10 Top Coffee Table Plants

Pinterest Hidden Image

Coffee table plants beautify your inside space and provide other benefits like cleaner indoor air. In addition, one study indicated that some plants encourage the release of serotonin in humans, which is the feel-good chemical that helps reduce anxiety.

With all the mental and visual benefits your coffee table plants may provide your home, you might wonder which plants would work best as plants for coffee tables and your living room.

Coffee Table PlantsPin

Let’s look at a few great candidates for coffee table plants.

10 Excellent Coffee Table Plants

Here are some of the best coffee table plants you can grow at home.

Snake Plants

Potted Poisonous Snake Plant (Mother In Law Tongue)Pin

Snake plants aka African bowstring hemp are excellent indoor plants because they filter indoor air and convert CO2 (carbon dioxide) into oxygen at night. 



They also have an interesting pattern with stiff, upright leaves that grow in different variegated patterns.

Yes, snake plants can grow up to 8′ feet tall, but that doesn’t mean you have to worry about your tabletop snake plant growing so tall that it reaches the ceiling. 

Instead, you can prune the tall variety of the plant or buy a dwarf snake plant, which should only grow to about 4″ inches tall.

African Violets

African violets are gorgeous pint-size flowering houseplants with soft, fuzzy leaves and delicate white, red, purple, pink, or blue flowers. 

Pin

They’re among the most popular houseplants worldwide because they’re uniquely suited to indoor life.

Their native habitat is on the jungle floor, so they only get water from the soil. Their leaves burn if you get them wet, so you must water them carefully. 

They grow well in partial or indirect sun, which makes them quite at home on a coffee table adjacent to a bright window.

Details on Caring for African Violets

Boston Ferns

Boston ferns aren’t actually native to Boston and are native to tropical locales like South America, Florida, and Central America. However, the plant was incredibly popular as an indoor houseplant in the late 19th century, and growers sold hundreds of thousands of plants yearly.

boston fernPin

The only caveat with Boston ferns is that they like humid environments, so it’s important to keep them moist. 

They make excellent coffee table plants because they don’t need a lot of sunlight. Water them about once a week, and they’ll enjoy living on your coffee table.

Ox Tongue Plants

An ox tongue plant (Gasteria) will feel right at home on your coffee table because they enjoy environments without direct sunlight. This plant is a great choice if you have a basement apartment or your living room doesn’t get a lot of sunlight.

Gasteria plantPin

Ox tongue plants are also great for anyone who doesn’t want to clean up regularly after their plant. 

They never really need pruning, and their broad, thick leaves rarely drop from the plant. They’re also easy to care for and are very forgiving when you forget to water them.

Spider Plants

Spider plants are one of the best options for cleansing the air inside your home, so they’re excellent coffee table plants for homes in urban areas where the air quality isn’t always the best. 

Spider plant growing in a potPin

In addition, these plants can grow to just over a foot tall and make a cheerful decorative statement for your living room.

They enjoy weekly visits with the watering can and a bright window nearby with indirect sunlight. So if your living room gets a lot of natural light, a spider plant is a great candidate for your coffee table. 

They’re a forgiving houseplant, too, so they’re easy to grow even if you have a black thumb.

Orchids

Orchids like Phalaenopsis are common in bathrooms because they enjoy humid air, but they’re also an adventurous option for your living room. 

Blooms of the Moth orchid - PhalaenopsisPin

As long as you’re willing to mist your plant regularly, it should fare well on your coffee table.

However, don’t assume that watering your orchid all the time is the way to keep it moist. They like humid air, not living in a pool of water. 

Also, orchids grow a few feet tall, so place them where they won’t block the television if you give them a place to live on your coffee table.

Air Plants

Air plants (Tillandsia) are curious because they don’t live in soil and are commonly displayed in small hanging pots or rocks. So if you want to avoid dealing with soil on your coffee table, a beautiful air plant might offer just the right amount of greenery.

the Air-Plant - Tillandsia ionantha in bloom showing it bright purple and red colorsPin

Remember that air plants don’t actually live on air. They do need regular watering, but you’ll mist them a few times a week rather than giving them traditional watering. 

You can dunk the plant in a water bowl for about 15 minutes each week to give it the water it needs to survive.

Asparagus Ferns

Asparagus ferns are fuzzy and welcoming additions to any coffee table and thrive in partial shade, which makes them a great candidate for indoor plants. 

Foxtail Asparagus fern at Disney World Orlando , FloridaPin

In addition, these plants fare quite well on coffee tables because they like a lot of room for their wispy leaves.

Asparagus ferns can get up to three feet wide, so you may need to eventually repot the plant and place it on the side of your room where it won’t obstruct the view of the coffee table. 

However, they respond well to light trimming if you want to keep the fern on your coffee table for a few years before relocating it.

Philodendron And Pothos

It’s easy to confuse philodendron scandens and pothos plants since they have similar leaves and can grow long vines. 

potted houseplant Philodendron scandens (Philodendron hederaceum)Pin
Philodendron Scandens

These plants actually grow on top of other plants in the wild, but they’re content to live in a pot on your coffee table, too. 

They’re easy to care for and are exceptionally forgiving if you forget to water them.

Although each of these plants will eventually send leaves out into long vines, it’s possible to trim them back occasionally to keep them small enough for your coffee table. 

Golden Pothos growing in ceramic containerPin
Golden Pothos

However, if you’re not opposed to a very leafy coffee table, feel free to let their vines wrap around the furniture.

Zebra Haworthias

If you’re limited on space but want a little green for your table, a Zebra haworthia will provide an interesting focal point for your coffee table without taking up too much room. 

Potted Haworthia Attenuata aka Zebra CactusPin

These spikey succulents have spiky green leaves with white stripes, which is why they have “zebra” in their name.

These plants only reach about 5″ inches tall, so they’ll never get too big for your coffee table. They like sunlight, so your coffee table should be in a well-lit area.

You can also occasionally move the plant into a sunny window to give it an extra dose of sunlight.

JOIN Our FREE Plant Care Newsletter 

By entering your email address you agree to receive a daily email newsletter from Plant Care Today. We'll respect your privacy and unsubscribe at any time.