant
Dracaena trifasciataBedrooms often have one awkward strip of floor beside a closet or dresser. This plant fills it without spreading out. Since you may only think about it on weekends, its love of dry soil works in your favor. Water it about once a month, and keep it away from a dog that chews.
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2.ZZ Plant
Zamioculcas zamiifoliaIf your bedroom is the room you forget, start here. The thick roots store water, so two missed weeks rarely hurt it, and its glossy leaves look neat on a dresser. Keep it out of reach of kids and pets, because it is toxic if chewed.
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3.Kentia Palm
Howea forsterianaBedroom corners that never see the sun can still hold a tall palm. This one copes with low light and is non-toxic to cats and dogs. It grows slowly, so a tall pot costs a lot, and you should not expect much change from one year to the next. Give it a quarter turn every month.
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4.Peace Lily
SpathiphyllumIt is the one plant here that tells you it is thirsty, which helps in a room you rarely see by day. A droop means water today. In a dim bedroom it may not flower again after the store blooms fade, so buy it for the leaves. It is toxic to cats and dogs.
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5.Parlor Palm
Chamaedorea elegansWant a soft, leafy plant beside the bed that is safe around pets? A parlor palm fits, and it does not need a sunny window. Heating season is its rough patch. Dry air can bring spider mites, so rinse the fronds in the shower about once a month in winter.
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6.Chinese Evergreen
AglaonemaPick the silver or deep green types for a shady bedroom and you get color with no flowers and no sun. It stays in a tidy clump that rarely needs trimming. Keep it off a cold window ledge in winter, since chilled leaves get dark, wet-looking spots. It is toxic to pets.
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7.Cast Iron Plant
Aspidistra elatiorSome bedrooms face a wall or a big tree and stay dim all day. This is the plant for those rooms, and it is safe around pets. It handles a cool room well, too. The trade is speed. Expect only a few new leaves a year, so buy it at the size you want.
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8.Bromeliad
Guzmania lingulataColor in a north-facing bedroom usually means leaves, but this plant brings bracts in red, pink, or yellow that hold for two to four months in medium light. Then the mother plant slowly dies and leaves pups at its base. It is pet-safe. Empty the center cup now and then so stale water does not rot it.
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9.Corn Plant
Dracaena fragransTall striped canes fill the corner between a wardrobe and a window without much fuss. Water every one to three weeks, when the top inch or two is dry, and keep it out of hot sun. In a dim room the new leaves come in narrower. It is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed.
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10.Peperomia
Peperomia obtusifoliaFor a nightstand with little room, this is the size that fits. It stays under a foot tall and is non-toxic to cats and dogs. It does want medium light, so a nightstand far from the window will not do. Put it where it can see the sky, and let half the soil dry before you water.
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11.Christmas Cactus
Schlumbergera × buckleyiA bedroom you keep dark in the evening can be a great home for this one. The long, dark fall nights it gets there are what set its flower buds. It is pet-safe too. Just pick its winter spot by October and leave it, since a move can make the buds drop.
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12.Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeuraHere is a bedroom plant with a nightly habit of its own. Its leaves fold up after dark and open again by morning, which is fun to notice before bed. It needs lightly moist soil and humid air, though, so it suits a bedroom where a humidifier already runs.
Read the full care guide →Bedroom plants tend to get forgotten, so tie them to something you already do. Check the soil when you change the sheets, and you will catch most problems early. Keep pots off the radiator and away from a window that gets icy in winter. A plant that looks the same after one full season is a plant that likes your room.
Frequently asked questions
Is it okay to keep plants in the bedroom at night?
Yes. Plants give off a small amount of carbon dioxide in the dark, far too little to matter in a normal bedroom. The real thing to watch is a pet that might chew a toxic plant while you sleep.
Which plants work in a bedroom with blackout curtains?
If the curtains stay shut all day, none of them will last. Open them in the morning, and the cast iron plant, ZZ plant, and snake plant handle the lowest light on this list.
Which bedroom plants are safe for cats and dogs?
From this list, the ASPCA lists the parlor palm, prayer plant, Christmas cactus, peperomia, cast iron plant, kentia palm, and bromeliad as non-toxic to cats and dogs. The rest are toxic if chewed.
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