Easy-care indoor plants
With these easy and stylish starter plants, no one will guess you're a houseplant newbie. It's a familiar story: You pluck a beautiful houseplant from the nursery, and after a few months it wilts, your horticultural hopes plummeting with each fallen leaf. But that doesn't mean you should give up houseplants entirely. There are plenty of indoor plants that thrive with little fuss (and can even survive with less-than-optimal light or occasional watering). You don't have to stick with a common spider plant. Here are some of the best stylish, easy-care and under-the-radar houseplants for beginners. These choices can bring drama to a room—but not your life.
1 Ficus Alii
High-impact like the ubiquitous fiddle-leaf fig, but low-maintenance, the Ali Ficus usually has a bushy or lollipop shape, sometimes with a twining trunk. "Tall specimens really provide a focal point for a room," says Baylor Chapman, stylist and author of Decorating with Plants. This Ficus likes bright, indirect light and should be watered well when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil is dry. It tilts towards the sun and rotates it periodically to keep it upright.
2 Rabbit's Foot Fern
"This plant is amazing for many reasons," says Darryl Cheng, editor of The New Plant Parent and founder of the popular houseplant magazine. "It's very drought tolerant, so you don't have to water it as often as other ferns. Head turnover is lower than most ferns, so it doesn't tangle the leaflets. And it grows well in low humidity." Give your rabbit's foot fern indirect light (it can handle an hour or two of direct sun, and a little more if you can keep watering regularly). Water whenever the soil feels dry to the touch.
3 Satin Pothos
With colorful leaves, satin pothos is more unusual than the standard golden pothos, but it's also low maintenance. "I call Pothos the 'instant gratification' plant!" says Maria Green, a plant consultant and stylist who founded Your Green Peas. It's a houseplant he always recommends for beginners because it's quick-growing and forgiving. Pothos love bright indirect light (they tolerate low light, but will burn in direct light); Allow the soil to dry out between waterings (clear signs that wilted, leathery leaves are thirties, says Greene).
4 Velvet Leaf Philodendron
Delicate and elegant, this philodendron is "one of our favorite plants," say Brian Kellett and Emily Brown, founders of Stump Nursery. "The thick velvety foliage adds a hint of luxury to any room." However, that luxury doesn't come at a price: it can handle both low light and bright, indirect light. The amount of water it needs depends on how much light it gets, from once a week to every other week. Additionally, this plant makes it easy to expand your collection or share with others.
5 'Sensation' Peace Lily
"The large, ribbed leaves and 'Sensation' blue-green shade distinguish it from other peace lilies," says Dana Horst, founder of the All Houseplants and Folia Collective. A perfect statement plant, 'Sensation' likes bright, indirect light, but tolerates medium light (it can be less saturated and produce smaller leaves); Water when the top third of the soil is dry. If your peace lily looks wilted, don't worry: it's a sign of thirst. Give it a deep watering, and it will "back up," Horst says.
6 Fish Bone Prayer Plant
"If you want to enjoy a calathea-style shape and color scheme without the calathea drama, get Ctenanthe burle-marxii, commonly known as the fishbone prayer plant," suggests Cheng. "It's a very satisfying plant on its own because it's bushier than most calatheas." Although it is quite hardy, the plant does best in bright, indirect light (direct light will burn the leaves), water when the top half inch of soil is dry, and high humidity (it's a great plant for your bathroom).
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