Plants add a splash of green to your TV and will brighten the area, making it look fresh and clean. Bringing a bit of nature indoors will soften the ambiance and create a beautiful feel when placed next to the TV.
Below are the 14 best plants to put next to your TV.
- Monstera Deliciosa (Swiss Cheese Plant)
- Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
- Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
- ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
- Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
- Maranta – Prayer Plant (Maranta arundinacea)
- Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
- Boat Orchid (Cymbidium)
- African Violet (Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia)
- Snake Plant (Sansevieria zeylanica)
- Pots Of Herbs
- Banana Leaf Fig Tree (Ficus Alii)
- Cast-Iron Plant (Aspidistra)
- Dracaena Limelight (Dracaena fragrans ‘Limelight’)
This article will explore each of these plants in more detail to understand why they make a fantastic addition to your TV and what you need to look out for in caring for them. This information should help you pick the right plant, so read on!
1. Monstera Deliciosa (Swiss Cheese Plant)
With its beautiful large, glossy, and heart-shaped leaves, this magnificent plant will look amazing when placed on the floor next to a TV cabinet. If the plant is still small, you can put it next to the TV on top of the cabinet. The Monstera is a tropical evergreen vine that will gladly wrap its lovely leaves around a moss pole as it grows in height and width.
The Swiss Cheese plant needs a warm and humid environment and temperatures of 60° to 80°F (16° to 27°C), with medium-light but no direct sunlight. Keep the well-draining soil moist and water well when the soil is dry to the touch. Gently mist this lovely plant once a week. Place the Monstera on the side of the TV nearest a window to receive natural light.
You can stand this plant, if it is large, in its planter in a bamboo basket on the floor or a decorative cachepot if the plant has not yet reached a good height. A Monstera will grow about 2 feet (0.6 meters) a year in the right conditions, so expect a new leaf every 3 to 4 weeks.
The Monstera plant can grow as tall as 10 to 15 feet (3.1 to 4.6 meters). As the plant grows, it can transition from the top of the cabinet to the floor next to the TV. When positioned on the floor, make sure there will be enough space for this exotic plant to expand in width and height.
2. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
The Boston fern or sword fern has beautiful, green, and lush, arching fronds that can reach lengths of up to 5 feet (1.5 meters). With its showy, hanging leaves, this plant will look lovely when placed on a stand next to the TV. Or you could hang this beautiful fern in a low hanging basket suspended from the ceiling next to the TV.
Hang the fern a few inches above the top of the TV. You can also place another fern on a stand on the other side next to the TV. Positioning the ferns in this way will create a lush frame for your TV.
This YouTube video will give you a nice visual of a fern in a low-hanging basket suspended from the ceiling.
Boston ferns will be happy in temperatures of 65° to 90°F (18° to 32°C), high humidity, and 2 hours of indirect light per day. Stand the fern on a pebble tray or mist the fern leaves once a week to ensure that the humidity is comfortable for the plant.
Boston ferns enjoy being watered weekly, but those placed in hangers might require more frequent watering. The soil of these ferns should always be damp, so check the soil every few days, and if it’s dry, give the plant a drink.
3. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
If your TV stands on a low and lengthy cabinet, you could place a Peace Lily in a bright ceramic or plastic pot on the side of the TV. If the TV is near a window, this is ideal for the plant to receive indirect morning sunlight.
A Peace Lily has glossy, dark green, oval leaves and a white spathe-like flower. This plant grows well in temperatures above 60°F (16°C), medium light, and high humidity. Peace Lilies will grow between 1 to 6 inches (2.5 to 15.2 centimeters) per year and reach 1 to 4 feet (0.3 to 1.2 meters) tall.
Give this plant a generous amount of water once a week and ensure the soil is dry before watering it again. Mist the Peace Lily with distilled water once or twice a week to keep the plant hydrated.
4. ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
The ZZ plant, with its beautiful, waxy, smooth, broad, dark green leaves, is adept at removing toxins from the air. Show off this lovely plant by planting it in a ceramic or terracotta pot. The ZZ plant will look attractive if placed on a wooden plant stand next to the TV.
Give it pride of place on the top shelf and decorate the other shelves with ornaments and other personal items. Alternately, you could put a ZZ plant in a few terracotta pots of various sizes and display them in different positions on the stand’s shelves.
ZZ plants will thrive in low indirect sunlight, temperatures between 65° to 85°F (18° to 29°C), and low humidity of 40 to 50%. Water the ZZ plant when the soil is dry throughout the pot. This plant will grow about 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) per month and reach 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 meters).
