House Plants for Beginners
Firstly, I would just like to state that I am no expert when it comes to house plants…and in fact I would consider myself a beginner when it comes to caring for and propagating them. I started learning more about it and leaning into having plants in my home a few years back as they added a little bit of greenery and a fresh homey feeling to all the rooms in my home. From there I added some plants into my showroom space and most of which are still going today (I’ve been told some are even thriving… and that makes me such a proud plant mom).
So to get started I figured I would share my top 5 house plants that I’ve found were easy to care for and some of which required minimal light to keep them alive. I picked up plants from a bunch of different spots, some local greenhouses and some were home renovation store finds that I felt I could breath new life into (and if not they we’re on their way out anyways so at least I tried.. “A” for effort right?)
Pothos - My number one plant that seems to just never die and it propagates pretty easily into new little babies is part of the Pothos breed of plants (which can be referred to as the Devil’s Ivy). This plant comes in different vibrant shades of green and grow in an “ivy” fashion. These are great for shelving areas or in a hanging basket as they trail out and down when they grow. I sometimes forget to water it… but it just seems to never die which I guess is a good thing hahaha.
Snake Plants - There are many different varieties but these plants are great to put in a pot and sort of forget about. Mine don’t like being watered and they don’t like to be in well-lit areas. I suggest these in bathrooms or low light areas, mine sits in a little elevated pot and spices up the dimmest little corners of my home.
ZZ Plant - Similar to the snake plant above, this guy thrives in areas that don’t get much sunlight. They require minimal maintenance and they grow in a really unique way. I have mine in bigger pots and some in baskets (adds a cool texture to the space). They can get quite big and take about 5 years to become full size which can be about 2-3 feet wide/tall.
Spider Plant - The texture of this plant gives a really organic vibe to any space. There are many varieties and I have propagated quite a few babies off my plants. They require minimal maintenance, indirect sunlight and look great in an area where they have room to grow and spread-out. When you think of how a spider plant looks, think of the way a spider looks (or don’t if you’re scared of spiders like me).
Aloe Vera - This plant is part of the succulent family and not only looks great it can be very useful if you’re needing some healing aloe (used topically, not ingested) . Aloe plants can grow very large and require little-to-no maintenance but do like the sunlight. Keep an eye on this guy as the soil is preferred to be dried but will require rare maintenance.
For best care results, I recommend fertilizing the plants as needed and making sure you’re using rain water or spring water as it contains important minerals without all the chemicals that the plants like. Almost all plants need some sort of drainage, so make sure you’re potting them correctly so they have the best results.
I also recommend a moisture meter or sensor if you’re one of those people that like to over-water plants, this will help you determine if plants need water or not and prevent over-watering or root rot.
I hope this was somewhat educational for you and gives you that bit of encouragement to incorporate some plant life into your home. I’m sure there is so much more information I can learn so if you have anything else to add or share with our audience let me know and I will gladly compile it all for another blog post on plant care.
Anyway, happy planting!
Markie.