Best Plants for Campervans | Vanlife

Want to know what the best plants for campervans are?  You might be interested in sprucing up your home on wheels with a little life, but you’re not sure which plants can survive life on the road. 

Having plants in your van can make it feel more like a home and provide some living decor.  But another huge benefit of plants is improving indoor air quality. 

Campervan conversions are usually full of materials that off-gas harmful VOCs, so plants can be your secret weapon for filtering harmful chemicals from the air you breathe.

However, it takes an especially hardy plant to put up with the abuse of life on the road. You need something low maintenance, that excels with limited light. 

And you need a plant that isn’t too big because space is limited. Here are the best plants for campervans that are up for the challenge.

---

Succulents

Succulents are those plump little cacti that have become very common.  They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.  And the reason they are so popular is that they are famous for handling extremely variable conditions.  Which makes them good candidates for handling vanlife.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t kill em.

They are desert plants so they do still require a decent amount of light, so make sure you have a window or dashboard that can provide them with enough light.  And they are used to long periods of dryness, with occasional soaks of water.

Most succulent strains are not toxic, but some can have negative effects when ingested.

Bonus: Aloe Vera is one popular type of succulent with medicinal properties.  It’s most commonly used  topically to treat sunburns, but it has numerous other uses.

---

Pothos (Devil’s Ivy)

This trailing vine with green, heart-shaped leaves is incredibly easy to take care of.  It doesn’t do well in direct sunlight, but anything else is enough to keep the leaves green and healthy.  It’s a superb plant for filtering chemicals out of the air.

They are also unique in that they can grow in water as well as soil.  It’s one of the best plants for campervans, but just a note for kids and pets, pothos plant is poisonous if ingested.

---

Snake Plant

Snake Plant is another very hardy indoor-friendly plant.  It has spear-shaped, tough green leaves that reach upwards. 

It was confirmed in a NASA study to remove “significant” amounts of benzene and formaldehyde.  Both of which are common chemicals found in van build materials (plywood, particleboard, glue, paint, vehicle emissions) that may be floating around inside your campervan.

Really anything other than direct sunlight will keep these tough plants alive.  They also don’t grow very big, so they are easy to keep small and under control when space is limited. T

he snake plant isn’t toxic when ingested, but it can cause gastrointestinal issues.

---

Peace Lilies

If you are hoping for a flowering plant, then Peace Lilies are one of the best plants for campervans that are still relatively low-maintenance. 

They do require almost weekly watering, but still are fine with limited amounts of light.  The leaves droop when the plant is thirsty.

Beware that they can grow over 2 feet tall, so it may require some pruning if you want to control the size.  Less sunlight could help slow the growth a little bit.

Peace Lilies were also part of that NASA study that confirmed their ability to remove harmful chemicals from the air.  But beware that this plant is also poisonous to pets and children if ingested.

---

Anthurium

Anthurium is another great choice if you are interested in a flowering plant.  Technically, the colored parts aren’t flowers, but actually colored leaves, but the aesthetic is much the same. 

There are several varieties with different “flower” colors including red, purple, pink, white and more.  The rest of the leaves are dark green heart-shaped leaves.

However, Anthuriums do require a bit more care and special climate to survive.  They need bright, but not direct, sunlight.  They survive best in warm (70-90ºF) and humid places, so they aren’t great candidates to survive a dry cold winter.

And like many plants on the list, they are toxic if ingested.

---

Tips for Keeping Vanlife Plants

Choose Plants For Your Climate

If you mostly travel in dry areas, then choose plants that do better with less water overall like succulents or snake plants.  If you mostly travel in humidity, then choose plants that like the humidity.

Place Your Plants Near Windows

Take advantage of the sunniest areas by the windows to give your plants some light.  (Unless they really don’t like direct sunlight)

Secure your Plants

Plants don’t like to be in a moving vehicle.  They are literally evolved to be rooted in a single place in the ground.  The least you can do is secure them in your van so that they don’t fall or tip over.  Trust me, you don’t want a bunch of soil spilled everywhere.  So build a wall-mounted flower box, or some straps to hold your plants secure.

Consult The Experts

I’m no master green thumb, so don’t take all your gardening wisdom just from me.  Once you choose the plant you want in your van, do some research on the best practices for specifically keeping them alive and healthy indoors.  Every plant is different and even the “low-maintenance” ones require some regular tending.

---

Takeaway

These are my top picks for the best plants for campervans.

They are great additions to vanlife because they are small, require little watering and sunlight, and can even improve indoor air quality.

Additionally, we have had success using an Aerogarden to grow herbs and vegetables in our campervan.

---

Save The ‘Best Plants for Campervans’ For Later