If you’ve been looking to add a little color and vibrant life to your living space, then you’ve come to the right place. Houseplants are usually simple to grow and care for. They are also colorful, pretty, and even considered great at helping decrease stress. So, in this article, I will give you 20 easy indoor plants to grow so that you can choose suitable low-maintenance indoor plants to keep alive in your area.
1. Aloe vera
Aloe vera is considered one of the easiest indoor plants to keep alive. It is a type of succulent plant, has distinctively elongated, vase-shaped leaves that extend from the central base. For beginners, you can try smaller varieties and put them in a sunny space in your house, such as the kitchen window. In fact, Aloe can live well in dish gardens and at room temperatures. They even look more beautiful with Southwest decor.
Size: Up to 3 feet wide and 3 feet high
Growing conditions: Reasonably dry soil, bright light; 65 – 75°F
2. Anthurium
Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum, also called flamingos) usually have bright colors for around eight weeks or more per year. Flowers are usually red, but you can also find hybrids in pink, white, lavender, and even green. Anthuriums are great cut flowers because they stay fresh for a long period. However, their beautiful and heart-shaped leaves might have toxic sap, so make sure you put them away from the reach of your kids and pets.
Size: Up to 2 feet wide and 2 – 3 feet high
Growing conditions: Evenly humid soil (wet only in fall and winter), medium to bright light; indirect sunlight; 65 – 80°F
3. Arrowhead vine
Arrowhead vine is one of the great indoor plants for beginners with flush foliage. Their leaves have a characteristic dark green color marked with white along their veins. They can thrive even in low-light conditions. You can use small plants in mixed pots and with other leafy garden plants on the countertop. Besides, you can train your arrowhead vines to stand upright using moss stakes. Another interesting fact is that these houseplants can grow well in artificial light.
Size: Up to 6 – 36 inches wide and 6 – 36 inches high
Growing conditions: Evenly humid soil, low to medium light; 60 – 75°F
4. Asparagus fern
The stems of the asparagus fern (also known as asparagus densiflorus) usually point upward and outward, making it a great hanging basket plant. First, their flowers are small and white, then they will turn into bright red berries. But these can be toxic, so keep them away from your pets and kids.
Size: Up to 12 – 36 inches wide and 18 – 36 inches high
Growing conditions: Evenly moist soil, medium to bright light; 60 – 75°F
5. Cast-iron plant
Living up to their name, cast-iron plants are nearly indestructible, tolerant of neglect, low light, low moisture, and lots of heat, making them ideal for growing in dark corners. It’s better to start with large plants because they grow slowly.
Size: Up to 1-2 feet wide and 1-2 feet high
Growing conditions: Evenly moist soil (humid only in fall and winter), low light; 45 – 85°F
6. Chinese evergreen
For those who don’t know, Chinese evergreen (also known as aglaonema commutatum) can live up to 10 years or more. Its distinguishing features: the leaves are arc-shaped, lanceolate, often variegated with silver, gray or green hues. Place a small plant on your living room table or group larger plants with other low-light plants.
Size: Up to 1 – 3 feet wide and 1 – 3 feet high
Growing conditions: Evenly humid soil, low to medium light; 60 – 75°F
7. Christmas cactus
Christmas cactus is one of many easy indoor plants to grow. They usually have a gracefully curved shape, with long segmented stems and inflorescences that are mauve, dark pink, salmon, white, or orange-red. The plant often flowers from mid to late December. Once their blooming is finished, you can prune them by pinching to cut off some segments. By doing this, you encourage them to branch, creating fuller plants with more flowers.
Size: Up to 6 – 18 inches wide and 8 – 12 inches high
Growing conditions: Reasonably dry, well-drained soil, bright light; 70 – 80°F (55°F in the fall season)
8. Dieffenbachia
Dieffenbachia is another one of various easy indoor plants to grow. They usually have curved, pointed leaves, up to 12 inches long. In addition, they are often marbled with cream or white, and grow from a stalk resembling a sugar cane. The large leaves of these plants highlight the tropical architecture. Besides, they can combine well into a mixed group of leaves. One of the common names for these plants is dumb cane, which comes from a poisonous resin in the stems and leaves that triggers tongue numbness and swelling when people or pets chew.
Size: Up to 1 – 3 feet wide and 1 – 6 feet high
Growing conditions: Evenly damp soil, low to medium light; 65 – 80°F
9. Dracaena
Dracaena is one of many easy indoor plants to grow in the group of common foliage plants. They often have long, stringy leaves that alternate with cream, white, or red. You can start with saplings on the countertop. You will need to provide enough floor space if you want to grow larger plants. Besides, it’s better to keep your plants under 6 feet tall by cutting off the top of them. Within a few weeks, a new pair of buds should appear just below the cut.
Size: Up to 1 – 3 feet wide and 1 – 10 feet high
Growing conditions: Moderately moist soil, medium to bright light; 65 – 75°F
10. English ivy
The elegant look of this versatile foliage plant is perfect for hanging baskets or containers or pots. It is one of the best and easiest indoor plants for beginners to train plant forms or use as a groundcover underneath larger indoor plants. Put English ivy (or Hedera helix) on a stand so that the stem can droop. The stems can grow slightly long but you can easily control them by pruning.
Size: Up to 6 – 72 inches wide and 6 – 12 inches high, trailing
Growing conditions: Average to high moisture; evenly humid soil, medium to bright light; 55 – 70°F
11. Ficus
The glossy green leaves extend from an upright woody plant in the form of a monocotyledon or shrub. Depending on its size, you can grow Ficus (Ficus spp.) as a tabletop or floor plant. Just remember to place your ficus where it won’t have to move all winter, as it doesn’t like changing environmental conditions.
