Bedrooms are our sanctuaries. If we’re lucky, we spend at least eight hours a day in them. But of all the rooms in the home, bedrooms are often overlooked as places to grow plants. Here are some of the best indoor plants to grow in your bedroom.
We bring laptops, mobiles and even TV screens into our bedrooms, yet often forget about more calming additions like house plants.
The way I see it, bedrooms are a perfect place to add a bit of nature. The bedroom is our most personal space; a place where we can be as creative as we like when it comes to decorating with greenery.
Bedrooms are also places to rest and relax. For a good night’s sleep, a few easy-care plants next to the bed could make all the difference. Personally, I love the idea of waking up to a view of lush house plants. It’s all about bringing calm, natural elements into your space.
Indoor gardening is such a simple way to enhance wellbeing.
When selecting greenery for your bedroom, think about available space, light and humidity levels. If your space is large and sun-filled, an indoor tree in a large container could work wonders. Look out for mature fig species and palms.
Even in a small-sized bedroom, an indoor tree can make the space feel cosy. You just need to choose a tree (or tree-like plant) that works for you. Dracaenas, euphorbias, leafy philodendrons on poles and umbrella trees are all worth considering.
You can also elevate plants to maximise their exposure to light in the bedroom by using a plant stand, chair or shelf. Groups of smaller foliage plants look great displayed this way in classic terracotta pots with matching drip trays to catch any excess water.
Here are some other indoor plants that will transform your bedroom into an urban oasis.
1. Succulents
Succulents are fantastic for a sunny windowsill in your bedroom. You can easily grow them from cuttings and apart from sunlight and monthly water, they need very little else.
Aloe vera and boston ferns are a good choice for the bedroom because it actively filters toxins, such as benzene and formaldehyde, from the air. Not to mention, aloe vera is also great for applying to skin after a long, hard day’s work in the sun.
2. Night-workers
Plants typically produce oxygen through the day and carbon dioxide during the night via photosynthesis. But the rare few produce oxygen at night, too!
Amongst them is the variegated snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata), which has the added bonus of being super low-maintenance and an indoor air-cleaning plant. Team one up with an aloe vera or a spider plant to create the A-team of bedroom plants that purify the air.
Read more: Here’s how you can improve your air quality at home, according to Choo Mei Sze
3. Leafy plants
Leafy green foliage brings calmness and tranquillity into the bedroom. Plants that excel in this regard include heart-shaped leaves like philodendrons (Philodendron hederaceum), Devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum or golden pothos) English ivy (Hedera helix).
All these plants have trailing foliage, so they work well in hanging baskets or displayed atop bookshelves.
You can also consider growing flowery plants to beautify the space. Peace lily and jasmine would be ideal as they can tolerate low to moderate light. They also give off a sweet scent that reduces anxiety and helps improve your sleep quality. Take good care of it and you’ll see white flowers blooming in no time.
4. Indoor trees
An indoor tree can make your bedroom feel like a jungle at home. I’ve mentioned a few trees already, but there are a huge number of classic and unusual species that grow well indoors.
At the classic end of the spectrum, rubber trees (Ficus elastica) can transform a bedroom space. More unusual trees to experiment with include dumb cane (Dieffenbachia) and Money tree (Pachira aquatica), which can work surprisingly well indoors.
Just be prepared to take them outdoors when they outgrow your indoor space.
Read more: 16 indoor plants you can’t kill (so easily)
5. Container gardens
Grab yourself a large ceramic pot and plant an indoor garden inside it, then set it atop your bedside table. Co-plantings in the same container are a great way to get creative with your greenery.
When selecting plants, go for species with similar watering and soil requirements. Pick a range of succulents with different colour tones, or combine a few hoya varieties in the same pot. Hoyas will produce a great waxy bloom given the right conditions, too.
This article was originally published as Leaf love: The best plants to grow in your bedroom by realestate.com.au written by Fabian Capomolla.