These cheerful indoor plants will perk up any room.
Colorful indoor plants will not only brighten up any dreary space, but they may also improve your mood—whether they are amazingly realistic fake plants or natural ones. It’s well known that color can affect our moods, and a 2015 study indicates that houseplants may reduce psychological and physiological stress.1 If you are looking for a way to add a pop of color to your home and lift your mood at the same time, consider adding one of these colorful, mood-boosting houseplants to your home.
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Geogenanthus
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Although geo is a dark foliage plant, its purple-black color makes it a standout for bright white or boldly colorful spaces. Justin Hancock, a horticulturist at Costa Farms, says that geo does prefer average to above-average humidity. “It’s a good choice for kitchens, bathrooms, terrariums, or other places there’s a bit more moisture in the air.”
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- Light: Medium to high
- Water: Medium, but high humidity
- Color: Dark purple
Baltic Blue Pothos
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Pothos plants are one of the easiest indoor plants to grow, and Baltic blue is absolutely a showstopper for bright spots. Featuring elongated bluish-green leaves and a trailing growth habit, Baltic blue is a lovely addition to a room with bright, indirect light. “It’s especially effective in a living room, den, or other space where you can let it grow vertically, so the leaves become bigger and even more fenestrated with time,” says Hancock.
- Light: Medium to high
- Water: Medium, but allow to dry in between waterings
- Color: Blue-green
Silver Dragon Alocasia
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Featuring thick green leaves with a silver overlay, silver dragon alocasia makes an elegant addition to your house plant collection. Hancock says it makes an excellent partner for geo due to similar growing needs, and they look great together.
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- Light: Medium to high
- Water: Medium, but high humidity
- Color: Silvery green
Global Green Pothos
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This brightly colored pothos is a new variety that features lovely green-on-green variegation. “We’ve found it’s just as tolerant to a range of light and humidity conditions as good old-fashioned golden pothos—just with a fresh new look,” says Hancock.
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- Light: Tolerates low light, but grows best in medium and high light
- Water: Medium, but allow to dry in between waterings
- Color: Variegated green on green
Schumi Red Peperomia
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This plant beauty offers metallic red-purple leaves with an interesting corrugated texture. It will provide a burst of color in a bright corner of your home. “It’s a small houseplant, which makes it a perfect workmate on your desk,” says Hancock.
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- Light: Medium to high
- Water: Medium
- Color: Reddish purple
Stromanthe Plant
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Stromanthe will convert you to a pink person. This pastel, variegated beauty features a pretty combination of pinks, creams, and greens. “We’re suckers for plants in motion,” says Sadie Oldham, the brand director at Greendigs. “As daylight fades, Stromanthe leaves raise toward the skies, showing off not just their mobility, but the striking color under their leaves.”
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- Light: Medium to high
- Water: Medium, but high humidity
- Color: Variegated green with pink, cream, and purple
Moonlight Philodendron
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Moonlight philodendron features frilly, deeply cut leaves in brilliant green. Like other philodendrons, it’s easy to grow virtually anywhere. “Any plant that gives this much greenery without demanding much in return is worth having in your home,” says Oldham.
- Light: Tolerates low light but will thrive in medium to high light
- Water: Medium, but allow to dry in between waterings
- Color: Lime green
Dragon Tree
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The dragon tree is a slow-growing and maintenance-free plant—perfect for a beginner plant parent. It features long green and pink spiky leaves with pops of pink on its edges. “Its versatility means that the dragon tree is great as the center of attention, but it also slips neatly into a quiet corner,” says Oldham.
- Light: Medium
- Water: Medium
- Color: Green and pink
Anthurium
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Anthurium features long-lasting, bold red blooms contrasted by large, glossy leaves. “Every home has a spot that needs a plant with diva status, and this is where your anthurium goes,” says Oldham. This plant does need attention, but will reward you with its eye-catching flowers.
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- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Water: Medium, but high humidity
- Color: Green leaves with bold red blooms
Echeveria ‘Pink Frills’
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Echeveria ‘Pink Frills’ features plump, rose-shaped compact leaves. It’s almost hard to believe it is a succulent. “It’s no surprise that it’s popular with interior decorators, florists, and wedding planners alike,” says Oldham. Like other echeveria, ‘Pink Frills’ will reward you with delicate blooms in the spring if you give it what it needs.
- Light: Bright, high light
- Water: Low, allow soil to dry out completely between waterings
- Color: Green and dusty rose
Begonia Maculata
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ANASTASIIA TRETIAK
This colorful houseplant features some seriously show-stopping leaves, with silver polka dots on top, and bold crimson beneath—and eventually, white or pink flowers will bloom, too. Keep this in a warm, sunny, and humid environment, to match its tropical origins.
Light: Bright, indirect light
Water: Medium, but high humidity
Color: Green, silver, and red, with white or pink flowers
Raven ZZ Plant
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ANSYVANYCH/GETTY IMAGES
If your ideal houseplant color is more dramatic than bright, the rich black leaves of the raven ZZ plant will be a perfect addition to your plant collection. (Note that new growth is bright green, before mellowing out to that black hue.) Like most ZZ plants, it’s a low-maintenance, easy-care houseplant, which can survive in low-light conditions, but thrives in brighter light. Bonus: In feng shui, this plant can bring wealth and good fortune.
- Light: Tolerates low light but will thrive in medium to high light
- Water: Low, allow soil to dry out completely between waterings
- Color: Green and dark purple-black
Prayer Plant
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ANDREY NIKITIN/GETTY IMAGES
Known officially as Maranta leuconeura, the prayer plant will brighten up your home with its boldly striped leaves, which feature striking red veins and yellow patches beside the deep, emerald green. For the prayer plant to thrive, give it an environment similar to its Brazilian roots—warm and humid, with moist soil and indirect light. (It can also take low light conditions as well.)
- Light: Bright, indirect light, tolerates low light
- Water: Medium, but allow to dry in between waterings
- Color: Green, red, and yellow
Rose Succulents
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If you’re looking for colorful plants, succulents can come in an array of bright hues that’ll go with any decorating style. But the rose succulents, which feature a pretty pink hue and a rose-like shape, may be the perfect way to “gift” roses that’ll last. Like many succulents, these are pretty low-maintenance plants, requiring low humidity, with bright, but indirect light. Let the soil dry out between waterings.
- Light: Bright, high light
- Water: Low, allow soil to dry out completely between waterings
- Color: Dusty rose
Prince of Orange Philodendron
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New leaves on this pretty philodendron start out a shocking yellow-orange before mellowing out to green. It’ll grow up to two feet tall, so find the perfect corner for it to brighten up.
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Water: Medium, but allow to dry in between waterings
- Color: Green, yellow, and orange
Coleus
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This low-maintenance plant is a favorite addition to large outdoor planters, but its beautifully variegated leaves make it a striking colorful houseplant, too. You can find variations that present with yellow, cream, pink, burgundy, and purple leaves. The plant can handle bright sunlight, as long as it’s sheltered during the midday hours when the light is strongest, when it can fade or even burn the leaves. It thrives in moist soil, so make sure you water it regularly.
- Light: Bright light
- Water: Medium
- Color: Burgundy, pink, purple, yellow, cream, or green