Tips & Guides / Apartment Life

The 8 Best Indoor Plants for Apartments

By Will Ford | Apr 13, 2022
A snake plant is one of the best indoor plants for apartments.

Over the past few years, houseplants have taken over in elevating home decor. Likely inspired by a need for new hobbies during the COVID-19 pandemic, folks have flocked to local greenhouses and boho boutiques to snatch up the latest trendy plants and breathe some life to their living spaces.

If your Instagram and TikTok feeds have been blowing up with popular plant content and you feel like it’s finally time to jump on the bandwagon, there are a ton of plants that can survive and thrive even if you don’t have acres of garden space for them to call home. While adopting a plant baby may seem intimidating, this list will help you pick out the best indoor plants for apartments, including:

  1. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
  2. Snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata)
  3. String of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)
  4. Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides)
  5. Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa)
  6.  Fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata)
  7. Mini monstera (Rhaphidophora tetrasperma)
  8. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Let’s get started!

1. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Several pothos plants gathered together in a greenhouse.

If you’re looking for an easy way to kick off your plant parenthood, a pothos plant is great for galvanizing the greenery in your apartment. Also known as Devil’s Ivy, pothos is a super low-maintenance plant that flourishes from neglect! Water it every one to two weeks or when the soil completely dries out. While this plant is very versatile in different levels of sunlight, it’s a great choice for a darker apartment, since it doesn’t need a ton of bright light to prosper.

Easily manipulated, pothos loves a trellis or plant hooks to help it climb or spread out across a wall, making it the perfect statement piece for your apartment as it matures and the vines elongate. You can place it on top of a bookcase and watch its gorgeous vines cascade down the sides, put it near a doorway to create a gorgeous garland, or hang it from the ceiling in the corner of a room and let its vines stretch to the floor. This is also a great plant to hang in your bathroom, as pothos does appreciate a more humid environment.

Pothos comes in many varieties, colors, and shapes, so grab a few to spice up your space!

2. Snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata)

A group of snake plants in a sunny greenhouse.

Another super low-maintenance plant for the beginner plant parent is the ever-loved snake plant. Native to Western Africa and sometimes sold as Sansevieria or Mother-in-law’s tongue, a snake plant is great for apartments because it doesn’t require direct sunlight. While it will survive in a shady corner, it prefers indirect sun and very dry soil. Only water this baby when it’s completely dried out, and be sure its pot has drainage holes to avoid root rot.

A snake plant is a great way to add some height to a naked corner of your home. Indoors, the sword-like leaves typically grow to about two feet tall. In ideal conditions, they can grow upwards of eight feet, usually sprouting 10 to 24 inches per year.

Available in several varieties, snake plants can greenify your apartment with some additional pops of yellow, silver, and white.

3. String of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)

A group string of pearls plants on a ledge in a greenhouse.

If you want to add some drama to your apartment’s window spaces, a string of pearls is a perfect pick. This striking succulent hails from southwest Africa and, like the pothos, grows as a vine. Breathtaking for its pearl-like leaves that sprawl down from a hanging pot, a string of pearls is quite the statement piece. Just make sure you add a ceiling hook to your shopping cart so this green goddess can fully showcase her rosary-like foliage!

Though this plant does not require a lot of water—all it needs is one soaking every two to three weeks—it does enjoy bright sunlight, so a window seat is best for it to thrive. Dazzle your friends with your new addition to your apartment, and even send them away with one of their own, as a snipping of its trailing leaves will easily propagate into a new plant.

4. Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides)

A pilea sits on a ledge with bright, green, round leaves.

Have an empty spot on an end table or desk? Go and get yourself a pilea! Serving up curves and swerves, these coin-shaped leaves are unique and will put some pizzazz in your apartment.

Pilea does best with bright, indirect light and well-draining soil. Unlike the other plants on this list, pilea does require more regular waterings, but be sure to let your plant dry out in between. When it begins to droop, it’s thirsty!

