Popular Small Indoor Plants and How to Care for Them
Do you love growing plants indoors but have an apartment, small office, or tiny space to keep them? Here we’ll cover favorite small indoor plants and how to help them thrive in small spaces.
What kinds of small indoor plants can I grow?
Below are nine junior-sized indoor plants that take up little space. Plus, these littles are easy to grow –
Air Plant
Air Plant – When fully grown the air plant resembles an unruly tuft of grass, which makes it ideal for casual interiors. They are epiphytes, which means a plant that grows without soil. Grow your air plant in a small terrarium, or tuck an air plant inside a glass capsule and hang it from the window frame for an eye-catching statement. Air plants are native to the southern U.S. and Mexico.
- Light Requirements: Full sun
- Moisture Needs: Mist 2-3 times per week
- Display Options: Shelf, table, wall, or hanging decor
Echeveria
Echeveria – The pleasing gray-green color and orderly rosette-shaped foliage of Echeveria makes this small-scale succulent a favorite. It’s a favorite in terrariums and dish gardens. Echeveria prefers bright, indirect sunlight for just a few hours per day. Allow the soil to dry out between watering. When potting Echeveria choose the smallest size container possible, or a pot that is just slightly bigger than the root ball.
- Light Requirements: Partial to full sun
- Moisture Needs: Well-drained/dry soil
- Display Options: Table decor
Lithops
Lithops – Are often called ‘living stones’. Looking like something from a sci-fi movie, this junior cactus makes an interesting conversation piece. Lithops prefer warm indoor temperatures so keep the plant away from cold drafts and chilly windows. This hardy, easy-care cactus grows well in hot climates and with little watering.
- Light Requirements: Indirect sun
- Moisture Needs: Well-drained soil
- Display Options: Table decor
Lucky Bamboo
Lucky Bamboo – Isn’t bamboo at all – it’s a member of the lily family. This small tropical plant is believed to bring good luck and fortune. Although narrow in width, this greenery can grow to 2 to 3 feet tall. Keep it short by trimming the top with a pair of garden shears. This plant is low maintenance and can grow in soil, or water. (If growing in water, use filtered water and change water weekly.) Set Lucky Bamboo in a spot that receives bright, filtered sunlight.
- Light Requirements: Indirect sun
- Moisture Needs: Well-drained soil
- Display Options: Table decor
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera – This small slim-leaved succulent is handy to keep around if you’re prone to sunburn. Access the soothing gel by making a horizontal cut in a leaf. Apply the gel to the skin. Like other succulents, Aloe Vera prefers full sun and dry soil between watering. The Aloe Vera plant is known by many names – First Aid Plant, True Aloe, African Aloe, Burn Plant, and Miracle Plant are just a few.
- Light Requirements: Full sun
- Moisture Needs: Well-drained/dry soil
- Display Options: Table decor
String of Pearls
String of Pearls – Tiny green ‘pearls’ drape gracefully over the side of the pot making this mini succulent a visually appealing addition to a small space. This small-scale plant thrives on indirect sunlight and minimal watering. The tiny leaves of String of Pearls resemble ‘pearls’ or ‘peas’. Hang your String of Pearls in an east window where it will receive bright light.
- Light Requirements: Indirect sun
- Moisture Needs: Well-drained soil
- Display Options: Shelf decor
Chinese Money Plant
Chinese Money Plant – The circular leaves of the Chinese Money plant, brings to mind silver dollars, or bubbles floating about. A little plant history – This plant is also called the missionary plant because in the 40s, a Norwegian missionary took home plant cuttings to share. This is how the plant eventually made its way around the world. Chinese Money Plants are easy to propagate. The easiest way to obtain one is through a gardening friend or via an online plant exchange.
- Light Requirements: Partial shade
- Moisture Needs: Well-drained soil
- Display Options: Shelf decor
Polka Dot Plant
Polka Dot Plant – The colorful leaves of the Polka Dot Plant have a dotted or variegated appearance, hence the name. They are commonly identified by their bright pink or reddish leaves. Although other colors are available as well. If your Polka Dot lacks color, a little direct sunlight may brighten it up. Remember to move it away from the sun’s rays after a time to prevent leaf scorch.
- Light Requirements: Indirect sun
- Moisture Needs: Well-drained soil
- Display Options: Shelf decor
Baby Toes
Baby Toes – Another small succulent with an off-planet appeal is Baby Toes. And it’s one of the cutest too. Green, tightly bunched, green stalks, similar to infant’s toes reach toward the light. In the Netherlands, this junior plant is called ‘baby fingers’. Whichever digit you prefer, this small-scale plant may be mottled, gray, grayish green or brown in color.
- Light Requirements: Indirect sun
- Moisture Needs: Well-drained soil
- Display Options: Table decor
Can I propagate small indoor plants?
Yes, some types of small indoor plants can be propagated such as Baby Toes and Chinese Money Plant.
Propagating a Baby Toes Succulent
As Baby Toes leaf clusters mature, they produce offsets or side growth. These offsets are easy to divide from the main plant. And when planted the offsets will easily produce a new plant. Baby Toes seed germinates infrequently and when the seeds sprout, grow very slowly.
Propagating a Chinese Money Plant
The Chinese Money Plant is easily propagated through stem cuttings. Often this beautiful houseplant with sprout their own mini versions complete with roots. All you have to do is dig and plant! To propagate from the main plant, take a sharp knife and follow the stem down to about 1/4 inch below the soil. Cut the stem from the plant. Place the cutting into a pot filled with damp compost. The cutting will take root after a few weeks and begin to sprout new growth.
Did you know? An indoor planter pot that works on a shelf also typically fits in a plant hanger. A macramé hanger is an attractive, retro-inspired choice.
Whether placed on a shelf, nightstand, coffee table or hanging in a sunny window, small indoor plants add a big punch of color to any small indoor space.
