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Houseplants for students – top 5 plants

If you’re heading to university or college – or sending off a loved one, taking a plant can help brighten up student accommodation, and be a little reminder of home

Having indoor plants can improve mental wellbeing, productivity and air quality and looking after another living thing can remind you to take care of yourself.

  • Improves attention span
  • Reduces fatigue
  • Decreases stress
  • Improves mood
  • Purifies air

Find out more about the benefits of houseplants
Gardening for wellbeing: a scientist’s view

Top 5 plants for students

1. Pothos (devil’s ivy)

A very forgiving plant, this will put up with a fair bit of neglect and isn’t too fussy about light, tolerating both sunny and shady positions, but if you really want it to thrive...
 

  • Water every 1-2 weeks in the summer and once a month in the winter.
  • Keep out of direct sunlight which can burn its leaves.
  • Try to keep your plant cosy, away from drafty doors and windows.
  • Pathos loves humidity, so mist with water every week or two.

Buy Devil’s Ivy
 

2. Cactus

Treat them mean, keep them keen. There’s no cuddling up to this spiny classic. Make the most of their quirky shapes, and go wild with containers. Pop them in second-hand tea cups (remember drainage holes) or bright pots. They like to be largely left alone, but to give them some love...
 

  • Water infrequently, wait for the soil to dry out.
  • Keep in a sunny spot.
  • In the summer, give your plant a treat with a specialist cactus fertiliser
Read more about caring for cacti

3. Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)

For a more unusual choice, lucky bamboo is a fun, low-maintenance pick, with the added benefit of not needing soil. Pop multiple stems in a vase of water or individual stems in bottles and keep them in light position – but not direct sunlight. Lucky bamboo is often used in feng shui, and is steeped in ancient Chinese symbolism. Otherwise known as the friendship bamboo, to be a bf to your plant...
 

  • Use bottled water for your stems – you can use tap water, but leave it out for 24 hours for the chlorine to dissipate before use.
  • Keep your bamboo out of draughts and in the light, regularly turning the plant every week will make sure all of the plant gets its share of light.
  • You can feed your plant in the summer, with a few drops of diluted fertiliser.

4. Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

The archetypal easy-care house plant, spider plants are infamously nearly impossible to kill. Not only do they tolerate neglect, they purify the air, brighten the room with their variegated leaves and throw out babies you can pot up and give to friends. If you want to repay this plant with kindness...
 

  • Only water when the top two centimetres of soil has dried out.
  • Don’t put in direct sunlight.
  • Snip off brown ends to keep your spider looking its best.
  • Give a light feed with houseplant fertiliser during the summer months
  • For a treat, give your plant an occasional misting
 
Buy spider plants

5. Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen plant)

Yes, even low-light bedrooms can house a thriving plant, and Aglaonemas also cope with forgetful watering, so perfect for the first-time grower. They may not be the showiest of houseplants, but they are faithful and reliable and if you want to show your appreciation...
 

  • Keep it cosy, away from draughts.
  • Mist every few weeks in summer.
  • Though a slow-grower, they do like being re-potted every three years.



Buy Aglaonemas

Houseplant care for students

There are so many houseplants to choose from, that you should be able to find something for almost any position and level of expertise. For students, there are a few things you may want to consider before buying your first plant.

What is allowed in your halls?

You may not be able to put up hooks or shelves for trailing plants, but a pot can go on a table or windowsill - if it’s not in direct light. Just make sure that you have a drip tray or saucer under your pot so water and soil don’t cause any damage.

What happens during the holidays?

If there’ll be no one around to water, move your plants out of strong light and give them a good soak before you go. There are irrigation methods you can set up while you are away (see read more link below), but many low-maintenance plants will cope with not being watered for a couple of weeks.

Read more about houseplant care during holidays

Are there extra costs involved?

While you can spend lots of money on sundries for houseplants, it is also possible to spend very little beyond the cost of the plant. Anything that holds water can be a watering can and nearly anything that has drainage can be a pot. You don’t even need soil if you chose to grow in water, or have air plants (Tillandsia spp). Eggshells, banana peels, coffee grounds or leftover cooking water can all be made into organic fertiliser. If you do invest in anything, a nice container and a spray bottle to mist your plants is really all you need.

Air plants (Tillandsia)

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Air plants are a great quirky-easy-care plant for students

RHS student membership

Start out with one of these reliable plants and before long your student room will be a green haven. If you want to expand your horticultural range, see if your university has any gardening clubs you can join, or get involved by volunteering at a local community project. It’s a good way to meet new people and get a stress-relieving break from studying.

The RHS offers student membership for just £10, which provides free entry to RHS gardens and more than 200 partner gardens as well as discounted tickets to RHS flower shows, including the RHS Urban Show in Manchester. You'll also get a subscription to The Garden magazine, and the RHS The Garden app.

Find out more about RHS Memberships.

More from the RHS

RHS Urban Show
Houseplant care video series
How to care for your houseplants
Low-maintenance houseplants

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.