By Lexie Brada
As summer creeps into fall, many people are either returning to college and setting up their dorm rooms or needing to stay inside more. Whether you’re cramming for that big exam or trying to meet a deadline, you might be spending a lot of time in the space where you do school or office work. When you’re putting up pictures of friends or family and making sure there’s always a place for coffee, consider adding a leafy friend in your space to keep you company.
Why?
Well, studies have shown a multitude of reasons why having a plant in your space is a fantastic and healthy idea.
- Plants add to the ambiance of a space
- Taking the time to care for indoor plants can reduce stress
- Indoor plants can improve your mental health
- Plants can sharpen your study or focus
- Plants can boost your productivity
- And certain potted plants can even improve air quality
While any plant will do, this list is specifically geared to those of us that haven’t dabbled in indoor plants much before. If you have a green thumb, you probably already know what you’re doing. This list is for people like me, who have, on occasion, managed to kill a bamboo plant.
The sorts of plants that we’re looking for in this list are:
- Easy to take care of
- Don’t need extreme light
- Don’t need lots of water
- Generally harder to kill
- Small enough to fit on or near most desks
So, let’s go through our top ten ideas for plants you can bring into your space to reap the aforementioned benefits!
- Aloe Vera
Type: Houseplant
Light Needs: Full/Partial Sun
Water Needs: Deeply, but infrequently
A Cool Fact: Aloe is used for many medicinal practices!
- Succulents
Type: Succulents (Cacti, for example)
Light Needs: 6 hours of sunlight
Water Needs: Only when soil is dry (14-28 days between watering)
A Cool Fact: You can get them in all the colors of the rainbow!
- Snake Plant
Type: Houseplant
Light Needs: Bright, indirect light
Water Needs: Infrequent water; let soil dry out mostly between waterings
A Cool Fact: Other names are Mother-in-Law's Tongue, Devil’s Tongue, Bowstring Hemp, and variations of the Good Luck or Lucky Plant.
- ZZ Plant
Type: Tropical Perennial
Light Needs: Medium to bright indirect light
Water Needs: Every 2-3 weeks
A Cool Fact: Some have called it the ‘eternity plant’ due to its ability to survive in harsh conditions
- Lucky Bamboo
Type: Perennial Shrub (Not actually a bamboo!)
Light Needs: Bright, indirect light. If the color starts to fade to light green, it needs more light
Water Needs: Water changed out every 7-10 days
A Cool Fact: This plant is supposed to bring you health, love, and luck
- Pothos
Type: Houseplant
Light Needs: Bright, indirect light
Water Needs: Only when soil feels dry. If the leaves are yellow, that means there’s too much water
A Cool Fact: Can climb by aerial planting, meaning this is a great hanging plant!
- Money Tree
Type: Tropical wetland tree (They can stay smaller!)
Light Needs: bright, indirect sunlight
Water Needs: Water every 1 to 2 weeks
A Cool Fact: Each branch has five leaves that represent the elements!
- Peace Lily
Type: Houseplant
Light Needs: Bright, indirect light
Water Needs: Consistent; keep water moist to the touch
A Cool Fact: This plant can break down and neutralize toxic gasses!
- Spider Plant
Type: Houseplant
Light Needs: Moderate, indirect sunlight (they like a bit of shade)
Water Needs: Once a week, but only if soil is dry
A Cool Fact: These plants grow quickly and produce small white flowers
- Hoya
Type: Milkweed Plant
Light Needs: Bright, indirect sunlight
Water Needs: Low, every other week
A Cool Fact: referred to as wax plants and porcelain flowers
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