Best colorful houseplants
Most houseplants are some shade of green. These picks break the monotony with leaf variegation, vivid colour, or persistent blooms. They need brighter light than plain-green plants (the colourful patches contain less chlorophyll, so the plant needs more total light to photosynthesise enough), but the payoff is rooms that look alive even in winter.
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Bird of Paradise Strelitzia reginae
Toxic to cats and dogs Bright indirectRare orange-and-blue crane-shaped flower if you can get it to bloom indoors.
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African Violet Saintpaulia ionantha
Pet-safe Bright indirectYear-round purple, pink, or white blooms above fuzzy dark green rosette.
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Alocasia Polly Alocasia x amazonica 'Polly'
Toxic to cats and dogs Bright indirectDramatic white-on-dark-green veining and wavy leaf edges. Most sculptural foliage on this list, but challenging — not for beginners.
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Bromeliad Aechmea fasciata
Pet-safe Bright indirect Drought-tolerantLong-lasting pink, red, or purple inflorescence at the centre of the rosette.
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Prayer Plant Maranta leuconeura
Pet-safe Medium indirectRed and silver veining over deep green herringbone-pattern leaves — the most dramatic foliage of any pet-safe houseplant in our list.
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Croton Codiaeum variegatum
Toxic to cats and dogs Bright indirectThe most colourful houseplant we list. Red, orange, yellow, and green on the same leaf.
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Peace Lily Spathiphyllum wallisii
Toxic to cats and dogs Medium indirectPeace Lily is easy to grow, listed by NASA Clean Air Study.
Honorable mentions
More plants in our database that fit this criteria but did not make the top 7.
- Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii)
- Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum)
- Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum)
- Hoya (Hoya carnosa)
- Rattlesnake Plant (Calathea lancifolia)
- Tradescantia Zebrina (Tradescantia zebrina)
- Dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia seguine)
- Philodendron Brasil (Philodendron hederaceum 'Brasil')
- Watermelon Peperomia (Peperomia argyreia)
- String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii)
- Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
- Zebra Haworthia (Haworthiopsis attenuata)
Final word
If you have a south or west window, prioritise colourful picks — they need the light. Save plain-green plants for north windows where they out-compete everything else.