Trust me, houseplants will brighten up your college dorm room instantly – and these 5 won't mind being neglected while you're busy studying

If you or a member of your family are preparing to head off to college this summer, don't forget to include the pretty touches for your dorm room on the list of things to buy. Alongside the all important school supplies and essential furnishings, bring along some houseplants to add greenery to the blank canvas and often darker space a dorm room can be.

Houseplants for your dorm room aren't likely to be your top priority when getting things together for college, but I promise the best indoor plants will take your dorm room ideas up to the next level. Trailing indoor plants can totally transform concrete walls, while indoor trees can make your college living space feel a bit more cozy.

But, it isn't a case of grabbing any houseplant to bring to college. You need to take into account things like limited natural light in these spaces, as well as how much time you'll be able to dedicate to plant care in between your busy studies. To help you make the right choice, I've compiled a list of some of the best houseplants for your dorm room, with advice from houseplant experts on how to care for them so they make it graduation with you.

5 dorm room houseplants

There are so many reasons to add houseplants to your college dorm checklist. Having some greenery in your college bedroom will not only brighten up the place, but it can also support your health – especially houseplants that improve your microbiome and air-cleaning indoor plants.

1. Succulents

Succulents make the top of the list of houseplants for your dorm room because of their low-maintenance nature. They're ideal for students with busy schedules and won't mind being neglected when you return home for school breaks.

What's more, there are so many types of indoor succulents to choose from. Some have some really quirky shapes and colors, so you can pick and choose to suit your dorm room aesthetic and impress your friends and roommates with these fun houseplants. This pack of eight succulents from Walmart is a great deal to start off your collection.

The basics of how to care for succulents comes down to getting the lighting and watering right.

'Ensure that succulents have bright light for most of the day and avoid overwatering,' says Julie Bawden-Davis, indoor plant expert at Healthy Houseplants. 'If you don’t have sufficient light, use full-spectrum grow lights for houseplants (like this grow light from Amazon) placed within two to four inches from the top of the plant,' she continues. 'Water when the soil has dried, and when you do water, soak the soil well.'

I like to use a soil moisture meter (from Amazon) to test my succulent soil before watering. This helps me avoid succulent mistakes like overwatering, preventing my succulents turning yellow and dying.

Julie Bawden-Davis

Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden author and University of California Certified Master Gardener, who has written several gardening books, including Indoor Gardening The Organic Way. In addition to running HealthyHouseplants.com, she shares indoor gardening advice on her YouTube channel @HealthyHouseplants.

2. Blue star fern

It's not uncommon for college dorms to only have one window and it may not let a whole lot of daylight in. This is where the best indoor low light plants come in.

Indoor ferns are a great option for rooms with limited light, as they natively grow in dense forests where shade is cast on them from tree canopies.

Blue star fern is a beautiful option for a houseplant for your dorm room, if you're looking for a plant to add some excitement. It has an unusual blue houseplant tint to its fronds and quite robust foliage that can turn your college home into an indoor jungle.

To care for Blue star fern, Gail Pabst of the National Garden Bureau recommends: 'Soil should be kept consistently moist, with only a slight reduction in watering from fall to late winter. The soil should be moist but not soggy. Soggy soil can cause the Blue star fern to die just as much as not enough water.'

Although they can tolerate lower light well, your Blue star fern will be its happiest in a brighter spot, so consider placing it on a windowsill in winter when daylight is even more limited.

You can find a Blue star fern at Walmart.

Gail Pabst

Gail is a passionate horticulturist with over 25 years' experience in the industry. She is an avid home gardener too and loves to try out the newest varieties and techniques. Gail's work with the National Garden Bureau and the All-America Selection has helped her to continue their mission of inspiring and teaching gardening with others.

3. ZZ plant

Another houseplant for your dorm room that can tolerate lower light levels and neglect: a ZZ plant, or Zamioculcas zamiifolia. These are some of the most iconic houseplants with dark foliage, perfect for a dorm room with a moodier aesthetic.

While black-toned ZZ plants (from Walmart) is a popular variety, you can also opt for a green-toned ZZ plant (from Walmart), which is just as easy to care for.

As mentioned, these houseplants tolerate very low light, so they can be put in a darker corner of your bedroom. Although, don't be fooled into thinking this means they can grow in no light – this could cause your ZZ plant to droop.

'ZZ plant care requires allowing half of the plant's soil to dry out before watering,' says Gail. 'If the top of the soil feels damp, don't water,' she adds.

If your ZZ plant is turning yellow, it might just be that it's overwatered. Consider repotting your ZZ plant with fresh houseplant potting mix (from Amazon) in this case.

4. Spider plant

Whenever anyone asks me what's the easiest indoor plant to care for, I say a spider plant. These low-maintenance plants will just keep growing and growing, so long as they're happy.

What makes them a particularly good choice to take to college is the fact that they're also one of the easiest houseplants to grow from cuttings. Spider plants produce trendils of spiderettes (baby plants) that can be cut off and planted up to root and grow into a brand new plant.

You can either propagate spider plants to fill your dorm room with greenery quickly, or multiply your houseplant to share with the new friends you make at college.

And if you're a first-time houseplant parent, you really can't go too far wrong with spider plant care: 'Spider plant needs to be nearly dry before watering. Overwatering is a quick way to houseplant root rot for this plant,' says Julie. 'This houseplant also likes to be pot bound, so avoid potting in too big of a container,' she adds.

Find a spider plant at The Sill.

5. Calathea

If you're familiar with the tricky nature of calathea varieties, you may be wondering why it has made the list of houseplants for your dorm room. However, it makes for the perfect plant for those students looking to take on a challenge.

I personally find giving my calatheas attention therapeutic. Daily rituals of misting their leaves (using this plant mister from Amazon) to increase humidity levels is a mindful task.

Plus, their unique variegated foliage serves as décor in itself and it has an interesting characteristic of opening and closing with the daylight, sure to wow your college friends.

But, as mentioned, they aren't the easiest to care for. There are lots of calathea mistakes to be wary of in order to care for calatheas successfully. The most important being watering calatheas correctly:

'Distilled or rainwater is best for watering this plant since tap water contains fluoride and can cause the leaves to have brown edges and tips,' says Gail.

'Calatheas need to remain consistently moist but not soggy. Avoid allowing the plant to dry out, as this will lead to dieback,' Julie adds.

So, while this isn't a houseplant that suits every college student, it's one green-fingered individuals will enjoy caring for in between classes.

Calathea ornata (from Walmart) is a popular variety for its pink pin-stripes.

FAQs

Can I leave my houseplants at college during the holidays?

There are many houseplants that will survive while you're back home for the holidays, but others may need to be packed up to come with you. If you're going home for just a couple of weeks, use the same methods to water houseplants while on vacation and consider moving your plants to a windowsill to provide them with sufficient light. When deciding whether to take houseplant home with you or to leave it at college, the most important thing to research is their needs around watering.

If you're new to caring for plants and are keen to incorporate some in your dorm room this school year, I recommend reading up on common indoor plant mistakes to avoid. Don't forget to also get your plant care kit together with the essentials below: