24 Best Indoor Plants for Beginners
A New Start with An Indoor Plant
Plants are a great way to brighten up a home, improve air quality, and help mental health. But, the idea of looking after one or many can seem a bit daunting. Also with such a wide variety to choose from beginners may find it hard to work out what to pick.
So I have constructed a list of 24 plants that are easy and some that are challenging to look after, to get you started.
1, Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
This plant doesn’t like direct sunlight. But still likes being in a bright room. Watering: During winter water when dry. Summer and winter keep the soil moist. But in general, don’t need much to survive. So an easy plant to look after.
2, Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
This plant doesn’t need much light at all. Prefers humidity, when dry, water through but don’t let it sit in water. Let it drain, then place it back on the saucer. About once a week.
3 Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
A plant that is very hard to kill, only requiring water when the soil feels dry. It also doesn’t need much light.
But be careful with the sap on your skin as it can irritate.
4 Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)
Another hard-to-kill plant that enjoys low to bright light and only needs to be watered when the soil is dry. But can survive a long time without much maintenance. Ideal for the lazy gardener.
5 ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
Another hard-to-kill plant. Its origins in Africa, make this plant able to be left alone for a long time. Needing water every couple of weeks. They like a bright area, but not direct sunlight.
6 Rubber Plant (Ficus elastic)
If have your eye on a larger plant this may be for you. It prefers a bright area and likes its soil to be kept moist.
7 Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
A plant that doesn’t need much work. This Asian plant likes bright areas but not direct sunlight and prefers its soil to be kept moist. But can be left for a while without worry.
8 Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
Depending on how dark the leaves and stalk are. which is what you need for a healthy plant. It doesn’t need much light. But prefers to keep it soil moist.
9 Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
This plant is a little different as it needs to be watered every day. It doesn’t like the cold and doesn’t mind shady and well-lit areas. It’s an ideal plant for the bathroom.
10 Dwarf Lemon Tree (Citrus limon)
This tree needs a lot of sunlight. So unless you have access to 8 to 12 hours of sunlight. You may have to invest in some grow lights. They also like to have moist soil. Sometimes a daily misting.
11 Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)
The First succulent on the list. These are generally easy to look after. There are a lot. Coming in all shapes and colours. This one does like bright areas and only needs watering when the soil is dry. But can be left alone for a while, especially during winter.
12 Golden Pothos (Scindapsus aureus)
Technically not the same as the pothos plant from No.3. They like low to bright areas and only need watery when the soil is dry.
13 Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
The next succulent on the list. This means they can hold their water. They like plenty of sunlight and are happy to drink when the soil is dry.
If you look after it properly it will grow into a small tree.
14 Calathea (Calathea species)
There are about 60 different versions of this plant. So they should have something you like. They like to have the soil moist and be in a bright area but not direct sun. They can grow pretty tall if looked after.
15 Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
This plant likes to be kept warm. Soil moist and misted every now and then. Kept in a bright area. But with the watering, it needs to drink anything apart from tap water. So filtered, distilled or even rainwater.
16 Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamin)
This plant likes a bright room and the soil moist. Not sitting in water. This plant can be a little sensitive and can lose leaves because of inconsistent watering.
17 Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata)
This plant enjoys a brightly lit room with soil consistently moist.
18 English Ivy (Hedera helix)
This plant prefers to stay in the shade. And watered after the soil gets dry. You have to make sure that there’s plenty of drainage for the soil so it’s not sitting in water.
19 Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)
This plant enjoys a warm room with plenty of light. Watering needs to be done when it’s bone dry. Plus once a month some plant food.
20 String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)
This plant enjoys a bright room. Watering is a bit different. When the “pearls” look deflated. Give the soil a good soak and drain out.
21 Lemon Button Fern (Nephrolepis cordifolia)
This plant doesn’t care for a lot of light. But requires to be moist all of the time. With the occasional misting. But never too much water.
22 Red-Edge Peperomia (Peperomia caperata)
This plant can go for a long time without watering. But it’s best to water when the soil is dry. It also enjoys plenty of brightness. But not direct sunlight.
This is also another succulent.
23 Blue Star Fern (Phlebodium aureum)
It can deal with plenty to little light. They enjoy moist soil and the occasional misting.
24 Flamingo Lily (Anthurium andraeanum)
This is another plant that doesn’t like tap water. Instead, it likes filtered, distilled or rainwater. It also prefers a bright area with indirect sunlight.
There are plenty of different plants with different difficulty levels for you to choose from. It all comes down to what and how far you are willing to go. So choose wisely and if are still unsure, there are still hundreds upon thousands of others to choose from. Good Luck! Have fun! You can do it.
