7 Best Indoor Plants for Beginners
Congratulations! You’ve decided you want to become a plant parent. Likely, you want to be sure your relationship with your plants blossoms – but you’re not quite sure where to start. Luckily, we’ve got a stem up on some of the best houseplants for beginners.
Knowing which plants can thrive under different conditions can help you choose the right one. Whether you choose to incorporate plants into your small apartment or want greenery that flourishes even under fluorescent office lighting, there’s a plant out there that’s just right for you.
Ready to dig in? Let’s get started with some beginner plants that can help you bring the charm of the outdoors, indoors!
What makes a plant good for beginners?
For most first-time plant parents, good indoor plants for beginners are typically those that are low maintenance. You don’t want to jump into purchasing finicky flora if you’re new to caring for plants.
Look for plants that:
- Are hardy and don’t require frequent watering
- Aren’t temperature-sensitive
- Don’t require lighting conditions you can’t provide
- Don’t pose a threat to any pets or small children
- Are aesthetically pleasing
Thankfully good news is that there are plenty of indoor plants for beginners that can add natural beauty to your living space, and also check all the boxes in terms of easy care.
Easy & Low Maintenance Starter Plants
Snake Plant
If you’re looking for a particularly resilient beginner houseplant, it doesn’t get any hardier than the Sansevieria (better known as the Snake Plant). Originating from the deserts of Africa, Asia and Madagascar, Snake Plants get their name from their tall and narrow sword-shaped (or snake-like) leaves.
Since they’re used to receiving little water in their native dry desert habitats, Snake Plants make ideal starter plants due to their “pot it and forget it” style of care. Not to mention that Snake Plants are also master air-purifiers, helping to rid the air you breathe of allergens and toxins. So, they not only look good, but they do good.
Care Tip: The Snake Plant thrives in well-lit spaces with medium to bright light; however, it can adapt to low light or spaces without natural light as well.
Chinese Evergreen
Unlike its desert-dwelling Snake Plant cousin, the Chinese Evergreen hails from tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and New Guinea. This plant is rumored to be a good luck charm in its native lands, as it is believed to bring peace and prosperity to your home.
Beyond its status as a benevolent addition to your household, part of what makes Chinese Evergreens such good indoor plants for beginners is their reputation for living long and healthy lives.
Care Tip: The Chinese Evergreen grows best in bright indirect light, where the sun’s rays are diffused. It can also adapt to medium- to low-light spaces. However, you’ll want to avoid placing it in areas without natural light or in direct sunlight.
ZZ Plant
The ZZ Plant, also known as the Zanzibar Gem, grows wild in nature in the dry soils of East Africa. Its desert pedigree makes it an incredibly durable and hardy houseplant for beginners. Although the ZZ Plant is a bit of a slow and steady grower, it can thrive in almost any condition – just another reason it’s one of the best beginner plants out there.
Care Tip: The ZZ Plant thrives in well-lit spaces with bright to medium light, but can adapt to do well in low light and spaces without natural light.
Philodendron
This beautiful green-and-yellow heart-shaped plant is not only easy on the eyes, but also easy to care for. Its name, which stems from the Greek words philo (love) and dendron (tree) , says it all.
Philodendron hail from Central America and the Caribbean. These lush, striking plants can give any beginner houseplant owner a living space that boasts a bit of a tropical jungle vibe.
Care Tip: Bright, indirect light is best for Philodendron Brazil, especially when the sun rays are diffused. It can also adapt to spaces with medium to low light. However, try to avoid environments without natural light or with direct sunlight.
Monstera Deliciosa
If you’re a newbie looking for a starter plant with big-leafed foliage, then the Monstera Deliciosa is for you. Native to Southern Mexico and Central America, Monstera Deliciosa’s breathtakingly large leaves have earned it the Latin word for ‘monstrous.’ But its leafy uniqueness doesn’t stop there. The Monstera’s leaves are perforated (these are called “fenestrations”) and are an adaptation to help let sunlight easily pass through its canopies.
Care Tip: Bright indirect light where sun rays are diffused is the best environment for the Monstera Deliciosa plant. However, this sun-loving foliage can adapt to spaces with bright direct light, where the sunlight streams inside directly. Try to avoid areas with low light or without natural light.
Pothos
Another one of the best houseplants for beginners is the Pothos. Stemming from the Pacific Islands, Pothos is a resilient plant with graceful vines and deep green foliage that will help breathe life into any space.
One of the Pothos plant’s nicknames is “devil’s ivy.” And while this plant is lovely to look at and easy to care for, it can sometimes be irritating to a person’s skin, or even toxic to pets if ingested.
Care Tip: The Jade Pothos does best in well-lit spaces with medium to bright light, but it can adapt to low light or spaces without natural light.
Ponytail Palm
Another desert dweller, the Ponytail Palm is a beginner houseplant that’s native to Mexico. And it’s just as eye-catching as it is easy to care for.
A Ponytail Palm may look like a mini tree with its thick, trunk-like stem and luscious locks of leaves, but this plant actually belongs to the succulent family. Thanks to its hardy trunk of a stem, this sun-loving stunner has learned to store water within its base and roots allowing it to thrive and survive under almost any condition – making it a perfect, easy houseplant for beginners.
Care Tip: The Ponytail Palm best prefers spaces with bright, direct sunlight. It can also adapt to a home with bright, indirect light where the sun rays are diffused. To be sure your Ponytail Palm thrives, avoid areas with low light or without natural sunlight.
Find the Perfect Beginner Houseplants at easyplant
Hopefully, if you’ve been considering developing your green thumb, there are plenty of fantastic indoor plants for beginners that are the perfect picks for accompanying on your journey.
In fact, in addition to the plants we’ve mentioned here that are great starter plants on their own, at easyplant, we’ve taken the ease-of-care factor one step further for you with our self-watering pots. Think of it as a “set it and forget it” type of relationship.
In just three easy steps, our curation and self-watering pots make it simple for beginner plant parents. Simply open the lid to your potted plant’s reservoir and fill with water. Your plant will only drink what it needs, when it needs it. Typically, most easyplants require you water them just once per month. The result is healthy, long-living plants that are easier than ever to maintain.
