Indoor plants can provide a diverse way to decorate a room. Arts and Entertainment reporter Diana Nollen wrote in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gazette that incorporating one or several house plants into a room can add color, enhance the mood, and clean the air. 
There are many species of indoor plants that can handle different lighting situations. Some people enjoy having indoor plants so much that they’ll fill each corner of a room with them.
Julien Solomita, a YouTuber and Twitch streamer, is one popular plant enthusiast. He recently posted a YouTube video showing off his growing plant collection. He uses his plants as a living backdrop during live streams, changing the mood of his aesthetic from “gamer den” and “dark” to “happy” and “breathable.”
It’s easy to purchase an indoor plant. Large retailers like Walmart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot have outdoor sections that house their respective selections. Some local businesses specialize in plant sales, such as Lesslie’s RGV Plants. There are also websites with plants for purchase, such as Bloomscape.
With many shopping options available — and thousands of plant species to explore — here are four ideas for your next potential plant purchase.
Bonsai Trees
According to the website Bonsai Empire, although the word “bonsai” is Japanese, its origins are from China approximately 5,000 years ago. The Chinese started an art form that used special techniques to grow dwarf trees in containers. Today, trimming the branches of their plants is a popular activity by bonsai owners.
“The reason why people love bonsai trees (is that) they find it relaxing to have (them) indoors and trim to their liking,” said Lesslie Cortina, owner of Lesslie’s RGV Plants. “They (feel like) it’s a stress relief to shape the tree.”
Cacti
Cacti are resilient plants that thrive in harsh environments such as deserts. They are a common sight in the Rio Grande Valley as they make themselves home on people’s roofs and in their gardens. Since they live in dry climates, cacti don’t need a lot of water — they store it inside themselves.
“It’s an amazing plant to have because people [often] forget to water their plants indoors,” Cortina said. “The beautiful thing about cacti is they absorb the little water you give. It can last a while [between] watering.”
Succulents
Succulents are similar to cacti as they also enjoy dry climates. This plant variety’s popularity grew when gardeners wanted something with the resilience to handle California droughts in 2011, according to The Little Botanical website. As a hashtag, #succulents garnered 12.7 million posts on Instagram.
“I forgot to water one for a long time, and it was on my back patio,” recalled Jeanette Robles, a local plant enthusiast. “It rained, or the morning mists watered it, and a few days later it had (a) strange antenna growing out of it. I thought it was a vine or was mixed with something else, but it started budding into little white flowers.”
Vines
The vine people often have at home hanging is the pothos. Vines can thrive in shaded areas. They can also live under fluorescent lights. That uniqueness made them prime candidates for people to use for decorations in stores, hotels, and offices.
“My favorite is the pothos,” Robles said. “[They can] go anywhere in the house. They don’t require a specific kind of water, they can grow fast, you can trim them and propagate them and share them with your friends.”
