A guide to easy houseplants for any home
One of my current favourite things is my houseplant collection. In the past couple of years I’ve been steadily growing my plant range, and although I have had a few deaths in the plant family, a few very unsuccessful stories, I’ve also seen many of them flourish and I feel like I can say that I am a proud and semi-successful plant mumma.
Of course I include them a lot on my Instagram, and I often get questions about the best plants to have in your home that are easy to look after, so I’ve put together a bumper blog post of all my favourites that have been simple to look after.
We’re fortunate that our cat has zero interest in my houseplants so you’ll find many plants in my house that aren’t cat friendly but Archie is perfectly safe. I would re-home any toxic plant if he started showing an interest. But I will include below which plants are pet friendly and which aren’t so you can make an educated decision based on your family home.
We also have 90% of our plants out of the reach of little hands, and slowly, Dexter (one year old) isn’t interested in pulling the leaves off. Digging the soil is a different matter entirely, but I’ve found baskets which are high sided work the best for keeping little hands out of the plant soil. I’m not so worried about the toddler (he eats soil in the garden) but more the extra clean up and the affect on my plants.
House plants can live for a variety of years, dependent on how well you care for them and meet their individual needs. Many are generally 3-7 years, however in the right conditions, many have been known to live 20+ years. I’m sure my Peace Lily is getting on a bit but is showing no signs of slowing down.
General rule of thumb, most houseplants need good draining soil and will not survive over watering. You’re better off under watering, as over watering and being sat in water will likely cause root rot or mould, which can be very tricky for your plant to recover from. It will mean re-potting which can be a risky business in itself.
So here you go, my top house plant recommendations for newbie green finger plant lovers.
Snake Plant
Sansevieria trifasciata: AKA Mother In Law’s Tongue or Vipers Bowstring Hemp
This is probably the easiest of all the plants to care for. It literally thrives off neglect. Got a shady corner that needs some green… Snake Plant. Always forgetting to water your plant babies… Snake Plant. It’s a natural air purifier so works well in bedrooms that might not get as much daylight and are easily forgotten about. However be careful with these around pets as these are highly toxic to both cats and dogs, and to be fair aren’t good for humans either.
Peace Lily
Spathiphyllum
Another super easy plant that is highly adaptable and can really grow. Mine is my oldest plant, and used to belong to my Mother in Law before we took it because it was just too big for her house. This plant isn’t a try lily, instead being part of the Araceae. They prefer partial light shade but can also tolerate fluorescent lights and can do well in shady rooms. Yellowing leaves means too much sunlight, and brown is scorched from direct sunlight, so keep moving your peace lily til it’s happy. Too much light and they’re unhappy,but it’s also worth noting that although they can survive in the shade, they are unlikely to bloom their signature white flowers in those conditions. They need sunlight for flowers, though again too much sun and the flowers will turn green. I’ve also found that it’s best to water when the arching leaves start to get a bit droopy. A good chug of water and the leaves will lift back up in an hour. Peace Lilies are toxic to pets.
Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum: AKA Ribbon Plants and Spider Ivy
Another very simple plant to look after and from the same plant family as the Snake Plant. These like bright, indirect sunlight, and mine is doing really well in my east facing window (so it gets lots of lovely morning sun that isn’t to hot or direct) in a macrame hanger so it’s nice and high up for it’s spider plant babies. They sprout little spiderettes from the mother plant which have tiny white flowers on them,and then mini spider plants, so they look fab hung up. If you drink coffee with grounds, these can be used in spider plants to help create their optimum soil conditions but be mindful not to over water as they can get root rot. In the summer these like a little water misting too. Good news, these are also perfectly safe for pets and children, making them a very good starter plant.
Orchid
Orchidaceae
One of only two true flowering plants (Peace Lily being the other) I now have two orchids. The oldest being the same age as Henry (well slightly older as I got it as a gift for Henry’s birth). I think this was the plant that set off my love for houseplants as the new blooms bring me so much joy. Orchids are one of those plants that seem to be hard work but actually aren’t so bad. They work best in bathrooms or kitchens as they enjoy humidity, and should be watered regularly but allowed to dry out between. Orchids are generally accepted as non-toxic to animals and humans.
Pothos
Epipremnum aureum: AKA Devil’s Ivy
This is another really versatile houseplant that really makes a statement in your home. It can be hung in a hanger so it trails downward (which is what I have currently) it can trail across a mantel, or can be set to climb upwards as well. Many established pothos plants are actually set up to climb, stapled to a moss stick in the centre. However I think this will limit their growth and I think they just look nicer trailing. Their ideal condition is bright indirect light, but they also do just fine in shady areas, which is where mine is currently and it is still growing beautifully. They’re also really fine with erratic watering as they prefer their soil to dry out a bit between watering. It is toxic to cats and dogs. So best hung up if you do go for one with pets.
Calathea
AKA Cathedral, Peacock or Zebra Plant
So there are many varieties of Calathea and they’re all beautiful and one of my favourite plants. I have a Calathea Maranta leuconeura which has pink veins and pink underside to it’s leaves and a Calathea Roseopicta ‘Medallion’ i think, because the pot just says Calathea, but it’s green with a deep purple underside. What’s really fascinating about these plants is they close their leaves at night, so the leaves lift up, and then drop and fan our during the day. I’ve included day and night photos so you can see the difference. Like Orchids, these like high humidity conditions so work well in kitchens and bathrooms, and should be watered well, though not set in water. Again these are fine in shadier conditions. These are non-toxic to pets.
Dracaena
Dracaena marginata: AKA Madagascar Dragon Tree
This is another of my earlier plants that I purchase because he was £3 and looked cute. The Dracaena is a super easy and reliable house plant that can grow up to 6ft tall, but is a slow grower. These like a bright spot, and in milder countries (not the UK) can be grown outside all year round. However they will also be fine in shady, low light spots, but they may lose their pink leaf edges. I’m currently keeping an eye on mine in case he’s been sun scorched. Again these are OK with erratic watering and prefer to get dry to the touch between waterings. These are toxic to pets, and because of their grass like appearance are more likely to be tested by your pets if they’re that way inclined.
Monstera “Swiss Cheese” Plant
Monstera Deliciosa: AKA Swiss Cheese Plant
Probably one of my most loved plants, and Henry’s favourite (nicknamed Mr Cheese, which is actually my only named plant). This fella likes a bright but indirect light. Mine is thriving in our east facing window. These plants will spread out given half the chance and can get very big. Tying to a moss stick/pole will help you to control the direction of the leaves. I’ve also found a basket to be better for holding for the pot as the roots grow all over the place. These are also simple to propagate from so you can get away with investing in one parent plant (swiss cheese plants are on the pricier side of the houseplant world) and then create more at a later date. These are highly toxic to cats and dogs, and mildly toxic to humans so keep out of the way of pets and children. Ours is kept on a window sill and as mentioned before our kids and pets aren’t interested in our plants at all.
Although this list isn’t all plants you can keep it’s a pretty good starting point for a newbie plant fan. If you ever have any questions, feel free to comment below, or pop me a message on Twitter or Instagram.