Size: Up to 1 – 10 feet wide and 1 – 12 feet high
Growing conditions: Moderately moist soil, medium to bright light; 65 – 75°F
12. Hoya
Hoya is one of many easy indoor plants to grow with fast-growing ability. It often has both glossy foliage and white or pink flowers with red centers. The flowers have a sweet fragrance, also known as wax flowers. You can put these plants in hanging baskets or train them to grow upside down into a trellis. To make a wreath, you can try to wrap their long vines around a form. The small leaves can be trained into seedlings. One of the easiest plants to keep alive in Hoya gran is Hoya carnosa.
Size: Up to 48 inches wide and 6 – 12 inches high, trailing
Growing conditions: Moderately dry soil, medium (foliage only) to bright light (for flowers); 55 – 75°
13. Parlor palm
The exquisite, upright parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) has been one of the most common and easy indoor plants to grow since Victorian times. The thread-like green leaflets on the hairy leaves are 9 to 24 inches long. They are beautiful plants to fill an empty corner and can get lower light than other types of palms. Younger ones will grow nicely in the terrarium at an early age.
Size: Up to 1 – 3 feet wide and 1 – 8 feet high
Growing conditions: Evenly humid soil, medium to low light; 55 – 75°F
14. Peace lily
Peace lily is another one among various easy houseplants for beginners. They can withstand low moisture and low light. Their leaves are lanceolate, glossy, with domed spines surrounding the central flower spikes. They also give spoon-shaped flowers that usually appear in the summer. However, many varieties bloom intermittently throughout the year. The dark leaves look very attractive in a smooth pot with a glossy surface.
Size: Up to 1 – 5 feet wide and 1 – 6 feet high
Growing Conditions: Evenly humid soil, low to bright light; 60 – 85°F
15. Peperomia
The most interesting feature of Peperomia is its leaves that are different in shape (from heart-shaped to narrow), texture (from wax to waffle-like) and color (reddish, green, or silver-gray). They can produce slender flowers, which resemble a rat’s tail, from time to time. You can place them on countertops or use them as a garden companion for dishes and mixing baskets. This plant can also withstand the low light of a northern windowsill and is small enough to be placed on a desk or used in a terrarium.
Size: Up to 6 – 12 inches wide and 6 – 12 inches high
Growing conditions: Evenly dry soil, low to medium light; 60 – 75°F
16. Philodendron
Philodendron is one of the easy indoor plants to grow with durable foliages. It has long been the key element of indoor gardening. The common heart-leaf philodendron usually has slender stems with leaves up to 4 inches in length. This plant is very easy to grow, propagate, and adapts well to almost any indoor environment. You can start with small specimens in the dish garden and mixed baskets. The plant is tolerant to low light. Therefore, it is a great ideal for bookshelves and for covering the sides of a large piece of your furniture. Unfortunately, their leaves can be toxic to humans and pets if ingested in large amounts.
Size: Up to 1 – 6 feet wide and 1 – 10 feet high
Growing conditions: Reasonably dry to evenly humid soil, low to bright light; 60 – 80°F
17. Snake plant
Snake plants are a kind of tough succulent plant that can grow almost anywhere. It can withstand abandonment but yes, responds well to good care. The leaves are sword-shaped, skin-colored, with a white or yellow border. Snake plants are one of many easy houseplants for beginners, but lots of indoor plant growers also love them because of their impressive upright shape. When planted in a bright place, it will produce tall plants with fragrant blue flowers. Dwarf petunia makes a very beautiful ornamental or desktop plant.
Size: Up to 6 – 36 inches wide and 6 – 48 inches high
Growing Conditions: Reasonably dry soil, low to bright light; 60 – 85°
18. Spider plant
The spider plant (also known as Chlorophytum comosum) looks great in hanging baskets or on pedestals, with its “children” filling the pot. Most spider plants are the genus of ‘Vittatum’, having a white stripe in the middle of each leaf. Although sometimes there are all-green plants. Brown leaf tips, which are popular in spider plants, are caused by contaminated water, often from fluoride, or over-fertilization, low moisture, or dry soil conditions. In this case, you can use scissors to prune damaged leaves. Besides, you can try to use distilled water or rainwater in case your tap water is fluoridated.
Size: Up to 6 – 24 inches wide and 6 – 12 inches high
Growing conditions: Evenly humid soil, medium to bright light; 65 – 75°F
19. Swedish ivy
Despite its name, Swedish ivy (also known as Plectranthus verticillatus), is one of the most popular plants in the plectranthus family. It is native to Australia and South Africa, and is a close relative of mint.
The cascading stems with glossy scalloped leaves make it mainly a leafy plant. Nevertheless, it usually blooms in late spring or early summer with clusters of tiny pale or white flowers on short spikes. Its small drapes make it an ideal option for hanging baskets.
Size: Up to 6 – 36 inches wide and 6 – 18 inches high
Growing conditions: Barely humid soil, medium light; 50 – 65°F
20. Tradescantia
Tradescantias usually have trailing stems that will change direction a little bit at each node, giving them a beautiful zigzag look. You can plant them in mixed and hanging baskets or as a groundcover under bigger houseplants. Their leaves are purple and patchy that need bright light to keep color. The old plants will become thin and shriveled, replacing them with new plants from rooted cuttings.
Size: Up to 12 – 24 inches wide and 4 – 12 inches high, trailing
Growing conditions: Reasonably dry soil, medium to bright light; 55 – 75°F