Be sure to rotate this green girl every few days, as it will lean toward the light and can become lopsided as it gains more height. A relatively fast grower, pileas usually reach up to 12 inches, but they can get even taller if they’re fertilized and cared for properly.

Pileas grow most in spring and summer and produce pups, or new baby plants, that can be cut and grown into new plants if you root them in water first. Curate a collection of these beauties around your apartment, or hand them out as favors after your next get-together!

4. Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa)

Several bright green monstera leaves in a sunny greenhouse.

You’ve likely seen this plant everywhere, as its gorgeous fenestrated leaves have taken over the internet. Monstera deliciosa definitely requires the most maintenance of any plant on this list, but with a little effort, it will add an elegant edge to your apartment.

This tropical plant is native to southern Mexico and much of Central America. It thrives best in bright light and medium indirect light and enjoys a full soaking about once a week. Just make sure to let it dry out a bit before adding more water—a soggy bottom will lead to root rot, especially in a pot with no drainage holes.

Eager for bigger leaves with more holes? Position her air roots into a small cup or dish of water and change it regularly. Her next leaf won’t disappoint!

Monstera deliciosa makes for a great floor plant and adds a striking splash of green to your home. Elevate your space (literally) with a little plant stand and turn this green goddess toward the window, though it will naturally lean that way on its own.

5. Fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata)

New leaves emerge from a fiddle leaf fig tree.

This plant is not for the faint of heart or necessarily the beginner plant parent, but it will definitely fulfill your fiddle leaf fantasy. This divine tree features gorgeous oblong leaves and has been an apartment staple for decades, though its popularity has definitely resurged over the past few years.

With plenty of water, fertile soil, and bright, indirect sunlight, this plant will add vim and vigor to any void in your home. If your apartment is tight, purchase a baby fiddle leaf fig, and by the time this plant reaches six feet tall, it will be settled into your forever home.

6. Mini monstera (Rhaphidophora tetrasperma)

A mini monstera climbs a moss pole in a sunny window.

Commonly mistaken as a cousin of the Monstera deliciosa due to its similarly sliced leaves, this plant is actually part of the Araceae family. Mini monstera is a great starter plant for apartments and for new plant parents due to its flexibility with sunlight (though it will do best with bright, indirect light).

It prefers moist soil, so be sure to keep up with watering while allowing water to drain well and not poop in a drainage plate. Give this green girl a trellis, moss pole, or plant hooks, and she’ll add vertical verdigris to your apartment space.

7. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Four large spider plants hang from a pipe in a greenhouse.

A spider plant makes a great addition to an apartment due to its versatility. Hang it from a hook and let it creep down from the ceiling, or stick it on a plant stand or atop a bookcase. Its ribbon-like leaves will pour over the sides of its pot and add texture to any room.

Spider plants are great for beginners because with regular water and bright, indirect light, they can pretty much be ignored and left to thrive! Like the pilea, these plants will self-propagate regularly and their pups can be snipped and grown into new plants, or passed along to friends.

Looking for more tips on how to grow plants inside? Check out our blog post, “How to Have an Indoor Garden in Your Apartment.”

Make your plants feel at home in your apartment space

No matter which plant you choose to start off with, remember that these are living creatures, so work their watering schedules into your weekly routine. A hydrometer can help you determine whether your plant baby is thirsty, and a bottle of neem oil will ward off any pests that make their way into your indoor garden.

Now is the time to get out there and make best friends with your local greenhouse or plant boutique attendant, decorate your space, and watch your plant collection grow (and grow, and grow!).

Still looking for an apartment for your new plants to call home? Landing’s apartments come fully furnished, which means you can spend your time (and money!) decking your home out with apartment-friendly plants, instead of scouring Craigslist for a new couch or dining room table. Plus, with apartments in over 375 cities throughout the U.S., there’s a place for you and your plants no matter where your adventures bring you. Happy plant parenting!

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Will Ford

Will Ford is a ninth-grade English teacher who lives in greater Boston with his husband and golden retriever, Oakley. When he’s not tending to his 60+ plant collection, he enjoys traveling to Europe, kayaking local waterways, reading the latest thriller, and singing in the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus.