12 Best Plants for Small Spaces and Tiny Apartments
Measure the spot before you shop. A plant tag might say small, but some so-called small plants keep growing until they crowd the whole shelf. In a studio apartment or on a busy desk, that is the difference between a plant that fits and one that knocks over your mug.
The plants below stay compact, many under a foot tall, and grow slowly enough that they will still fit next spring. Small plants have their own quirk. A little pot holds little soil, so it dries out faster than a big one, and a sunny sill can bake it in a few days. On the other hand, a pot that is too big for the roots stays wet and rots them. Match the pot to the plant, and check it more often than you would a floor plant.
How we picked: Every pick carries the Compact tag in our profiles, and we put the smallest and slowest growers near the top.
1.Haworthia
Haworthiopsis attenuataAt 3 to 6 inches tall, this striped succulent fits on the narrowest windowsill. It is one of the few succulents that copes with medium light, so a desk near a north window can work. Water every two to four weeks, once the soil is fully dry. It is non-toxic and grows very slowly.
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2.Watermelon Peperomia
Peperomia argyreiaSix to 8 inches tall and wide, with round silver-striped leaves, it takes up about as much room as a coffee mug. It copes with medium light and is pet-safe. The weak spot is hot sun. Direct afternoon light through a west window bleaches the leaves, so keep it a little back.
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3.Air Plant
Tillandsia spp.Since it lives without a pot or soil, it fits places nothing else can, like a shell on a bookshelf or a hook by the window. It is not as easy as it looks. Give it a 20 to 30 minute soak every week and plenty of light. Dry it upside down so water does not sit in the center.
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4.Nerve Plant
Fittonia albivenisOnly 3 to 8 inches tall, it creeps sideways and looks right in a small glass terrarium. The netted veins come in white, pink, or red. It needs water once or twice a week, or it collapses. Out of a terrarium, dry room air is its biggest problem, so a bathroom shelf is a good second home.
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5.African Violet
Streptocarpus ionanthusFuzzy rosettes only 4 to 6 inches tall make this the smallest flowering plant here. A few fit along one windowsill. It needs bright light, or a little grow light, to keep blooming. Use a small pot, and pour water on the soil, since cold drops on the leaves leave pale spots.
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6.Chinese Money Plant
Pilea peperomioidesRound leaves on thin stalks give this one a playful look on an open shelf, and it stays 8 to 12 inches tall. It makes baby plants around its base that you can pot up and give away. It does need bright indirect light. Without it the stalks stretch and the leaves shrink.
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7.Lucky Bamboo
Dracaena sanderianaTall but thin, a few stalks in a vase take up only a few inches of desk. It copes with steady office light and needs fresh water each week. Yellowing canes will not recover. Pull them out before they foul the water. Keep it away from cats and dogs, since dracaenas are toxic.
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8.Echeveria
Echeveria spp.A rosette 3 to 8 inches across fits a sill perfectly, but only if that sill gets four to six hours of direct sun. Put one on a dim desk and the center stretches upward on a pale stem, and it never shrinks back. A small grow light can stand in for a sunny window.
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9.Polka Dot Plant
Hypoestes phyllostachyaSpeckled leaves in pink, red, or white add color to a shelf, and the plant is pet-safe. It grows fast, so it needs pinching to stay small. Left alone it reaches 1 to 2 feet and gets leggy. It also wants water every four to seven days, more than most plants here.
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10.Moth Orchid
Phalaenopsis spp.In a small pot on a kitchen sill it takes little room, and even with its flower spike it rarely tops 2 feet. An east window suits it. The roots that climb out of the pot are normal, so do not cut them off. Soak the bark about weekly and let it drain completely.
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11.Jade Plant
Crassula ovataSmall now, a tree later, but slowly. A jade can sit on a sunny sill for years before it reaches 1 to 3 feet. It needs at least four hours of strong light a day. The plump leaves make it heavy for its size, so use a sturdy pot that will not tip. It is toxic to pets.
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12.Philodendron Birkin
Philodendron 'Birkin'White-striped leaves look tidy on a bookshelf, and the plant grows upright in a tight bunch, not as a vine. It starts small but can reach 3 feet over time. Bright filtered light keeps the stripes. In dim light it stretches and the stripes fade, and it is toxic to pets.
Read the full care guide →Small plants are easy to buy in a rush, three at a time at the checkout. Try one first and give it a month in the exact spot you have in mind. If it holds its shape and puts out a new leaf, buy its neighbors. If it leans or stretches, the spot needs more light, and no amount of watering will fix that.
Frequently asked questions
What size pot does a small plant need?
One that is only an inch or two wider than the root ball, with a drainage hole. A big pot holds extra soil that stays wet, and that is how many small plants rot.
Can I keep small plants on a shelf far from the window?
Only the ones that cope with medium light, like the haworthia, watermelon peperomia, nerve plant, and lucky bamboo. Sun lovers like the echeveria and jade need to be right at the glass or under a grow light.
Which small plants are safe for pets?
From this list, the ASPCA lists the haworthia, watermelon peperomia, nerve plant, African violet, polka dot plant, echeveria, and moth orchid as non-toxic. Jade, lucky bamboo, and the Philodendron Birkin are toxic, and the Chinese money plant and air plants are not listed, so keep them out of reach.
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