What Plants Could Thrive in a Residence Hall

Customizing your dorm room is an essential part of the college experience. It’s your home away from home, and you’re in control. Beginning move-in day, you mold your own multipurpose world — a sanctum for studying, a hangout spot, a place that makes you excited to hop out of bed.

Plants are usually an afterthought, but they are a critical part of any healthy environment. They nourish and soothe us. They teach us to care. The plants you keep in your room are a form of personal expression. If you want a place to feel like home, get a plant!

But which plant? Not every species of plant can thrive in a residence hall, but experts from the University of South Florida Botanical Gardens told us about eight very cool plants that make light work of dorm room survival.

Why Residence Halls Need Plants

“Research has been done into how having plants in your living area affects your mental and physical health,” said JD Randall, a USF junior majoring in plant science who manages programs at the Botanical Gardens. “Plants can help calm people. They help people focus. And in terms of physical health, plants increase oxygen. They’re like air purifiers going all the time.”

The difference isn’t easily perceptible, but rooms with plants tend to have air that’s cooler and fresher than rooms without.

Dr. Craig Huegel, the curator of the Botanical Gardens, concurred. “A lot of studies show that time spent in nature has positive health benefits. That nature can be inside your dorm room.”

Add a splash of nature with a potted plant or two, or follow Randall’s lead and make your own private jungle. “My freshman year, I had 28 plants. So, I know a few things about growing plants in dorm rooms!” she said.

Randall explained that the best dorm room plants don’t grow too wide or tall. Your plants must also be hardy, not high maintenance. “We’re students, and students are busy,” she observed. “Sometimes we’ll forget to water our plants.” A good dorm room plant must survive these lapses.

The best dorm room plants thrive in indirect sunlight, the sort that shines through a single window as the sun moves throughout the day. If your dorm room doesn’t have enough light, get a plug-in grow lamp — something that emits the special spectrum of light that plants require.

Learn what your plant needs to stay alive and only buy if you’re up for the challenge. “I wish people understood what they were getting into,” Dr. Huegel said. He noted that people put a lot of thought into pet care before they buy, but don’t think about a plant purchase so much. “You’re taking on a similar responsibility when you get a plant,” he warned. He advised all would-be plant parents to find a few legitimate horticultural sources, like universities or gardening associations, and compare the information given.

If you have any animals at home, double-check whether your new plant is non-toxic. Pets generally are not allowed in dorm rooms, though, so that won’t be part of this analysis. Check databases like the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List or ask your vet.

For each plant below, we’ve provided some details about care. We’ve also prepared a downloadable guide.  

Pothos

This well-loved houseplant grows long vines with many spade-shaped leaves. With the right support, these vines can grow six feet or more in length.

Caring for a Pathos

According to Randall, pothos are not too picky about light. “You want more of a bright, indirect light for a decent amount of time,” she specified.

Pothos also tolerate a wide range of temperatures, and they’re very forgiving when it comes to water. As soon as you feel that the soil is dry, thoroughly moisten it. Even if you’re a little late, the plant will be okay.

Reasons to Love Pothos

Randall is passionate about pothos, largely because of their incredible diversity. Fifteen species have been recorded, and each has leaves with unique coloration, patterns, shapes, and textures. There is even more variety within species, giving you dozens of options to choose from.

“The Queen Hawaiian Pothos is gorgeous,” Randall gushed. “It’s bright green with gold streaks across it. If you want something in a highlighter color, go for a Neon Pothos, which is one that I owned.”

The long vines of a pothos lend themselves to creative decoration. Put the pot on a high shelf and let the plant dangle, or hang the vines on the wall so they can grow out across the room. You can also weave the stems together to grow upwards like a bush.

“They can be whatever shape you want them to be, and you can find one in any color,” Randall said.

Pothos propagations make great gifts. Clip off a small section of vine just below a leaf node and submerge the cut end in a cup of water until it’s ready to be potted. Who knew cloning was so easy?

Money Tree

Popular in East Asian décor, the money tree (Pachira glabra) has a crown of thin, narrow leaves atop a grayish-green trunk that swells at the bottom. Many money trees are actually multiple plants with their trunks braided together. In the wild, these trees can be enormous, but as a houseplant, they typically max out at a few feet.

Caring for a Money Tree

Money trees are among the easiest houseplants to care for. In a hot, humid, sunny place like Tampa Bay, money trees thrive!

They require bright, indirect sunlight, and you should rotate them every few weeks so all sides get light. When the soil is dry, usually after one or two weeks, water thoroughly until it drains from the bottom of the pot. Dump out the saucer; money trees can tolerate a lot, but they hate soggy soil. If any leaves turn yellow, trim them off with clippers to keep your plant tidy.

Reasons to Love Money Trees

It’s believed that if you can make a money tree grow, luck will come. Gifting someone a money tree is said to be like giving them happiness and wealth.

The braided stem is a symbol of strength and is believed to trap fortune. Each branch of a money tree ends in five leaves, which represent the five elements. Finding a rare seven-leafed branch is extra lucky!