This YouTube video takes you through the main aspects to care for ZZ plants:
5. Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
Plant this beautiful green specimen in an oriental-themed pottery cachepot and place it next to a TV on the mantel above the fireplace. With its lovely leaves, this plant will look exquisite next to the dark-colored TV.
This gorgeous leafy indoor plant filters indoor air and emits oxygen into living spaces. It is a lovely low-light indoor plant that is easy to grow. The shiny, oval, and leathery leaves have patterns of green and gray, and the plant grows lush and bushy, making a wonderful show.
Care for the Chinese Evergreen by keeping the temperature 68° to 77°F (20° to 25°C) and low humidity of 55%. Water the Chinese evergreen frequently to keep the soil moist, but this plant will need less watering if the light is low.
Chinese evergreens like to be gently misted to keep their leaves dehydrated. These plants are slow growers, but they can reach a height of 3 feet (0.9 meters), and being a luxuriant plant, they will grow to 3 feet (0.9 meters) in width.
6. Maranta – Prayer Plant (Maranta arundinacea)
Place a prayer plant (Maranta arundinacea) in a bright ceramic pot on one of the platforms on something like a 4-tier flowerpot stand. Position this stand next to the TV for an eye-catching display of gorgeous greenery. You can fill the other three platforms with various low-light plants.
The Prayer plant has evergreen, oval, variegated leaves that are flat during the day but fold up in the evenings, which is why they are called the prayer plant. The leaves have intricate brush-like strokes of patterns in various colors, and the undersides are often a dark red.
If the plant is content and healthy, it may produce small three-petalled flowers, although this is rare for an indoor plant.
Maranta plants like to be watered frequently but only a little at a time. They thrive in the humidity of 60%, so misting their leaves a few times a week or standing the plant in a pebble tray will be ideal. The room temperature for this plant should be 65°to 70°F (18° to 21°C), and they will tolerate low light conditions.
7. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
With its small ‘spiderette’ plants dangling from the mother plant, this lovely spider plant is easy to grow. It will look charming when placed on a high stool next to the TV in any room. You can also hang this lovely plant in a low hanging macrame plant hanger next to the TV.
The spider plant favors well-drained soil, cooler temperatures of 55° to 65°F (13° to 18°C), the humidity of 40% to 60% and will grow well in low light conditions. This plant grows quickly and will spread to 2 to 2.5 feet (0.6 to 0.8 meters) wide and 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) long. Water the plant once a week with filtered or rainwater by thoroughly soaking the soil and letting the water drain from the drainage hole.
8. Boat Orchid (Cymbidium)
What can be more beautiful next to your TV than a flowering orchid? Standing tall (up to 2 feet – 0.6 meters) with long thin, apple-green colored leaves. The boat orchid’s flower is delicate and beautiful in shades of pink, green, yellow, or white.
You can mist this plant frequently to keep it hydrated and free from spider mites. Water this plant once a week but check the soil first; only water when the soil is dry. This plant grows in low light conditions, but if there is a window in the area, place it on the side of the TV closest to the window. Be sure that no direct sunlight falls on the orchid.
Temperatures between 65° to 75°F (18° to 24°C), the humidity of 40 to 60%, and watering twice a week when the weather is warm and once a week during winter is perfect growing conditions for an orchid. If the air is dry, give the plant a misting on the leaves and roots but be careful not to saturate the plant.
9. African Violet (Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia)
If you have a shelf next to the TV and a few feet away from the west or south-facing window, you could place a row of potted African Violets on the rack. These happy tiny rosette-shaped plants will create a beautiful show with their little flowers. Plant various colored violets in bright-colored ceramic pots to enhance the dark TV set.
African violets are popular houseplants with pretty flowers that are white, pink, maroon, blue, lavender, violet, or deep purple in color. The flowers have various shapes that make these cute flowers even more appealing. Their leaves have a velvety texture and can be round, oval, or heart-shaped.
Care for your African violets by keeping the temperature at 65° to 80°F (18° to 27°C) and the humidity at about 80%. The plant will be happy to receive low light shining from the window. Water these plants with tepid water whenever the soil is dry.
Allow the plant’s soil to dry out before the next watering, and do not overwater as this can kill the plant. These plants do not enjoy misting, so if the humidity is too low, make use of a pebble tray.
