Have you caught the houseplant bug?
Indoor gardening has welcomed a whole new corps of recruits. As a method of beating cabin fever in winter or just bringing a little nature into your life in any season, indoor plants are the answer.
You can adopt a botanical buddy that will keep you riveted without bogarting your leisure time. Indoor plants are fascinating, they are flashy, and they reward you with cool foliage and/or a crop of intriguing flowers, but growing them to become a horticultural hero is not going to cost your day job.
See below our list of the 11 best indoor plants and find the right one for your indoor space.
11 Best Indoor Plants
Snake Plant
Simple yet stately, the snake plant is a hardy indoor plant that tolerates low light conditions and prefers infrequent watering. Place it in a dim corner where no other plant will survive, and it will stand there, upright and happy as ever (though a bright location will really bring out its true colors).
Thanks to its pointed, tongue-shaped foliage, this plant also commonly goes by the name Mother-in-Law’s Tongue. Snake plants come from semi-arid parts of Africa, where the climate is temperate and somewhat dry, so keep in mind that “less is more” when it comes to watering this plant.
Snake plants come in a range of shapes these days—from the wide and flat leaves of ‘Whale’s Fin’ to the thin, pyramidal spikes of ‘Starfish’; there’s a style for everyone. Of course, the classic dark- and light-green snake plant is just as beautiful, too! (Note: Dangerous to dogs if ingested.)
Spider Plant
Thanks to its hardy and prolific nature, the spider plant is a long-standing staple among houseplant lovers. They thrive in bright, indirect light, but will grow happily in a dimmer location, too. After a while, spider plants will produce a chain of white flowers and “pups”—baby plants that hang down from the mother plant and add another element of interest.
See our Spider Plant Growing Guide for more information on caring for these plants!
Peace Lily
Thanks to its penchant for wilting when thirsty, this plant has been labeled a drama queen by some. We, on the other hand, recognize that the peace lily just knows what it likes and happens to be very expressive about it.
The peace lily is a moisture-loving houseplant, preferring not to dry out too much and wilting rather extremely if “neglected.” It readily bounces back to life, however, when rehydrated.
With its love of moisture and humidity and the fact that it does very well in low-light areas, the peace lily is a great indoor plant for a dim bathroom or kitchen. At the same time, its pickiness can be a source of frustration for those of us who aren’t consistent with watering.
Ponytail Palm
If some indoor plants are favored for their durability, then the ponytail palm is a houseplant hero. Named for the shower of long leaves and the eponymous tail that bursts from its stem, this plant is well adapted to surviving long stretches without drinks. It stores water in its swollen, woody stem (or caudex).
Treat your ponytail palm well, and its headdress of leaves will become long and wavy. Skimp on water and the leaf tips might turn brown. Bright light is appreciated, but less light is also tolerated. Gardeners often ask if they can cut back their ponytail palm when it begins to stretch in old age. The short answer: Don’t risk murdering your plant.
Air Plants
Newbies to the houseplant realm, listen up: Air plants are for you. They are the easiest houseplants to host and look like living art. Their silver-felt rosettes could easily stand in as sculptures. Then, if you’re lucky, colorful flowers might sprout from that fancy foliage.
Amazingly, all of this awe and wonder is a snap to achieve. Air plant preferences run the gamut from partial sun to shade, but the real novelty here is that they don’t want or need to be anchored in soil. Soak your air plant once a week in a bowl of water for an hour or so. Then, just display your botanical oddity without sinking the stem into anything. It’s as simple as that for beginners.
Jade Plant
The jade plant is a long-lived, slow-growing succulent that is well accustomed to warm, dry environments, like the inside of a home. With proper care, jades tend to form a thick, tree-like trunk, grow no more than a few feet tall, and live for generations.
The beauty of the jade plant is that it doesn’t ask for much—just bright light and the occasional deep watering. It also doesn’t mind being pot-bound (in fact, keeping jades a little constricted will keep them smaller and more manageable), so repotting should be an infrequent practice.
Read more about their care in our Jade Plant Growing Guide.
Lucky Bamboo
Ever seen those bundles of living “bamboo” for sale at the local supermarket? That’s lucky bamboo—a popular indoor plant that’s said to bring good fortune. In truth, this plant isn’t a type of bamboo at all, but it has a similar look to the real thing and is nearly as difficult to kill. (As far as luckiness goes, we’ll let you be the judge!)
What makes lucky bamboo one of the best indoor plants is its toughness and adaptability. It can survive in a vase with just a bit of water and a layer of pebbles, or it can live comfortably planted in a pot of moist soil. It also doesn’t mind low light, though it will look its best when kept in a bright area and watered regularly.
Satin Pothos
With deep jade-green, irregularly heart-shaped leaves mottled in a galaxy of silver markings, satin pothos is a sophisticated spin on all of the other less fascinating trailers that resemble philodendrons. With a non glossy leaf texture, satin pothos present a handsome figure.
For all of its swank looks, though, the level of care that a satin pothos requires is almost none. The only request that this plant makes is that temperatures remain above 65°F, both day and night. Beyond this, give your satin pothos bright, indirect light; don’t overwater it; furnish it with an occasional haircut (pruning)—and that’s all that this foliage plant asks.
Chinese Evergreen
Chinese evergreens are tough plants with thick, leathery leaves that are tolerant of low humidity and vividly splattered with hundreds of red, yellow, and gold spots. ‘Red Gold’ requires little light and will thrive in a north window. Unlike many indoor plants, this plant will also do well in dry shade and low humidity; it’s slow-growing and will just happily sit in your home or office without growing out of control.
Cast Iron Plant
The name says it all—these plants are tough as, well, cast iron! This hardy houseplant will thrive in parts of the home where others wouldn’t. Obstacles like low light, low humidity, and less-than-ideal overwatering habits are shrugged off by the cast-iron plant.
Cast iron plants produce large, dark-green leaves on thin stems, which gives them a very tropical look. Variegated types—either with off-white stripes or spots—are also available for added interest.
Bush Lily
These indoor plants have always had cachet. Throughout their long history as houseplants, they have held their prominence as boast-worthy—but not because they are difficult to manage. Bush lilies have held indoor gardeners transfixed with the flashy flowers tucked into their fan of thick, straplike leaves.
The trick to bringing forth the blooms lies in giving your plant a rest in early winter while withholding water. Another secret is to keep the roots tightly potted. Indirect medium light is fine. In fact, the leaves might scorch in direct sunlight.
How to Care for Indoor Plants
The plants described in our list are not actually unkillable. Anything that is living can be pushed over the brink into the sweet hereafter (aka the compost heap). But you’d have to bring neglect to another level to achieve plant slaughter. Master the basic rules of gardening below, and you’ll find that helping these plants to prosper is a relatively effortless mission.
All plants need light. The amount varies according to the plant (see each plant profile for guidance), but being sensitive to botanical body language helps. When stressed, plants signal their need for more light by leaning toward the light source.
All plants require water. Judging when to water will vary with the plant, the weather, and your growing conditions. Observing the soil helps you to diagnose when to refresh drinks. If the soil is dry (but not parched bone-dry), then it’s time to serve water.
An appropriate container will also secure success. If a plant’s roots are cramped into a small pot, the plant might become needy and not reach its full ravishing potential. On the other hand, an oversized container might result in constantly moist soil, stressing the root system. When in doubt, check the root system and look for a network of healthy roots wandering into the soil but not crammed together and begging for more space.