Randall pointed out that money trees don’t grow too fast. “If you want a tree or something that looks like a tree, this is a really inexpensive option,” she added. “The leaves look like fingers. It’s a really fun plant.”

Lucky Bamboo

Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is not bamboo at all, though you could be forgiven for thinking so. The tall, green shoot of the plant bears an uncanny resemblance to panda chow, with notched segments and a leafy bunch at the top. They can grow over three feet tall, but most lucky bamboos are a few inches to a foot — small enough to be a perfect desk ornament.

Caring for a Lucky Bamboo

While lucky bamboo enjoys bright, indirect sunlight, it can adapt easily to consistent low light. Lucky bamboo can be grown entirely in water, and it’s often potted with the roots submerged. A layer of pebbles will hold the shoot in place.

Always keep the water level just above the roots, but no higher. A clear container makes it easier to measure the water level, but a colored container prevents harmful algae from growing. Change out the water every few weeks so it doesn’t get nasty. You can also plant lucky bamboo in soil if you prefer.

“I've seen people grow them in test tubes,” Randall said. “You could grow them in a cute vase, or whatever, and they'll do just fine.”

Reasons to Love Lucky Bamboo

Both Randall and Dr. Huegel have an affinity for lucky bamboo. “It’s a really great plant,” Randall said. “I had two in my dorm. One was a single stick, and the other was five feet tall, and it was like 100 sticks bundled together.”

Feng shui practitioners teach that binding certain numbers of shoots together invites special blessings. Two shoots will bestow love, five will bestow harmony, and ten will bestow a complete, perfect life. Other sums carry their own meanings.

Dr. Huegel remarked on the appealing twists and turns that are often part of a lucky bamboo plant. “They grow them in a really controlled environment,” he said. “It’s not a natural formation.”

To make a lucky bamboo twist, he explained, horticulturalists tantalize the plant with light shining into a dark box through a small hole. The plant will grow towards the light, and when the plant is rotated, the tip of the shoot changes direction in pursuit of that light. “Plants have memory, so it will never uncoil. The twirling will be there forever,” he said. Very cool!

Peace Lily

Peace lilies have eye-catching flowers that rise high upon long stems, above the broad leaves that make up most of the plant. The flower consists of a spiky, thumb-shaped cylinder called a spadix, which is cowled by a white or brightly colored modified leaf called a spathe.

Caring for a Peace Lily

While peace lilies can survive most light conditions, they need regular, indirect sunlight to grow their spathes and spadices. They are also pretty forgiving if you forget to water them, although they will emphasize your neglect with dramatic drooping.

Water sparingly, and try to use rainwater or filtered water, if possible. Peace lilies can be sensitive to tap water. Misting your peace lily every now and then gives it a boost — they love humidity.

Reasons to Love Peace Lilies

Here’s a twist: The spadix of a peace lily is actually multiple flowers grouped together along the thumb-like structure — an inflorescence. It challenges our notions of what a flower can look like.

As for the spathe, think of it as a neon sign for pollinators, who are directed towards the spadix by bright colors. Most flowers use this strategy — all the beauty of wildflowers is meant more for bees and butterflies than humans — but the peace lily doesn’t have petals that wilt and shed.

“If it was just flowers, they wouldn’t last very long,” Dr. Huegel explained, “but since the spathe is a modified leaf, it’s going to remain for quite some time. You don’t have a little flash of flowers that then go away.” Even when the spadix isn’t flowering, the plant’s leaves are robust — including the colorful spathe.

According to a landmark NASA study, the peace lily is also an excellent air purifying plant, so if you tend to let laundry pile up, it might be a good investment.

Anthurium

Anthurium is an incredibly diverse genus of plants that somewhat resembles the peace lily. They, too, have a spadix framed by a brightly colored spathe. Anthurium spathes come in different forms, but many are lance-shaped. The spadix may curl in interesting ways or come in different colors.

These plants typically grow no larger than three feet tall.

Caring for an Anthurium

The Anthurium also needs bright, indirect sunlight, and to keep them flowering reliably, a grow lamp may be necessary. When the top of the soil is dry, water sparingly and ensure thorough drainage. Rainwater or filtered water is best, since the plant may be sensitive to tap water.

If the tips of the leaves turn brown, more humidity is needed. You should wipe down the leaves with a damp rag occasionally to remove dust build-up and prune away fading blooms so that others may grow brighter.

Note that all Anthurium are tropical plants, so they cannot survive outside unless you live somewhere warm and humid (like Tampa Bay).

Reasons to Love the Anthurium

There’s an Anthurium out there for everyone.

“There are over 1,000 different species in that genus alone,” Randall said, which makes them one of the most diverse plant groups. They exist in a multitude of colors, sizes, shapes, and textures and occupy tropical and subtropical environments all over the world.

“They’re a very successful group of plants, obviously,” Dr. Huegel observed.

