The best bedroom plants
Add a plant to your bedroom to brighten up your room, purify the air and boost your mood!
I decided to bring a bit nature inside and brighten up our bedroom with a houseplant. It’s added a really attractive hint of colour and has definitely boosted my mood. I’ve also discovered that certain plants can help purify the air in your bedroom. But what are the best bedroom plants?
Here are the top ten plants for the bedroom that we recommend.
- Are plants ok in the bedroom?
- The benefits of having plants in your bedroom.
- The ten best bedroom plants:
Are plants OK in the bedroom?
Plants respire like humans but most only produce carbon dioxide at night as the lack of sunlight prevents photosynthesis. Is this harmful? Not really as less CO2 is produced than we or our pets emit while we sleep. The risks are tiny but the health benefits can be huge!
The benefits of having plants in your bedroom
Plants in your bedroom will:
- Brighten up your room
- Purify the air
- Boost your mood
Brightening up your room
Adding a plant will make your room feel alive and fresh. A touch of green leaves or colour can make your bedroom look more attractive and appealing; helping to create a place of sanctuary where you can rest and relax.
Purifying the air
Air purifying plants filtering indoor air pollutants that might lurk in your room, like formaldehyde in insulation or carpet backing, trichloroethylene from dry cleaned clothes or benzene from solvents and paints. The NASA clean air study in 1989, found that in the right conditions, some plants can absorb and trap some of these toxins and release oxygen, creating cleaner air for you to breathe. Improving indoor air quality can also help sleep issues like sleep apnea.
Boosting your mood
Taking care of your plants after a long day can help you relax and reduce stress and anxiety; providing important mental health benefits. You could try touching the plant leaves for a couple of minutes or chatting to your plants like King Charles!
The best bedroom plants
Here's our choice of good plants for the bedroom:
ALOE VERA - Best bedroom plant for improving air quality
Aloe Vera produces oxygen at night instead of during the day, boosting the air quality in your bedroom as you sleep. NASA named Aloe Vera as one of the best air purifying plants in their study as it absorbs the toxins from pollutants that may be lurking in your bedroom. A great medicinal plant to have around the house too as gel from the green leaves can be used to treat minor burns, rashes and cuts.
Care: Very easy to look after! It loves a sunny spot so great for your windowsill. It’s a ‘succulent’ so it needs very little watering as it maintains moisture in its leaves.
ARECA PALM - Best bedroom plant for easing your sinuses
The Areca Palm (also called Butterfly Palm) is the ideal bedroom plant for those of you who have regular colds or sinus trouble. These palms release moisture into the air which can ease your breathing while you sleep.
Care: These palms don’t like too much sun or no sun at all so best to keep it in a light and bright spot without direct sunlight. Ensure the soil is moist most of the time but only water again once the soil has dried. In really warm weather, water twice a week. Feed with a general all purpose feed every month or so during the warmer months.
ENGLISH IVY - Best bedroom plant for allergies
This trailing vine can look really attractive in a hanging basket or climbing over a small trellis in your bedroom. It’s really effective at reducing airborne faecal particles and mould which makes it the perfect air purifier for your bedroom or bathroom. So it can be really helpful for allergy sufferers. A study by the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology reported that English Ivy removed 94% of airborne faeces and 78% of airborne mould in just 12 hours.
Care: Easy growing, loves all light conditions and doesn’t require much watering. The perfect plant if you frequently travel away from home.
GOLDEN POTHOS (Devil’s Ivy): Best plant for indoor hanging baskets
This will make a pretty addition to your bedroom with its marbled, heart-shaped leaves. Another great choice for a hanging basket. Useful if you have small children or pets who are likely to knock over plant pots! The Golden Pothos will also purify the air from harmful toxins, especially formaldehyde.
Care: Very easy to look after. Only needs a little sunlight, use a houseplant fertilizer occasionally and water when necessary, about once a week.
GERBERA DAISY - Best plant for brightening up your bedroom
Gerbera daisies will add a burst of cheerful colour to your bedroom, although they don’t last that long! They emit oxygen at night and will absorb toxins and carbon dioxide as you sleep, so are a good plant to have in the bedroom if you suffer from sleep apnea or allergies.
Care: They require more looking after than many other indoor plants and usually do best in greenhouse conditions. They like warmth, light and the right amount of water. Don’t expect them to last longer than a long-lasting flower arrangement.
JASMINE - Best bedroom plant for relaxation
A pretty and gorgeous smelling plant. The essential oil produced from Jasmine flowers are often used for relaxation and many studies show that the scent helps reduce anxiety and improve sleep. (See a study by Psychologists at Wheeling Jesuit University.)
Care: Easy to care for. Keep it in a pot on your windowsill and water regularly when flowering. Avoid over watering it in non-flowering periods by letting the top of the soil dry out slightly.
LAVENDER - Best bedroom plant for sleep
The lavender scent has long been recognised as a wonderful natural sleep aid. It has also been proven to lower our heart rate, decrease blood pressure and reduce stress levels. It will also look really attractive on your windowsill!
Care: An easy plant to care for. Lavender likes warmth and sunlight, so it will be very happy on a sunny windowsill. Water sparingly.
You might also like to try our relaxing natural candles or essential oil reed diffusers.
PEACE LILY - Best plant for increasing humidity
With its glossy leaves and beautiful white flowers, the Peace Lily will be an elegant addition to your bedroom. With the added benefits of purifying the air by removing toxins and increasing the humidity by up to 5%. The Peace Lily can therefore help to reduce the effects from allergies and ease dry throats or sinus problems. Apartment Therapy says: ‘Low humidity causes static electricity, dry skin and hair, increased susceptibility to colds and respiratory illnesses, and can allow viruses and germs to thrive’.
Care: Easy to care for, Peace Lilies thrive in high or low light and only need a little light watering once a week. They will let you know when they need watering by wilting and will quickly perk up with a drink. Place them near a window to stimulate the growth of white flower-like spathes, which will last for weeks.
SNAKE / MOTHER-IN-LAW'S TONGUE - Best plant for breathing easy
A stylish, sculptural glossy-leaf plant that looks really elegant and will also help you breathe more easily while you sleep. The Snake plant releases oxygen through the night while taking in carbon dioxide and also filters nasty common household toxins, like formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and benzene.
Care: Very easy to look after. This African plant is used to poor soil and irregular rain so it doesn’t need much watering. Just water every couple of weeks. It won’t drop its leaves or need much pruning and grows slowly.
VALERIAN - Best plant for inducing sleep
A beautiful plant for the bedroom with small pink and white flowers and a sweet fragrance. Valerian has been used for centuries to help with sleep problems like insomnia. Inhaling the scent as you sleep may help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Try popping a few petals in your bath before bedtime to encourage drowsiness.
Care: The Valerian plant needs full sun to stay healthy so place it on a sunny windowsill and try to ensure that it gets six hours of sunlight a day.
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