10. Snake Plant (Sansevieria zeylanica)
Snake plants grow well and look attractive in terracotta containers when placed on the floor in a corner next to the TV. You could make a stunning display of a group of snake plants in different sizes and in various sized terracotta pots. Use tables or stands to give some height to the exhibit. Place some white pebble stones on top of the soil to add aesthetics to the plant.
The leaves are long, sword-like, and dark green with wavy lighter green bands. A snake plant is easy to grow and will do well in low lighting areas and help keep the air in your home toxin-free. It is slow to grow, often only 2 inches (5 centimetes) per year, but it can reach 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 meters).
Keep the room temperature between 55° to 85ۥ°F (13° to 29°C), and the humidity around 40%. Water your plant every 2 to 3 weeks or when the soil is thoroughly dry. Do not mist this plant as it could cause overwatering.
11. Pots Of Herbs
Add some greenery to a small TV placed on the countertop next to a window in the kitchen. Arrange a selection of potted herbs in a long drip tray on the windowsill next to the TV. Plant herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano if the window is south facing. Place mint, parsley, and chives in pots if the windowsill faces east and west.
Herbs will add a soft sunlit touch to the TV area. These herbs will require temperatures of a least 65° to 75°F (18° to 24°C) with 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Rotate the pots regularly so that all sides of the plant get kissed by the sun to promote uniform growth.
Plant the herbs in pots with drainage holes and place the pots on a long pebble tray to increase humidity. Do not place the herbs too close together as the air will not be able to circulate through the plants. Only give this plant a drink when the soil is dry. Caring for these herbs will ensure you always have something aromatic to add to your culinary dishes.
12. Banana Leaf Fig Tree (Ficus Alii)
The TV is usually quite huge in boardrooms or meeting rooms and is most often placed in the center against a wall. Plants are often used to smarten up the corporate look. Placing a tall banana leaf fig tree in a glazed cachepot in the corner next to the TV will do just that. Ideally, stand the plant on the side closest to the window.
The Ficus Alii shrub has long, thick, slightly curved, narrow, olive-green leaves which graciously droop down from the tree, adding an exotic look to the boardroom. These leaves grow to 3 to 10 inches (8 to 25 centimeters) long, and the plant grows to 10 feet (3.1 meters) in height. The shrub can be developed with one or multiple stems and looks stunning if the stems are braided.
Prune the plant regularly to trim it back if it’s stretching too much. This plant prefers temperatures between 60° to 85°F (16° to 29°C) with medium humidity and indirect light from a nearby window. Keep the soil only slightly moist but be careful not to overwater this plant.
13. Cast-Iron Plant (Aspidistra)
Opt for a cast-iron plant if you want some greenery to enhance the TV in a study or bar area. The plant, with its lovely bushy appearance, will look attractive in a cachepot with a brass electroplating finish when placed next to the TV.
The cast-iron plant is an evergreen that improves the air quality and has long, rigid, and pointed leaves. The plant is a slow grower but will reach 2 feet (0.6 meters) tall and 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) wide.
It grows well in low light and in temperatures of 60° to 70°F (16° to 21°C) with well-draining soil. Cast-iron plants are fond of humid conditions. It is best to keep the plant’s soil moist but not soggy.
14. Dracaena Limelight (Dracaena fragrans ‘Limelight’)
This plant has bright, glossy, yellow-green leaves and grows to 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall, and will look stunning on the floor next to the TV. Place the plant on a stand if it is small, and once it reaches maturity, it can stand on the floor. You can plant a Dracaena limelight in a sturdy pot with a drainage hole and water tray.
Dracaena Limelight plants will grow in low light conditions but also favor some indirect sunlight. This plant prefers temperatures of 65° to 80°F (18° to 27°C) and does not require humidity but will enjoy the occasional misting. Ideally, water this plant when the soil has dried thoroughly.
Is a TV Harmful to Plants?
The TV will not harm your plants at all. However, consider the plant’s temperature, humidity, and light requirements when choosing the perfect greenery to place next to a TV. Ideally, if the TV is positioned near a window, place the plant on that side.
To learn more on whether TVs affect indoor plants, check out this article: Do TVs Affect Indoor Plants?
Conclusion
Your TV will have no adverse effect on your houseplants, so it is safe to position plants next to your television in any room of your home or workplace. Be sure to choose plants that favor low light if there is no window near where the plant is placed.
Also, consider the plant’s temperature and humidity preferences when choosing a plant to position next to the TV. Plants bring a beautiful green and fresh aesthetics to any room and will add a soft touch to the TV area.
