Last Updated on October 31, 2021 by Phil
Looking for cute, small plants that are beautiful?
Here are some of the best tiny plants you can grown on tabletops, shelves and other tight spaces.
The list below includes all sorts of varieties including those perfect for the floor, containers or hanging baskets.
This will let you choose for yourself which one you like the most.
Air Plant
Air plants are the perfect small plant because of their size.
Yet, their unique look makes it hard to miss them.
Besides being small, the fact that they don’t need soil allows you to save extra space.
Thus, instead of potting soil and containers, you can set them up in terrariums, small baskets or wood.
The reason for this is that air plants get their nutrients from the air.
That said they still do need sunlight and a little bit of watering. But, misting 2 to 3 times a week is more than enough.
Anthurium
Like most plants, anthuriums come in different sizes. As such, you get to choose the smaller ones if you want to add a tiny plant to your home. These grow to between 12-18 inches high.
Thus, it makes them perfect for tabletop decorations, windowsills or shelves.
That said, these plants are exquisite in looks.
Their blooms are show-stoppers because of their bright colors.
Their unique stamens also make people notice.
The do like indirect sunlight and prefer well-draining soil.
Scotch Moss
This plant is very different most of the others because of its mossy foliage.
While you’ll often see it outside filling the gaps between other plants, it’s a great small indoor plant as well.
It’s look makes it perfect for fairy and other miniature gardens.
You can also keep it on its own or pair it with other plants in pots or wide bowl shape containers.
Because of its origins, Scotch moss like cooler environment.
Bright, strong sun can also burn the plant or change its color.
As such, it’s a good idea to give it lighter, indirect sunlight.
Asparagus Fern
It’s funny how some plants’ names are kind of misleading.
For example, the asparagus fern isn’t really a fern. Although, it does look like one.
Similarly, a peace lily isn’t a lily.
Say, what?
Yes, plant names are often descriptive. But, they sometimes aren’t.
In any case, the asparagus fern actually belongs to the lily family, even if it does look quite different from them.
The plant has lovely foliage that flows outward the longer it gets. This makes it lovely to look at.
Donkey’s Tail
The donkey’s tail is also called the Burro’s tail.
This can sometimes be confusing when you’re starting out. That’s because a lot of plants are called by 2 or more names.
But, the more you get to know them, it’ll be easier to remember.
In any case, this plant is a succulent.
You can probably guess that just by looking at its fleshy leaves.
But, unlike many succulents, this tiny plant is a creeper or trailer. As such, it looks great when it overflows from a basket or a wide, tall pot.
Polka Dot Plant
Polka dot plants don’t have those round dot.
However, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the splotches of colors on their leaves are made from smaller dots.
In any case, these plants have lovely foliage that make it very unique compared to other leafy plants.
Polka dot plants prefer indirect sunlight. Although, bright sun does help bring out the color in their leaves early on.
But, be careful about letting them get too much sun as it can scorch their foliage.
Aloe Vera
The aloe vera is one of the most popular houseplants around.
That’s because of its long, beautiful, dark green leaves.
Of course, it does help that they’re familiar to many of us because they’re often used as ingredients for skin care and treatment products.
Aloe veras belong to the succulent family.
As such, they’re similar in many ways to cacti.
They have the thick fleshy leaves that store water which makes them drought tolerant.
They like the sun. But, do well even in low light conditions.
And, they don’t need a lot of maintenance.
Peace Lily
Peace lilies are perfect if you want to add some bright colors to your room.
The white flower is beautiful to look at as it’s surrounded by the dark green foliage.
That said, these will have to sit on the floor because they’re a bit bigger than the small tabletop plants in the list.
However, they’re easy to care for, and can thrive on indoor fluorescent light in case you don’t have a bright window to place them beside.
Peperomia
To add more green color to your home, the peperomia plant is a good choice.
Its small yet, eye-catching.
That’s because of its unique spade-shaped dark green leaves.
Cast Iron Plant
This is a tough little plant with lovely dark, green leaves.
It’s a bit bigger than the many of the others which makes it ideal for the floor.
But, relative to most plants, it’s still small.
The cast iron plant is perfect if you don’t have a lot of time to care for your indoor garden.
That’s because it doesn’t need a lot of maintenance.
Even then, it’s almost indestructible.
Oxalis
You probably know them as purple shamrocks.
In any case, these are lovely looking tiny plants that are perfect for containers.
While they’re called purple shamrocks, they actually come in a variety of colors, including yellow, red and burgundy.
But, the purple ones are very popular because of how pretty they look.
These are perfect for tabletops and shelves because they’re wider than they are tall. You can expect them to grow up to 6 inches high and about 8 inches wide.
