14 Best Plants for Boosting Your Home's Feng Shui, According to Experts

Plant enthusiasts and researchers alike agree: Houseplants brighten our moods. They're also among the easiest ways to enhance a room's balance and positive energy, according to experts in the ancient Chinese practice of feng shui. “Any plant introduces what we call wood chi or living, vital energy to a space,” says Toronto-based feng shui consultant Laura Morris. However, different plants bring different vibes. Here's a guide to matching the best plants with each room to create the atmosphere you're after.

• Laura Morris is a feng shui consultant from Toronto and co-author of the book Mindful Living: A Guide to The Everyday Magic of Feng Shui.
• Gabrielle Santiago is the owner and principal designer of Gabrielle Santiago Design and a certified feng shui practitioner.

Bedrooms

Bedrooms are sanctuaries for sleep and intimacy, so choose plants that promote relationships, wellness, and rest.

Orchids add a touch of romance perfect for bedrooms and symbolize the significance of nurturing a strong partnership, Morris says. “Most people buy orchids when they're blooming and toss them when the flowers fall off,” Morris explains. Keeping and caring for an orchid until it blooms again teaches the value of supporting your partner during tough times.

“Being patient with your orchid, feeding it, watering it, and maybe moving it to a sunnier spot until it blooms again is a powerful metaphor for nurturing your relationships.” Plus, it reminds you to care for yourself during challenging times.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are spaces for renewal and involve water energy, symbolizing wealth and abundance in feng shui. Adding plants to a bathroom restores the water element lost when you flush the toilet or drain water, Morris says.

“Any plant will work in a bathroom, but I recommend hanging plants because they save space and succulents because they hold water, restoring balance,” Morris says.

Gabrielle Santiago

The bathroom is a place to refresh yourself, and plants bring restorative energy to the space.

Spider Plants make excellent hanging plants, Morris says. Not only do they retain water in their roots, but they're also easy to care for.

String of Hearts is a succulent with trailing vines of heart-shaped leaves that hold water and symbolize nurturing and care, Morris says. It works well as a hanging plant.

Pothos are “great because they are super easy to grow,” Morris says. Their soft, rounded leaves spread calming, harmonious energy. Their hardiness teaches a lesson in second chances; even if you neglect them, they’ll give you the opportunity to start over, Morris notes.

Choose plants that thrive in your home’s light conditions. Unhealthy plants can instantly drain a room’s chi, or energy.

Kitchens

Kitchens feature the feng shui elements of fire and water, from the stove to the sink. While these opposites can create bad energy, the right plants help bring harmony to your kitchen, Morris says.

Rosemary, basil, and other potted herbs bring harmonious wood chi to a sunny kitchen windowsill. They’re also handy for cooking.

ZZ plants are easy to grow and can be placed in darker corners that might otherwise accumulate bad energy, Morris says. ZZ plants inject good energy into a bustling kitchen with little effort.

Dining Rooms

Natural gathering spots, dining rooms, symbolize abundance. “During big family meals, especially around the holidays, things can get chaotic,” Morris says. “Having a plant can bring compassion and kindness to the space.”

Areca palms are great for their energy-boosting properties, Morris says. Place a large palm in a corner. “We don’t like dark, sad corners because that’s where stagnant energy gathers,” Morris explains. Palms also add formality and a dramatic touch to a dining room, she adds. “These big palms look stately and dramatic, fitting well with the formal dining setting.”

While NASA studies show that a few houseplants aren't enough to significantly improve indoor air quality, a living plant still symbolizes nature’s positive impact on our mental and physical well-being.

Family Rooms

Family rooms are for relaxation and connection with loved ones. Plants make them even more harmonious. “Plants symbolize harmony, kindness, and compassion, which you bring into that space for your family.”

Rubber plants symbolize abundance and compassion in a family room. “Their large, rounded leaves are lush and abundant, bringing a sense of wealth,” Morris says. Rubber plants are also tolerant of low light.

Peace lilies stand for serenity and renewal with their elegant white flowers and graceful foliage. Peace lilies thrive in low light as well.

Home Offices

The energy in a home office can be intense, so surrounding yourself with plants that foster positive feng shui can help.

Snake plants, also known as sword plants, cut through negative energy and elevate the chi in a home office, Morris says. “Like a sword, snake plants’ leaves cut through negative energy and represent precision and strength,” Morris explains.

Jade plants symbolize wisdom, evoking mature trees in miniature form, and they are linked to wealth due to their coin-shaped leaves. As succulents, they also symbolize abundance and well-being.

Chinese Money Plant (Pilea peperomioides) is associated with luck and prosperity, making it ideal for a home office where you’re working for financial gain. “Its round leaves resemble coins and symbolize growth and resilience,” Santiago says. She even clips five-dollar bills to money plants in her clients’ offices, as a fun and kitschy reminder of its feng shui powers. “It’s a playful touch for your office,” Santiago says.

False Shamrock (Oxalis triangularis) has deep, purple-red leaves that bring inspiring, warm energy—a fantastic quality for long Zoom calls or paying bills.