Best bedroom plants – 10 plants to aid sleep and create a peaceful sanctuary

Choosing some of the best bedroom plants for your sleeping sanctuary can have a number of benefits. The bedroom is one of the rooms you spend most time in, and not only will a splash of greenery enhance your decor, it can have great health benefits, too.

No room is complete without a finishing touch of lush foliage of indoor plants to bring the space to life – and the bedroom is no exception.

Boosting mood, reducing stress and improving air quality are among the positive effects of the addition of a few plants in your bedroom, and adding plant life is among the bedroom ideas for creating a haven for recharging and self-care.

Best bedroom plants

‘Adding some of the best bedroom plants to your bedroom can be a great way to create a peaceful sanctuary, whether they’re by your bedside table or serving as an impactful statement plant,’ says Lindsay Pangborn, gardening expert at Bloomscape.

The benefits of a greenery on wellbeing and mood are well documented, but the best bedroom plants are great for physical health, too. Many of the best plants for the bedroom are air-purifying plants, filtering out toxins and releasing oxygen to improve air quality in your sleeping space. 

There’s a perfect plant for your space, whatever the size of the room. A small bedroom idea is placing a compact plant or two on your bedside table, where it’s the last and first thing you see, to help you to feel calm and relaxed both when going to sleep and on waking up in the morning. Try a trailing plant to cascade from a high shelf, a trio of succulents on the windowsill, or for bohemian bedroom ideas, a tall statement plant in the corner. 

For bedrooms with little natural light, there are many options for low-light plants, or to emulate positive energy, include some feng shui plants.

Read on to discover some of the best compact, trailing and statement plants chosen by the experts for the bedroom.

1. Open Weave Madagascar Dragon Tree – Dracaena marginata

‘The Dracaena marginata Open Weave is the epitome of a statement plant, with its loosely woven trunks and spiky upright leaves,’ says Lindsay Pangborn of Bloomscape. ‘Adding instant height to a room, it has the ability to grow six feet tall or more indoors. It’s perfect for a bedroom with blank walls as a neutral bedroom idea, or narrow corners and can even look great behind furniture.’

Dracaena is also one of the best air-purifying plants, filtering out toxins from the air and oxygenating the room throughout the day – perfect for helping you achieve that great night’s sleep. It also makes an eye-catching room addition if you're looking at decorating with plants.

2. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue – Sansevieria ‘Snakey’ 

Sansevieria is a highly architectural plant, producing sheathes of stiff, pointed upright leaves, each beautifully striped and often featuring a golden margin. Hailing from tropical West Africa, snake plant has it all as one of the best bedroom plants – striking looks, an easygoing nature, and fantastic air-purifying and toxin-absorbing properties. According to feng shui, it even brings good luck – so great for bedroom feng shui.

Compact and versatile, Sansevieria is one of the best bedroom plants and for year round performance is one of the best winter house plants, too.

‘Perfect for a bedside table, this air-purifying hero is very low-maintenance and can even be somewhat neglected, so is perfect for the busy plant parent,’ says Morag Hill, co-founder of The Little Botanical. 

As with all options, you need to know how often you should water indoor plants. ‘Water only once every 3-4 weeks and give those leaves a bit of a dust occasionally. This plant will thrive in good light but is happy in a low light area, too, so is perfect for a darker bedroom,' adds Morag.

3. Swiss Cheese Plant – Monstera deliciosa

Monstera is another great statement plant for the larger bedroom. The large, glossy deep green leaves of the Swiss cheese plant are held on tall, gently arching stems, creating a stately and luxurious feel. Try placing your Monstera in a bright corner on the floor in a rattan basket for an on-trend look as a modern bedroom idea.

‘Monstera is sometimes called "Swiss cheese plant" due to its distinctive large leaves dotted with holes,’ says Lindsay of Bloomscape. ‘If your bedroom has plenty of space, this is a great plant to have, since it needs room to thrive and spread out.'

With its large leaves and ability to remove toxins from the air, Swiss cheese plant is another effective air-purifying plant so one of the best bedroom plants – at also happens to be one of the world's most instagrammed house plants.

4. Peace lily – Spathiphyllum

The peace lily is another feng shui favorite that is ideal for creating a sense of tranquility in the bedroom. Exquisitely elegant pure white spathes rise above glossy deep green leaves, creating a stunning contrast.

Although peace lilies are tolerant of a wide range of light levels, and are among the low maintenance house plants, the more light they receive, the more flowers they will produce, so they are an ideal choice for a bright bedroom. 

Peace lily care is easy – just ensure the compost remains moist but not wet, dust the leaves from time to time and deadhead any faded blooms. They will also enjoy an occasional misting.

5. Satin pothos – Scindapsus pictus ‘Trebie’

For a more tropical look, satin pothos is another trailing plant that is ideal for a high shelf or hanging pot. Native to Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Queensland, this exotic beauty boasts flat, heart-shaped leaves in deep green with a stunning mottled silver variegation. Learn all you need to know about pothos plant care to keep it happy and healthy.

‘Scindapsus pictus ‘Trebie’ will add a vibrant splash of color to any collection and is super easy to look after,’ says Emily Lawlor, owner of Happy Houseplants. ‘Suited to a wide range of light conditions, it’s a prolific grower, forming long, cascading vines that can easily reach the floor. Being tolerant of lower light levels, it is among the best bedroom plants,’ she says.