Echeveria
Want something that’s has a uniquely beautiful color?
Try this plant.
You’ve probably seen echeveria plants clumped together on someone’s table before.
They have a lovely look to them. And, come in variety of colors.
This makes them amazing as tabletop decor.
Cactus
You’re probably familiar with the cactus plant because they’re seen in desert scenes on TV shows and movies.
The thing is, not all cacti are as big as the ones you see there.
In fact, there are over 2,000 varieties of them. And, many of them are small enough to sit well on tabletops and counters without taking up much space.
Cacti are great because they’re lovely to look at.
Plus, they’re very easy to care for.
They like a lot of sun. But, will tolerate different conditions including low light.
As a succulent, you can also get away with forgetting to water it because it’s able to stand lack of water for long periods of time.
Jade Plant
If you want a mini tree-like plant you can grow in a small tabletop container, look no further.
The jade plant is a unique looking one because of its thick, oval shaped leaves the look like mini propellers that go out in all directions.
Kalanchoe
On the other hand, If you prefer something with beautiful, colorful blooms, Kalanchoes are worth a look.
Unlike jade plants, they prefer indirect to direct light.
But like jade plants, they’re perfect for tabletop decors. And, don’t require a lot of water to survive.
Venus Fly Trap
Venus fly traps are often portrayed as scary plants in cartoons.
That often leads to misconceptions about it.
It’s true that this colorful, open mouthed plant is carnivorous. But, it can’t hurt you.
In fact, if you put your finger and let it “bite” you, the “bite” won’t cause you any harm.
Instead, it’s the plant that gets hurt.
Chinese Money Plant
This is a lovely houseplant to have because of it’s unique look.
The round flat leaves that are attached to the end of standing stems make it a great conversation piece when you have guests over.
This makes them perfect for decorating your home.
Spider Plant
Spider plants are very versatile in that they look great in pots, and other containers.
But, they probably stand out most hanging from baskets.
That’s because this setup allows their long, striped-leaves to drop out and downward.
This makes it even more attractive looking.
Snake Plant
Should you prefer something that doesn’t expand outwards, how about the snake plant.
Snake plants have firmer, darker foliage.
Their yellow stripes are also more prominent.
What makes them different from most leaf-dominant plants is that their foliage goes up vertical.
This makes them take up less space. And, it’ makes it hard to miss them.
Like the spider plant, snake plants are very easy to grow even for beginners.
African Violet
African violets are hard to miss.
They may not be the biggest plants. But, you’re sure to notice it’s big, bold colors.
Add to that the lovely foliage that’s surrounds its blooms.
What’s great about this plant is that despite it’s beauty, it doesn’t require a lot of maintenance.
All they want is bright sunlight and moist, not wet soil.
String of Pearls
This plant has a very unique look.
It’s like your pot or hanging basket is is overflowing with peas tied to strings.
That said, they’re wonderful to look at, especially when you allow them to overflow out of the container.
Because they are succulents, you don’t need to water them regularly. They do like sunlight.
Baby Toes
Aptly named for their resemblance to a baby’s little toes, these are cute looking plants fit almost anywhere.
All you need is a small container and good sunlight. And, it will be very happy.
They’re great for tabletops, windowsills and shelves.
Best of all, they’re very tolerant of neglect.
You’ll be able to place them in shaded or dark conditions and they’ll be okay. They require little watering, in fact prefer drier to wet environments as well.
And, there’s no pruning involved.
Thus, they’re perfect if you want something nice to look at, yet easy to care for.
Pothos
Pothos are another plant that whose leaves you want to trail out of the container.
This makes them stand out as you see the leaves and curling all over the place.
Besides being lovely to look at, you’ll also be happy to hear that pothos plants clean the air.
This helps rid your living room or bedroom of toxins that can be harmful to your lungs.
Lucky Bamboo
Known from bringing good luck, lucky bamboo plants are perfect to put on home tabletops and your office desk.
They’re said to bring you good fortune, which of course everyone has.
Interestingly, these small plants are not bamboos.
However, they’re named as such because their stems resemble that of the bamboo plant.
Also, unlike most plants, you’ll want to grow them in water.
The good news is, you don’t need to water them. Instead, just change the water every week or two.
Rubber Tree
This is a small tree that’s perfect if you have a little floor space available.
The have very attractive looking leaves whose colors can easily liven up any room.
They work great indoors because they don’t need direct sun.
But, you’ll need to prune them once in a while to control their size to what you want.
Conclusion
As you can see, small plants are awesome.
There’s one for whatever purpose you’re looking for. It all depends on where you want to put them. And, what kind of look you want.
Where do you want to place your tiny plant?
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