With green being the most fashionable colour this year, the easiest way to bring some much-needed greenery into your home is with plants. Whether you choose to have cut leaves in vases or luscious plants in hanging planters, here is our ultimate guide to choosing the right indoor plants. Let’s get started!
1. Aloe
Aloe Vera has to be one of the easiest things to grow. Aloe is naturally suited to drier climates, so it doesn’t ask for much and is happy in a pot in a sunny corner. They can get pretty big, so make sure you have enough space before getting on of these prickly babies.
2. Palm
There are many different varieties of palm, from little Love Palms to a tall Areca Palm or the (poisonous) Yucca above. Palms are also used to drier climates, so they prefer well-drained soil and sunshine.
3. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
Its horrid name aside, this plant is incredibly resilient, terribly hard to kill and frankly a little bit scary. The tall cluster of leaves is easy to grow and needs little attention. It is equally happy in low and high light.
4. Delicious Monster
If nothing else, the name is awesome! A delicious monster is a magnificent plant with large leaves that loves shade and high humidity. There are also miniature versions on the market if you don’t have the space for a full-blown one. If you don’t have the space, choose to just put a single leaf in a pot. If you clean the water regularly, it will happily live there for a couple of months.
5. Money Tree
Even if Feng Shui is not for you, we can all do with a bit more of the green stuff! Money trees love bright light and moderate watering, and can grow up to 3m tall.
6. Zebra Plant
The beautiful dark and light green striped leaves give this plant its exotic name. The Zebra plant loves higher humidity levels and temperatures, so it’s a bit of a needy one. But the pretty leaves are well worth the effort!
7. Philodendron (Heart Leaf)
This pretty deep green plant has shiny, heart-shaped leaves giving it its name. It’s a climber that works well to create height in a room.
8. Arrowhead
This luscious plant is family of the philodendron and is very easy to keep. Ensure regular trimming to avoid overgrowth.
9. Cast Iron
Yep, this is the one! If you kill this plant, you shouldn’t be allowed to have any others. It thrives in low light and is quite happy to be neglected. If however you fuss with it too much by over-watering or regular repotting, you might annoy it to death.
10. Chinese Evergreen
Another really easy-to-grow plant, the Chinese Evergreen comes is quite a few varieties, sizes and colours. Generally they have oval leaves with prominently coloured veins, prefer moderate to higher amounts of light and need regular watering.
11. Croton
Colourful and pretty, the Croton is a high-demand plant that likes lots of light, moist soil and high humidity. Keep your green finger on this one to keep it happy and be rewarded with a wonderful variety of tall leaves and bright colours. These are particularly suitable to greenhouses and sun rooms.
12. Corn Plant
A very easy to grow plant that is equally happy in bright and lower light levels. It does well during periods of neglect, although it will retaliate if its over-watered, gets too hot or is subjected to frost.
13. Spider Plant
In Afrikaans, this is called a Hen en Kuiken, or Hen and Chicks. I think it’s because the main plant makes little versions of itself that hang around the base, until it propagates and becomes new plants. This is a very easy-growing plant that needs a lot of light, and works really well in an elevated pot or hanging basket.
14. Peace Lily
Most lily varieties do really well indoors, although they will not flower unless they have a lot of natural light. So unless you are dead-set to have it produce flowers, it will be quite happy in low-light conditions. They are super easy to grow, need moderate water and thrives in higher humidity.
15. Ferns
Like palms, there is such a huge variety of ferns available that you really are spoilt for choice. The Maidenhair fern is one of my favourites – it’s pretty, delicate and really easy to care for. Ferns don’t want a lot of direct light, love humidity and have to be kept moist. They do really well in bathrooms!
Here are a few PRO tips:
- Before purchasing a plant, decide where you would like to put it. The amount of light available in location will determine the type of plant you should get.
- Indoor plants need food and nutrients in the same way as outdoor plants, so be sure to understand the needs of your specific plants by reading their care labels or doing some additional research. Wonder Supra Stix is a great way to add slow-releasing nitrogen to your houseplants’ soil – just stick it in the pot and forget about it for the next 60 days!
- Always make sure that you understand how big a plant is going to become. You don’t want a giant delicious monster to take over your tiny living room!
- High humidity plants do really well in bathrooms where there is plenty of moisture to go around.
Happy Indoor Planting!
This post is sponsored by the lovely people at Efekto. Contact them here if you have any questions about your indoor plants!
2 responses
I really enjoy your blog. Great work! 🙂
thanks!! x