ZZ Plant

The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) has upright, arching stems covered in fleshy, dark green leaves shaped like ovals. The leaves have a waxy shine to them. Hidden within the branches, you may find a spadix like the one found on the peace lily, but wrapped in a yellow spathe.

Caring for a ZZ Plant

ZZ plants are renowned for being incredibly easy to care for. They’re good in low light, don’t require much watering, and grow slowly but surely.

Ideally, you’ll give your ZZ plant indirect light for only part of the day and water it every three weeks, taking care not to soak the soil or leave standing water (using soil that drains easily is key, Dr. Huegel advised). When you care for a ZZ plant, less is more.

Reasons to Love the ZZ Plant

“ZZ plants are specifically suited for drought resistance,” Randall explained. “You get that really cool formation above ground, but underneath the soil, they grow these amazing tubers called rhizomes that store water and nutrients.” The plant draws from these stores in a pinch, and if you overwater it, its rhizomes absorb a bit extra to compensate.

You can propagate ZZ plants by removing a rhizome and replanting it. Eventually, roots will emerge, and a stem will grow. When someone openly admires your ZZ plant, be a pal and plant a rhizome so you can gift them one of their own.

“You can’t do that with an oak tree — at least, not very easily,” Dr. Huegel joked.

Snake Plant

Snake plants (Sansevieria trifasciata or now Dracaena trifasciata) have bundles of stiff, fleshy leaves in green and yellow that taper to a sharp tip. The leaves emerge from an underground rhizome, giving the appearance of blades shooting up from the soil.

Caring for a Snake Plant

Like the ZZ plant, the snake plant’s rhizomes make it a very easy houseplant to care for. It can tolerate almost any level of light but thrives with 8-10 hours of indirect sunlight each day, so keep it near a window.

Wait about three weeks between watering, and make sure the soil drains properly. (Once more, choosing the right soil is key. Try soil meant for succulents.) The edges of the leaves get brittle and dry when you’ve waited too long. It’s far better to under-water a snake plant than to overwater one.

In fact, according to Dr. Huegel, this goes for all plants. “Most plants die because they're watered too much,” he said. “Almost any plant you keep in a dorm room or anywhere else is going to die from you taking too much care, as opposed to ignoring it.”

So relax. Be cool. Your plants have got this.

Reasons to Love Snake Plants

Snake plants grow quickly and fill up any container they’re placed in. Their crowded, needle-like leaves create a unique spiky aesthetic.

Randall emphasized the ease of caring for a snake plant. “If you manage to kill a snake plant,” she laughed, “give up on growing plants and buy some silk flowers. They’re really hard to kill.”

That’s a problem in the wild. Snake plants are an invasive species, and the qualities that make them great houseplants also make them nearly impossible to contain. Never plant your snake plant in the ground outside! Indoors, they’ll be reliable companions that last a long, long time.

Succulents

Succulents are plants that have unusually fleshy leaves, stems, or roots. These structures store water to facilitate drought resistance. A cactus is a perfect example, although not all succulents are cacti.

Caring for Succulents

“Succulents really do make great plants because a lot of the ones you will buy are small,” Randall said. “Succulents like it dry. They need a lot of light, so windowsills are a great place to put them.” Unlike most other plants, succulents tend not to sunburn.

The challenge is giving them just the right amount of water. You must plant succulents in sandy or rocky soil and ensure that the pot drains thoroughly. If you give them too much water, they’ll start to fall apart.

On the flip side, they aren’t very demanding. “Ignoring them for months is acceptable in some cases,” Randall explained. “They're desert plants.”

However, Dr. Huegel cautions students to avoid cacti for practical reasons: “They have a lot going for them, but they’re spiny. Don't keep any plants in your dorm that will hurt you if you accidentally bump it.”

Reasons to Love Succulents

Succulents have an incredible variety. Many have an intriguing, almost extraterrestrial appearance.

“I've seen succulents that are lavender,” Randall said. “I've seen pink ones. Some are green with bright pink tips. They come in different textures and shapes.”

Succulents are often compact, too. Some can be bought about two inches tall and will remain that size.

“If you want something unconventional that catches your eye, something you can just set on the corner of a desk that doesn't take up much space, a succulent is a great addition,” Randall advised.

USF's Residential Experience is Unmatched

The Botanical Gardens have been Randall’s favorite place on campus since freshman year. She wants her fellow students to enjoy this gem, too. “It's a quiet place to study. We've got tables where you can do your homework, overlooking the water,” she said. “If you need a walk to clear your head, we have trails. It genuinely feels good to be outside.”

If you go to USF, you’ll have much to explore nearby. USF’s facilities are unmatched, including the Botanical Gardens.

Dr. Huegel invites all Bulls to visit the garden, which is free for USF students and staff. The plants change throughout the year, so there’s always something new to experience. That includes monthly educational programs like Beginner Birdwatching and Pollinator Week, as well as vibrant plant sales and festivals.

As for where you’ll be putting your new plants, check out USF Housing & Residential Education to learn more about the residence halls on campus, as well as special Residential Community Programs that form even tighter, more supportive communities.