Plant lovers rejoice! Here’s a top 5 list of some truly beautiful and easy to care for houseplants. These are a dream for even the most murderous of plant parents out there, I believe in you.
5) Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata Laurentii)
Snake plants are probably one of the most popular houseplants, for a wide variety of reasons. One is that they have been approved by NASA to be air purifying, it also continues to produce oxygen at night unlike many other plants. Therefore the Sansevieria is a great plant for the bedroom to improve breathing through the night. Snake plants are also virtually indestructible, their fleshy leaves hold onto a lot of moisture which they can draw from if needed so rarely need watering (once or twice a month is plenty), they also thrive in both bright and indirect light. I’ve had mine for about 2 years, it started growing new leaves after the first year and is currently sprouting lots of babies now it’s in a room with more daylight.
4) Monkey Mask Plant (Monstera Adansonii)
The Monkey Mask Plant is an absolutely delightful houseplant, I’ve had one for about 4 months and it has grown so much, (at this point I’m not sure I could kill it even if I wanted to) as soon as one leaf unfurls there’s already another popping out beside it. It climbs really well and is great as both a hanging plant and a standing plant with a stake (or just let it go wild!). Check the soil of the Adansonii to check if it needs watering, if the top inch or so is dry, give it some water but careful not to leave it soaked for days at a time. This plant does brilliantly in indirect sunlight, throughout winter I had mine growing from my curtain pole (I live in the UK so there was never any direct sunlight), now that Spring has sprung I’ve moved my plant over to my bookshelf but still facing the window so that it doesn’t get scorched. Also, if older leaves start to yellow and die but newer leaves are doing just fine, it means your plant is in need of fertiliser or a bigger pot.
3) Rubber Plant (Ficus variegata)
The Rubber Plant is another popular houseplant as it comes in a variety of sizes that are suitable to most apartments and houses. They grow well and are really pretty, when variegated rubber plants first bloom they are a beautiful pinky-purple and then eventually settle as a stunning teal & cream that look like they’ve been hand painted. I currently own a very small Rubber Plant (three inches tall with three cute leaves) and is therefore perfect for my urban jungle bedroom with very little floorspace, however these plants can grow to incredible heights with next to no stabilising and look brilliant in houses with high ceilings. Most common issues with Rubber Plants come from overwatering, and root rot is common if the soil is permanently soaked. It’s well suited to bright yet indirect sunlight and often struggles in low light.
2) Air Plant (Tillandsia Streptophylla)
When it comes to Air Plants, there are plenty to choose from, the Streptophylla is a very twisty turny one that I personally think is really cute. These plants enjoy indirect sunlight (occasional direct light is fine but only for an hour or two maximum). Anywho, Air Plants are the easiest thing to take care of honestly, it. could. not. be. easier. Fill up your sink/bucket with room temperature water, and leave the plant to soak for about 10 minutes every two to three weeks. It should take no more 3 hours for the plant to fully dry. But that’s it, there you have it. An easy peasy plant that even the most murderous of plant lovers couldn’t kill.
1) Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera Deliciousa)
The Monstera Deliciousa is probably the most popular houseplant because well, it’s beautiful! There are so many products that are decorated with this plant from wallpaper to resuable water bottles – it’s the epitome of design for plant lovers. The perforated leaves are unusual and seem misplaced however, the slits occur when the plant is being cared for at it’s best. There is occasionally a bit of trial and error with this plant to find out what’s best for yours. Most often it’s suggested that the plants is watered until it’s starts draining through the bottom every two to three weeks. However, when I did this my plant ended up overwatered, instead I now water mine about once a week (or when the first inch or two of soil is dry to touch) with a smaller amount of water. These houseplants love indirect sunlight, in fact they’re more likely to develop perforations when they receive more sunlight. This doesn’t mean you should start putting them in your windowsill or they will scorch. They also like a bit of humidity so will do well in a room with a diffuser or just sprayed with water every few days.