This gorgeous, easy-care plant just requires watering once the top few inches of compost have dried out – give it a good soak and allow the excess to drain away.

6. Silver Inch Plant – Tradescantia zebrina 

With vining purple and green leaves with silver stripes, the Tradescantia zebrina is perfect for those looking to add a bold design element as a colorful bedroom idea. 

‘With long vines, this plant also does well in a hanger or basket. When its long vines are pinched back, the Tradescantia zebrina will quickly branch out to become full and lush,’ says Lindsay. This compact form makes it perfect as a bedside table idea or for styling a shelf.

Native to Central America, Tradescantia thrives in a bright spot out of direct sunlight, with watering as the compost begins to dry out.

7. Weeping Fig – Ficus benjamina 

‘Ficus benjamina is a top choice for a bedside companion,’ says Morag from The Little Botanical. 

‘With an abundance of glossy green leaves on every plant, a weeping fig can help filter out air pollutants, particularly those found in carpets or furniture.’ 

Small weeping figs are ideal for the bedside table, but may need to be moved to the floor as they grow as they will become one of the best indoor trees.

This slender small tree oozes elegance, with the small, pointed dark green or variegated leaves borne on arching branches. Native to South Asia and Australia, weeping figs thrive in a bright spot out of direct sunlight, but must be kept away from draughts to avoid leaf drop. Water whenever the top of the compost has dried out, and an occasional misting will also be appreciated. Once you’ve found a spot where your weeping fig is happy, try not to move it around too much, as they can be sensitive to changes in environment.

8. Red Prayer Plant – Maranta leuconeura

Offering stunningly colorful foliage, the red prayer plant makes a great focal feature for any room. Each dark green leaf features lime green highlights, pink stripes along the veins and a pinkish bronze underside. It is so named because the leaves fold up each evening like hands in prayer, before opening up again to greet you in the morning!

‘The red prayer plant is an easy-going plant that does well in a sunny spot with consistently damp soil. It’s the perfect size as a bedroom plant since it’ll leave enough room for your phone and other essentials when placed on a bedside table,’ says Lindsay. Hailing from the Brazilian rainforest, maranta will also enjoy a weekly misting.

Maranta is not to be confused with the calathea, also sometimes know as the prayer plant which is closely related and also among the best bathroom plants.

9. English Ivy – Hedera helix 

‘An English ivy is one of the best bedroom plants. It’s an air-purifying, trailing beauty that works beautifully in a macrame hanger as an above the bed decor idea to give your bedroom some texture. English ivy is happiest in a slightly shady spot, so is perfect for most bedrooms,’ says Morag.

English ivy is a tough, unfussy houseplant that is ideal for small bedrooms with little surface space, as it is ideally suited to hanging pots where it will tumble gently over the sides. 

With glossy, star-shaped leaves that can be either deep green or variegated, it makes a very attractive, naturalistic houseplant. ‘Just don’t let it sit in water – allow the soil to dry out a little in between watering,’ says Morag.

10. Succulents

Perhaps the ultimate when it comes to the best bedroom plants, succulents have enjoyed a huge surge in popularity in recent years. 

They’re ultra-low-maintenance – it easy to get to grips with how to care for succulents – cute and quirky, and easy for anybody to grow. Just be sure you know when to water succulents. 

These desert jewels also come in a wide range of colors, sizes and forms to suit every taste – from the sharp, stripy deep green spikes of Haworthia fasciata, zebra cactus, to the fat, silver oval leaves of Pachyphytum oviferum, moonstones. 

For a truly stunning display, group several succulents with contrasting hues, textures and leaf shapes together on a sunny shelf or windowsill. Succulents dislike humidity, so the bedroom or living room is ideal, rather than the naturally more humid bathroom or kitchen.  

Although succulents generally have similar care requirements of infrequent watering with the soil drying out fully in between, and bright light – preferably direct sunshine for at least part of the day – some succulents are more tolerant of suboptimal conditions. The versatile and reliable coppertone sedum, Sedum adolphi, is an excellent choice for a shady north-facing windowsill, for example. Although the leaves will have less of an orange tinge in shade, it is able to thrive at lower light intensities than most succulents without becoming lanky as many would in such conditions. Forming gently tumbling stems as it grows, it also looks fantastic in a hanging pot.

Do bedroom plants help sleep?

Bedroom plants can  help you get a great night’s sleep, and wake up calm, recharged and ready to take on the day.

Not only will a selection of carefully placed plants give your bedroom decor a stylish and contemporary lift, many also filter out toxins and release oxygen to improve air quality in your bedroom.

Is it OK to have plants in your bedroom?

It is ok to have plants in the bedroom; in fact, it’s one of the best rooms to put plants in, as bedroom plants can benefit both your mental and physical health. 

Many of the best bedroom plants purify the air, removing toxins and releasing oxygen, which can even help you sleep better. The addition of greenery also boosts mood, reduces stress and enhances creativity, as well as creating a calming and relaxing environment for recharging and self-care. Every bedroom deserves a plant or two.

Which plant gives positive energy in the bedroom?

There are many feng shui plants that give positive energy in the bedroom. Some great options for the bedroom include snake plant (Sansevieria), heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron scandens), and the feng shui favourite, peace lily (Spathiphyllum). 

It’s important to remember that the plants that will bring the most positive energy are the ones that are healthy and thriving – so make sure you care for plants with the particular conditions of your own room in mind, including knowing how to care for house plants in winter.