Plants That Will Flourish in Your Bedroom

A lavender plant is great for your bedroom, because the aroma is proven to help you sleep. The earthy floral scent reduces anxiety and promotes more restful nights. Plus, the mixture of silvery green stalks and tufts of pale purple flowers is eye-catching, especially in bedrooms with light-color walls. Lavender plants need about three or four hours of direct sun each day, moist potting soil, and — if you want to make it bushier — regular pruning.

Lady Palm, Rhapis excelsa, is a regal plant that gets its moniker from its fan-like upright fronds that shaded overheated women back in the old days. When treated well, it grows to a hearty height of 6 feet, and because it's fairly narrow, it doesn’t take a lot of space. Adding sand to the soil keeps it loose and helps with drainage, because during the summer months, it needs more water.

A rubber plant, Ficus elastica, is both native to Southeast Asia and an unusual plant to keep in your bedroom. It has broad, silky green leaves that can grow into a relaxing, draping canopy when grown outdoors. Indoors it needs a bit of morning sun to stay vibrant and lively. This ficus is prone to dryness, so keep a close eye on the soil. When potting, make sure the water drains quickly and use some liquid fertilizer to keep the plant healthy.

Native to the Solomon Islands in Oceania, pothos, Epipremnum aureum, is a strong plant that’s easy to handle. This vine with heart-shaped leaves comes in green, yellow, and white, complementing almost any decor. Whether your bedroom light is artificial or natural, this plant should still grow beautifully. While most indoor pothos are kept short, they can get up to 30 feet long.

Having an aloe vera plant in your bedroom  becomes convenient when dealing with sunburn or other skin irritations. Aloe is a succulent, which makes it easy to care for if you claim to have a black thumb. Once it's planted with some sand and potting soil, put it in a sunny spot and watch it grow. Aloe doesn’t need to be watered regularly, and when it’s ready, it produces "pups" that are great for transplanting.

Also known the Swiss cheese plant, Philodendron Monstera adds a tropical touch to any bedroom. Monstera’s split leaves give it a sophisticated air, paired with a relaxed personality. Native to the rainforests of Central America, this lush vine can grow over 50 feet high, but when it's indoors, pruning keeps it as a nice shrub. Monstera needs some indirect light and will do well in a simple potting medium and with moderate watering.

Originally from southern Mexico and Guatemala, the parlor palm, Chamaedorea elegans, is popular in Palm Sunday wreaths. Thin stems and leaves give it a delicate look, but the plant is considered one of the hardiest around. This palm easily adapts to handle low light and temperature changes, making it great for bedrooms. You can plant it in sand, loam, or clay, and under the best conditions, it can grow to about six feet tall.

The fiddle-leaf fig, Ficus lyrata, is a prominent accent piece for any bedroom. The lustrous green leaves of this western Africa native look like textured teardrops. This finicky plant thrives only when soil, sun, and moisture are just right. Under the best conditions, though, it can outgrow your house. Keep the plant in a spot with bright but indirect sun that’s not prone to drafts and is continuously humid.

Many know English ivy, Hedera helix, as an aggressive green and white vine that overtakes the sides of stony mansions and trees with its clinging tendrils. However, you can train this vigorous plant to suit your needs. If you have a topiary form in your bedroom, it can thrive within those confines and become a piece of natural art. Regardless of whether it has direct or indirect light, this evergreen perennial will behave itself just fine, as long as it's pruned, and its soil is moist.

If you’re looking for a reminder to water your plants, getting a peace lily is a good idea. It thrives in almost any light situation, but when its cream-colored flowers and rich green leaves get droopy and dull, it's telling you it needs water. After a nice long drink, it springs back to life. Peace lilies are resilient and forgiving and are relatively immune to pests, but they are dangerous to cats and dogs, both when eaten and when their pollen is inhaled.