Big Idea
- What indoor plants are most popular? Best indoor plants for clean air.
- What are the easiest houseplants to grow? Easy indoor house plants low light.
- What is the trendiest house plant? List of indoor plants for beginners
- What is the hardest houseplant to kill?
Houseplants add style, color, and brightness, all while cleaning the air we breathe.
Even if you're not an experienced #PlantParent, this list of 17 houseplants thrives indoors with minimal care. Each with descriptions and how to grow in your home without killing a single one
Aloe Vera gel from cut leaves is widely used in first aid remedies and cosmetics, adding function to form as a houseplant. Like most succulents, it prefers dry sandy soil and bright light. Healthy plants produce pups to replace any leaves you might harvest.
Light: High
Water: Dry
Color Varieties: 'Christmas Carol' has red leaf edges; 'Walmsley's Variegated' has cream streaks.
Croton, Codiaeum, produce a colorful WOW neutral gray or taupe rooms need. Bright light is essential for good leaf coloration and plant health. All varieties have stripes or splotched of yellow, red, orange, and pink, all on the same plant.
Light: High
Water: Medium
Color Varieties: Orange, white, yellow, red, pink, purple
Dumb Cane Plant, Dieffenbachia, does not describe the elegance of the large speckled and splotched leaves display in bright light. Provide moderate moisture, and keep the toxic leaves away from kids and pets.
Light: Medium to bright
Water: Medium
Color Varieties: 'Honeydew' has gold leaves; 'Mary' has splotches of cream; 'Snow' has white speckles.
Fiddle Leaf Fig, Ficus lyrata, provides a fresh, modern twist in their decor, even smaller spaces. Natural light is essential for the large leaves, so place it close to a south or east-facing window. Allow soil to dry between waterings.
Light: Bright light
Water: Dry between waterings
Color Varieties: A variegated cultivar with creamy leaf margins
Jade Plant, Crassula ovata, you can't go wrong for a bright room. It's every bit as pretty as those trendy faux plants you see at the hobby store. Only fake plants don't continue to grow and become more stately over time like a natural jade plant. Water sparingly and add supplemental lighting if leaf drop occurs.
Light: High
Water: Dry
Color Varieties: 'Calico Kitten' has pink and cream leaves; 'Variegata' has cream streaking.
Peace Lily, Spathiphyllum wallisii, the graceful white spathes of the peace lily have long been rendered in silk plants. There is no reason to go fake when a living specimen is so easy to grow. Peace lilies do well in dark rooms and need regular moisture.
Light: Low light
Water: Moist
Color Varieties: 'Domino' has white stippling on leaves.
Philodendron thrives in any room with classic low care for any beginner houseplanter. You might see the heart-shaped leaves grow to giant proportions outdoors in frost-free gardens, but it's just as happy in your bedroom.
Light: Low to high
Water: Medium
Color Varieties: 'Brandi' has silver variegation; 'Micans' has purple-tinted leaves; 'Prince of Orange' has orange-tinted leaves.
Snake Plant, Sansevieria trifasciata, is as close to plant an forget it as they come. The plant tolerates a wide range of moisture, soil, and light conditions. You can find variegated types, and the plants also look great grown in metal or concrete containers for industrial chic.
Light: Low to high
Water: Low
Color Varieties: 'Bantel's Sensation' has cream leaves; 'Black Gold' has thin gold edging; 'Gold Hahnii' has wide gold bands.
Spider Plant, Chlorophytum comosum, is a top seller year after year for its super low maintenance needs and air purification qualities. The arching leaves make these plants great for pedestals or hanging baskets.
Light: Indirect light
Water: Average to dry
Color Varieties: 'Bonnie Variegated' has white striping
Umbrella Plant, Schefflera arboricola, can grow 10' feet tall in the jungles of Taiwan. You can check this growth in containers, especially with slow-growing variegated cultivars like 'Gold Capella' or 'Sunburst.'
Light: High
Water: Medium
Color Varieties: 'Sun Burst' is a gold variegated type; 'Janine' is a white variegated type.
Until next week, I'll be helping locals choose the perfect houseplants here at Watters Garden Center.
Throughout the week, Ken Lain can be found at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Rd in Prescott, or contacted through her website at WattersGardenCenter.com or Top10Plants.com.
Upcoming Garden Classes
August 21 @ 9:30 am – Best Evergreens for Mountain Landscapes – Evergreens can be the anchor of any landscape, providing color and privacy year-round. We'll dispel the myth that the only evergreens are pine trees, when in fact they can be a multitude of different shapes, colors, and sizes—there are even evergreens that aren't green!
August 28 @ 9:30 am - Gardening for Newcomers Learn all the mountain secrets to local garden success. This is an information packed class guaranteed to increase garden blooms and fruit this year. Learn about growing zones, frost dates, soils and more; you'll know exactly what to do in the gardens after this class.
September 4 @ 9:30 am - Top 10 Trees and How to Plant them - Privacy, shade, color, evergreen, and blooms. We cover trees from every angle. With so many choices, picking the perfect tree can seem overwhelming, but not after this class. Our horticultural team will be on-hand after the class to help with individual tree situations. Free tree planting guide to all attendees.
September 11 @ 9:30 am – Climbers & Covers in the Landscape. Vines climb quickly up fence posts, pergolas, barbed wire, walls and trellis. They block, screen, and shade better than any other plants in the nursery, but not all vines are created equal. Learn these vines favorite locals, sun and shade lovers, and all the advice to get these bloomers climbing.
September 18 @ 9:30 am - Easy to Grow Mountain Plants – Rock landscapes without these core plants tend to look strange, immature and lacking. Learn how to garden with these simple, but effective planting combinations for a design that WOWs all four seasons of the year.
September 25 @ 9:30 am - Privacy Screens and the Secret Garden. Tired of looking at the neighbor's RV? This class shows off the best, fastest growing plants to fill in your privacy screens! You can screen unsightly neighbors, enhance your view, or block pesky traffic and cut noise and light pollution. Experts will be on hand to help individuals with unique situations.
October 2 @ 9:30 am - Fall ‘To-do‘ list for a Healthy Yard - Get the most out of your landscape with this easy to use checklist of fall care. Bring the color out of your fall gardens, reduce bugs next spring, or simply put your landscape to bed with these easy to use ideas.
October 9 @ 9:30 am - Autumn Colors Best Enjoyed at Home - Landscapes in autumn can be stunning, but only with proper planning. This easy care advice will bring the silver and blues out of the evergreens, showcasing brilliant bright foliage and crazy colored flowers. Make this the brightest fall of all!
October 16 @ 9:30 am – Fall Containers that Bloom like Crazy! After this class, you’ll have what it takes to design great container gardens that sparkle in the afternoon heat. Learn about proper watering, the best foods, companion plants, and more. Everyone is going to comment on your potting success! Bring your own container or buy one new and we'll have design stations open, with expert advice on hand.
October 23 @ 9:30 am – Succulents, Cacti and the Low Maintenance Garden are all the rage right now, and a great choice for busy gardeners! These are the toughest, drought-tolerant plant that will grow like gangbusters in a tight space with very little care. Students will learn how to use the local favorites that brings warm color and texture to your home.
October 30 @ 9:30 am – Showy Shrubs of Autumn - Shrubs are the backbone of a good design. They provide essential structure, beauty, fragrance and color with a great variety of shapes. Rock landscapes without shrubs tend to look strange, immature and lacking. Learn how to use shrubs to create simple but effective planting combinations for a design impact that will WOW all four seasons of the year. Free to gardeners that want more from their yard.
