Lush Houseplants for Patios, Balconies, and Small Spaces

Written by Kelsey W.

Beautiful houseplants are one of the easiest ways to bring color and vibrancy to your home, and creating a lush paradise on your balcony is actually quite easy when you know what plants to choose. There are always the easy-to-grow standards like cactuses and succulents, but with a little searching, you can definitely branch out into some creative and lush options.

One of the fun aspects of growing indoor plants is that you can choose non-native varieties because you’re growing them in a controlled environment and there’s no need to worry about whether the plant will survive the hot summer weather in Southern California. You can choose a plant that’s normally at home in a northern clime even if you live in an area that gets very hot in the summer.

Also, one of the benefits of growing plants inside in containers is that you can control the size, which means you don’t need to worry about your houseplant outgrowing your home. Many houseplants are content to live happily in the same pot for several years, never really needing more space to spread out.

Let’s take a look at a few beautifully lush houseplants you may want to introduce into your home.

Decorate Your Shelves with Peperomia

If you’re looking for the perfect plant for your bookshelves, look no further than the peperomia, which produces beautifully smooth and lush green leaves in a compact manner. As you’ll see with the other houseplants on this list, peperomia doesn’t need a lot of water. The leaves tend to hold onto a lot of water, so they can withstand those weeks when you travel.

While some houseplants are content to live in a dark corner, it’s best to find a bright place to put your peperomia. The plant doesn’t need eight hours of direct sunlight a day or anything extreme, but it does like bright, indirect sunlight.

You should only need a pot about six inches maximum to grow your peperomia, and the tendrils of leaves will get to a maximum length of about 15 inches, so you never need to worry that the plant will take over your space or outgrow your home.

Enjoy the Color of the Purple Shamrock Plant

The “Oxalis trangularis” plant has some of the most interesting leaves of any houseplant because they actually grow in a shade of purple rather than green. During the day, the leaves fold up and then in the evening they roll out, making the plant look quite filled out.

Also known as false shamrock plants, the purple shamrock plant doesn’t need a lot of water, so it’s an excellent plant when you want something beautiful but can’t devote daily attention to it. The purple shamrock will simply beautify your home in a well-lit corner (without direct sunlight) without a lot of effort from you.

The only caveat about this beautiful plant is that it doesn’t set well when ingested by pets because the leaves contain oxalates, so keep that in mind if you bring one home and you have a dog or two. If you’re concerned, the plant only grows about a foot tall, so it’s usually pretty easy to put it on a high shelf away from curious pets.

Plant Killers Rejoice with the Cast Iron Plant

Known as a plant that’s virtually indestructible, even when you neglect it terribly, the cast iron plant is native to Japan and will grow virtually anywhere in your home, even if the light source is far away. The only place you don’t want to put your cast iron plant is in direct sunlight, so always place it a little to the side if it’s near a window.

One of the reasons they’re a great plant for people who forget to water plants is that one of their only sensitivities is overwatering, so it’s actually better if you water it less or forget to water it on occasion. Putting it in well-draining soil also helps ensure the plant doesn’t experience any accidental overwatering.

The maximum height of the plant is about 35 inches, which sounds kind of large, but the plant actually takes quite a few years to reach this size, so you don’t necessarily need to give up a large amount of space for this plant early in its lifespan.

Find a Corner for Your Rubber Tree

If you have a nice corner in your home that looks lonely and bare, the perfect plant to fill it is definitely a rubber tree. The plant is a beautiful one because it produces lovely, large green leaves that make it a true centerpiece in virtually any space.

You do have to watch out for the eventual spread and size of rubber plants, but it’s actually possible to control the growth of your rubber plant through lighting and pot size. In most cases, an indoor rubber plant won’t grow to its 100-foot adult height like it would in the wild. You can expect it to top out at about three feet or so due to the restrictions of having its roots in a pot.

Because a rubber tree is a ficus plant and ficuses can get a little testy if you don’t treat them just right, make sure that when you place your rubber plant in its spot, you endeavor to keep it there. They don’t like drafts, and they like to stay in one spot without moving.

Did You Know? The peperomia listed earlier here is also known as a baby rubber plant, but it’s a different type of plant from the rubber tree.

Choose a Fun Color with Velvet Calathea

Velvet calathea is at home in the tropics, but also thrives inside the home as long as you give it bright, indirect light. One of the interesting features of this plant is that you can make the markings on its leaves more pronounced by putting it in a brighter spot in your home. Placing it in a low-light area will make the markings less noticeable as new leaves grow.

Another neat feature of the calathea is that it is grown in different colors, so you don’t necessarily need to bring home a green plant. You’ll also find these tropical plants offered in colors mixed with burgundy, purple, and red. There’s a pink variety out there that’s pretty rare if you can get your hands on it.

One thing to consider when bringing home this plant is that it’s not as forgiving of neglect as some other houseplants. They don’t really like it when their soil dries out too much, so you’ll want to put a reminder on your phone to water your calathea if you would normally forget.

General Houseplant Tips for Keeping Your Plants Lush and Healthy

Once you find the right spot for your houseplant, it should grow happily without a lot of interference as long as you keep the watering schedule on point and don’t let it dry out too much or remain too wet. Houseplants tend to like an even, unchanging environment and will reward you with years of beautiful greenness for your efforts.

Before placing and planting your houseplant, consider these needs for your particular plant, so you can get everything just right at the very start:

1. Light needs – does the plant need bright indirect light or is it okay with the dim light of a corner?
2. Soil consistency – is well-draining soil the way to go, or does the plant like moist soil?
3. Watering frequency – should you let the soil dry out between waterings, or does it need more frequent attention?
4. Pot size – does the plant enjoy a small space or does it thrive in a larger pot?

When you get each of these factors correct, most houseplants will live happily and without effort in your home, giving you years of beautiful greenery and, in some cases, bountiful color.

Fill Your Home with Beautiful Houseplants from Green Thumb Nursery

Houseplants are like little friends you can come home to after work that never complain and are always glad to see you. Whether you have a little patio that needs some greenery or you’d like to create a small green wall on your balcony, Green Thumb Nursery is here to help you create a beautiful space in your home with new plants. Come by a Southern California location to get started.

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